The Stockings Were Hung...

Christmas Is Coming

So we finally have our tree up. We still have some last minute shopping to do and I still have nothing to wear! Why does it have to be so stressful? I mean it's fun and I LOVE it...it is my favorite holiday after all but jeez.

I am having my root canal finished on sat morning...fun times! Not looking forward to that but so glad that I won't be in pain anymore...yippee!!!

We had a play date today! It was great. My friend came over with her almost 2 year old little girl (who has a crush on Nevin...too cute!) and the 9 month old baby boy that she babysits for. It was great having some adult interaction.

This week Kieran has started the whole not sharing thing. Oh boy...I do not like this phase. Every time on of the other little ones has one of his toys he flipped out. Seriously...he just started doing this, out of the blue, yesterday! He never use to care before. Speaking of Kieran...he's awake! Gotta go. More later. :D

Happy Birthday Nevin!

Yesterday my little boy turned 10!!! So hard to believe and boy does it make me feel old. Just Saturday we were at the mall, looking at clothes and I said that a shirt was "totally awesome" and he rolled his eyes at me! Just like I use to roll my eyes at my Mom when she tried to act cool. So I said "what Nev, is that not the cool thing to say? Whats the cool thing to say nowadays? Rad, groovy, rockin', totally sweet?" ROFL! He looked at me like I was some alien and said "Mom you're too old to act cool". Whoa!

Josh made Nevin a macaroni and cheese pizza! He just came up with the idea and suprised him with it. Nevin LOVED it. Said it was the best pizza he's ever had...better than regular pizza and way better than regular mac and cheese. I wish I had gotten a picture! Then we sang Happy Birthday and had some yummy cake.

I'll post pics and a video soon! :)

A Happy Vegan Thankgiving

Well, we decided to stay home this Thanksgiving and have our own yummy Thanksgiving dinner and visit family later on. What a great decision too! Just look at all this vegan yumminess!




We had Lentil loaf, salad, green bean casserole, yams, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce gravy and pumpkin pie!
I ate just about the whole pie on my own...no joke. It's not often we have vegan pie!
Yummmmmmy!!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful thankgiving!

Awesome Ron Paul Video

This nearly made me cry! Fantastic.

Come on people. We can make a difference by supporting this man.

Herbivore

I believe that humans are naturally meant to be herbivores. I found this on You Tube and thought it was cute and so true! Enjoy!

Moral of the story? Change who you are and dress like a prostitute to get the guy. Nice. I never really thought about this before. It was a favorite movie of mine while growing up. I probably watched it a thousand times. So what is this saying to young girls? Well, I guess I already answered that!

Story Time

Kieran loves it when Nevin reads to him. It's so sweet! Here's a video but please excuse my messy house and undressed baby...it was early.

John Mayer Likes Ron Paul

So my husband helped interview Ron Paul while he was here visiting MI...how cool is that??? Wish I was there to take pictures.

Check out this video of John Mayer. Though it seems he may have been intoxicated a bit(haha)... it gives me even more of a reason to love him!
I was already a huge fan.

SASHA Farms Fall Festival

We had a great time at the fall festival at SASHA Farms. We got to visit all of the wonderful animals again and also see Will Tuttle Speak. We bought his book The World Peace Diet and had it signed by him. It's a great book.
Here are some pictures! Nevin and Kieran loved the cat house the most I think.

Cotton Balls...Run Away!

Yesterday, while cleaning out the closet we found some cotton batting. Kieran walked up to grab it and dropped it quick and made a sound of disgust, rubbed his hands together, made his sound he makes for no and shook his head. So later we got the cotton balls out to see what he would do. LOL. Something about this he just does not like! He kept saying "ball, ball" like he wanted to play with them but didn't want to touch them. What a goofy kid! Here's a video. Make sure your volume is on. :D

Kieran's 1st Halloween

Kieran's 1st Halloween
Originally uploaded by veggiesmiles

This is my most recent layout. Hard to believe it's almost Halloween again!

1st Sand

Here is a video of Kieran's 1st time ever playing in the sand. He loved it! He was so focused and flipped out when we finally had to leave! LOL.

Kieran's Growing Up So Fast!

I just wanted to update on all of the new things Kieran does!
Well, he's walking up a storm and even running! He's becoming so independent!
He's also talking up a storm. Here are all the words he can say(I'm sure I'll forget some though):
Mama
Daddy(dacume)
Mama
Willy(our cat)
Chocho(our other cat)
Wah wah(water)
Hat
Bath
Num num(for food and nursing)
Paper
Ribbon
No no(lol)
Ruff ruff(for dog)
Meh(for meow)
Walk
Shoe
Eyes
Mouth
Baby
Wee wee(that's what he calls feet from me doing "this little piggy" with his toes)
Nigh night(night night)
Hi
Bye
Ring(for the phone ringing)
Juice
Pee Pee
Wee(for swing)
Open
Boo boo
Hair
Well, those are ones I can remember and after typing them out I'm shocked by just ow many he knows! He also has his own made up for things. Like for vacuum, car etc.

He loves playing with Nevin and they have so much fun together! He loves food and playing outside. He tells us that he wants to go outside by pointing to the door and saying "walk"(as in walking in the yard or going for a walk) and by saying "wee" for the swing in our backyard. I can't get over how fast he learns!

He loves the cats to death and walks after them all day. He's gotten much better with petting them and hardly ever pulls their hair anymore. :) Though he still remembers getting scratched by out cat Snowflake MONTHS ago!! He rubs is arm and says's "ow, boo boo" LOL.

He has 5 teeth now and is working on his 6th!

And I can't leave without mentioning my sweet boy, Nevin. He has got to be the best big brother ever! He plays so well with Kieran and really helps out. He may complain at times but hey, what can you expect? LOL.

He is acting more and more the a teenager everyday! He's doing well, with homeschooling, has lots of friends and plays outside a lot...riding his bike and skate board.

His hair is getting way too long now and really needs a cut or at least a trim. Boy he was not happy when he heard that!

So that's my update on the kiddo's. :D

World Class Ass

So this is what Bill Maher thinks about nursing in public and the nurse in at Applebbe's in which I attended.

I'm sure he has lost a lot of fans due to this...including my husband. What a complete jerk! I'd like to know what his experience in breastfeeding is. If he can't handle seeing a glimpse of a breast while a baby innocently nurses then he has some serious issues and needs help! What seems to be his view on woman alone pisses me off.

Oh, and Bill? It wasn't the FIRST nurse in. There have been MANY nurse ins. Get your facts straight.

Some New Layouts

Here are a few of my newest layouts.

Do you do volunteer work?

That's the question that Christy asked over at Scrap Garden.

I don't presently do any volunteer work. I'm a very busy Mom and have no time to spare.

That being said...I do plan to volunteer as Kieran gets older. I figure I will take the kiddo's with me to help out. It will be a great learning opportunity for them and I think they will enjoy it. :)
This is where I plan to spend my time volunteering...
http://www.sashafarm.org/
We have decided to start sponsoring one of the animals. :)

Come Join Us!

It is going to be a blast! Everyone is welcome. There will lots of fun prizes so come on over and join us! :)

New LO's

Creating baby layouts is so fun! I find I get more inspired with baby pictures.
Here are 2 new ones.

Maggie Gyllenhaal Rocks!

This is beautiful.
I wish everybody would do this. It's the most natural thing there is yet so many women feel ashamed and feel they need to cover up. I feel bad for the babies that always have a blanket over their head. Way to go Maggie!!!

Get Some Sun!

Sunlight helps prevent cancer so get your butts out there and enjoy the sun!

Hands On Museum

On Saturday we all went to Ann Arbor to visit the Children's Hands On Museum. We had such a great time! Of course Kieran wouldn't nurse the whole time we were out because he was too distracted but other than that things went rather smoothly! After the museum we went to a yummy Indian restaurant. We were the only ones there and you'd think, by the way they acted, that the staff had never seen humans before! They all kept hovering around us. I was a bit odd but the food was so good!
Anyway. I made a remix to share with you! Enjoy!

Favorite Patterned Paper

The blog challenge over at Scrap Garden for today is - Favorite lines of PP.

Well, some of my faves include Basic Grey, KI Memories, American Crafts and Daisy D's. I could go on and on! It's kinda hard for me to pick favorites since I love such a wide range of lines and styles. I just grab what jumps out at me at the moment!

A Passing

My Grandmother passed away yesterday. Though we weren't close and I hardly knew her...I'm still very saddened by this.

My Aunt was visiting from NC and and apparently while my father and Aunt were at her house she was fine, chatty, in good spirits and feeling well. My Aunt left to drive my father home and on the way back got a call from her sister. She said my Grandmother fell and was turning blue...as my Aunt was racing back she called again and said that she had died. Just like that.

My Aunt feels fortunate that she was here to see her one last time. I was glad to hear that she was in good spirits and feeling well when it happened and that she didn't suffer.

Please keep our family in your thoughts.

My Thoughts Exactly

My hubby's blog is a blog worth reading. :)

My Scrap Style

The challenge over at Scrap Garden is to use a letter in your name to define your scrap style.

Well, I have 3 S's in my name(including my last name here) and my scrap style is simple, simple, simple!

Even when I try to jazz it up it comes out pretty simple(other than a few rare, busy layouts) but that's okay with me! I LOVE simple layouts, with nice clean lines. I feel like it draws more focus to the photo's.

Scrap Garden

Well, I am now a co-administrator at Scrap Garden. I'm so happy to be part of such a wonderful team of people!

Childhood Television Shows

Over at Scrap Garden...the blog challenge is What is the oldest television show you actually remember watching as a child?
Well, I think the very 1st one I can remember is The Polka Dot door . Man, I loved that show so much! A few others would be Pinwheel (I think my favorite part was when the green bug characters danced around on the ledge outside), Todays Special and Fraggle Rock those poor Doozers lol. Oh, and a few more would be Pooh's Corner, Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Dress Up(who when I was a kid always thought they were brothers). So those are some of the 1st shows I remember watching. Ahhh...brings back memories :)
What ever happened to shows like this that encouraged imagination?
Also, Laura mentioned Saturday Morning Cartoons. Remember looking forward to those? Well, now with things like Cartoon Network...it's just not as fun. I feel lucky to have had the great shows we had growing up!:)

Nutty Bars

I had a few dreams last night and all of them revolved around a Nutty Bar. Something to do with Josh's Grandma...except she was the Queen of England and there was a lady the was dressed up like Princess Diana but it wasn't her...she came in for food from the buffet but went back to the guest house where she was staying. Anyway...through all the dreams I had my whole goal was to find time to eat this nutty bar that was sitting on top of a piano. I wanted it sooo badly! I never did get to eat it. Weird dream. I wonder if there is something in it that my body needs or thinks it needs. Cyn...maybe you can help me out here with some advice lol.

Coolest Skirt

I ordered this skirt from on Etsy. Their actual website is www.lovepeaceanddye.com
I just got it in the mail recently and let me tell you...it is the most comfortable thing I have ever worn! And it's cute too. I love it. Just wanted to share.

BTW, that's not me modeling it in the pic.

Treasure The Moments

Last night while rocking my baby I kissed his face what seemed to be 20 times and snuggled him so close to me as if it were the last time. Because in a way, it was. He grows so fast and before I know it he'll be one week, one month, one year older. I treasure these times I have because he changes so much ... so fast.

100 Random Things About Me

1. I'm a vegan
2. I love to scrapbook but wish I had more time to do it
3. I'm self-conscious
4. I have a card website www.momentsincards.com
5. I never have enough time to make cards and make maybe 1 every other week...sometimes more often...depending.
6. I use"..." a lot for some reason.
7. I gave birth at home in a pool in my living room with my 2nd child
8. I will never have a hospital birth again
9. I'm a very sensitive person...or maybe most people are just insensitive
10. I cloth diaper my baby and no it's not hard, doesn't take much time, and I don't use pins!
11. I doubt myself way too often
12. I plan on letting my baby self wean from nursing.
13. I would never want to be younger. I feel I am wiser and a better person as I age.
14. I love Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives
15. I wish we could just throw our T.V's out and never look back...someday maybe.
16. I co-sleep with my baby and did so with my 1st son until he was 8
17. I will never understand how people say they are animal lovers yet eat them???
18. I think almost everyone is completely brainwashed
19. I try every day to unbrainwash(sp) myself lol
20. My kids are home schooled
21. I wear my baby
22. I've made out with girls
13. I have a temper
14. I'm a jealous person when it comes to my DH and other woman
15. I get attached to people and things easily
16. I've made some HUGE mistakes in the past
17. I slept with my teddy bear, Berry until I was 20. And only stopped because he was stolen.
18. I want to move out of Michigan
19. I'm lazy
20. I hate to clean but can't stand a mess
21. I feel torn between the old me and the me I am and trying to become
22. I use to be materialistic and now I'm complete opposite
23. I've never been on a plane
24. I would like to lose some weight and get back into shape
25. I had my 1st french kiss at age 18
26. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness
27. I love holidays now! I'm like a little kid.
28. I was in dance classes growing up and always wanted to be a dancer, actor, or singer.
29. I co-starred in an indie film
30. There are 2 beds in my room
31. I love taking pictures
32. I dyed my hair black and fuchsia when I was 18
33. I did a lot of things when I was 18 lol
34. I experimented with drugs when I was...guess...18!
35. I have a lot of anger towards my Mother who died a couple years ago. I also feel guilt over that.
36. I afraid of dying
37. I'm afraid of aliens
38. I'm paranoid
39. I want to move to a vegan community in Hawaii
40. I don't like feet
41. I wanted an ipod and now never use it
42. I love my husband...he's my best friend.
44. I drive a Saturn Vue
45. I have 3 cats or they have me
46. I eat organic
47. I make my own baby food for my baby
48. I can't stand when people judge others without knowing what it's like to be them.
49. I use to be that kind of person :(
50. I have acid reflux
51. My favorite color is blue... I find it calming
52. My favorite flower is lilac. They smell amazing...the smell of spring.
53. It's annoying me that I'm putting periods at the end of some of these and not others.
54. I love being near water.
55. I'm cold right now
56. My middle name is Anne. I'm not fond of it but it's my mothers and grandmothers middle name also.
57. I would love to have a little girl someday
58. I would love to be a midwife but I have too much doubt in myself. I'm working on that.
59. I want to be more active.
60. I am not dumb but use to pretend to be. Weird huh?
61. I love animals of all kind.
62. I miss my Mom sometimes.
63. I procrastinate...I just sent Christmas presents out to my brother and his family a few days ago.
64. I was locked in a dog house when I was little
66. I'm claustrophobic
67. I miss my 2 best friends from when I was younger
68. I can't sleep without some white noise like a fan or humidifier
67. I love flip flops
68. I don't like my neighbors
69. Hehehe
70. I don't like the color grey
71. I don't have a dishwasher
72. My childhood was not so good
73. I need my alone time
74. I don't get enough sleep
75. I have scoliosis
76. I love taking long hot baths
77. I'm not a big reader
78. I'm angry with my bio dad that I've recently formed a relationship with but don't want to bring anything up in fear of hurting HIS feelings.
79. I use to wear a lot of make-up when I was younger and now where little...some days none at all.
80. I'm bad with remembering names and dates.
81. My friends and I use to put in shows for my parents
82. When I was little my brothers locked my friends and I in my room, they called me Missy McIver and I cut my window screen out with a coat hanger. We climbed out.
83. I new I would be in trouble so my friends spent the night and we stayed up all night...as soon as it turned 1am we snuck out of bed to go house to house shoveling snow for money to buy a new screen. Most people didn't answer the door and others sent us home.
84. I want to travel more
85. My kids are the cutest kids ever!:)
86. I haven't had a job outside of home in about 10-11 years!
87. I cheated on my drivers license test
88. I failed my 1st drivers test
89. I drink herbal tea
90. I hated school growing up
91. I love swimming and being in water
92. I drink a lot of water
93. I love french fries
94. I love Nick @ Nite
95. I met John Stamos, Mario Lopez, and Sasha Mitchell
96. I want to learn to sew with a machine
97. I've gone skinny dipping
98. I love socks
99. I collect old children's books
100. I'm not a morning person...night person all the way...though I'd much rather be a morning person.

The Joys Of Grass

Kieran discovered grass last night! It was so fun watching him...so curious. It was adorable. Until he ate a mouthful of dirt! I got most of it out though lol. He really seemed to enjoy it...yuck! Then I gave him a bath. Here are some of the many pictures I took...

Yard Sall

Yup, I spelled it that way on purpose.

Sadness, the little old lady that lived across the street just passed away. I didn't know her well but she was always kind. She had a cute little dog that she always took for walks and even let Nevin walk him a few times. When Kieran was about 2 months old she stopped by and said how cute he was. She had 2 sons that lived with her. For some reason she was always the one outside mowing her lawn (with an electric lawn mower), raking leaves and even shoveling snow. As a matter of fact just days before she passed we saw her shoveling her front yard. Why she was doing these things and not her son's is beyond me and always ticked me off. I would have done it for her if I didn't have the baby. Anyway, we're sad about it.

Her son's are having a yard sale to get rid of all her things :(. At the end of my street there is a sign that says "YARD SALL" *shakes head*. So sad.

On to happier things! I was beautiful today! In the 60's. We went for a nice walk as a family and went to the store for some Easter things without Nevin later on.
I love days like this. Really puts me in a healthier mental state. :)

Hope you all enjoyed your day!!

Excuse typos please...I'm NAK (nursing at keyboard).

Okay, so I can now say it...Happy Spring! Though it doesn't feel very springy. It's 33 degrees, raining and gloomy. It will get better though!

We found a homeschool group in our town. We had no idea there was one so close. We've been driving all over for homeschool activities and here this was right under our noses...though it was a bit under the radar. So yesterday we met up with the group for a 2nd time. They meet at our community center. They can swim,play basket ball, ping pong, there is a cool indoor park with a huge twirling slide...all kinds of fun stuff and the kids are very friendly and welcomed Nevin so well. They have science fairs, art fairs(missed those)and have a history fair coming up. Nevin gets to choose anything he wants and make a project about the history beind it. It's going to be so fun! So, we're happy about that.

I need to start on my Round Robin layout for Scrap Garden. Hopefully tonight!

Antibacterial Soap Warning

Triclosan, widely used as an antibacterial ingredient in household hand sterilization products, breaks down rapidly when exposed to chlorinated water and produces toxic chemicals including chloroform, according to a study published on the Environmental Science & Technology research website As Soon As Publishable (ASAP), suggesting that many antibacterial products may not only be ineffective, but harmful.

What you need to know - Conventional View• A previous study demonstrated that pure triclosan reacts with free chlorine to produce chloroform, a toxic chemical and probable carcinogen. • This 2005 study led to the removal of all triclosan-containing products from the British chain Marks & Spencer, as well as all triclosan-containing toothpaste from stores in China.• In the new study, the same researchers from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University tested 16 household products, including lotions, soaps and body washes. All the products containing triclosan produced either chloroform or other chlorine byproducts when exposed to tap water.• The researchers found that people using these products would be exposed to chloroform levels 40 percent higher than that found in tap water.• Triclosan decomposes into chlorine byproducts in as little as one minute when exposed to chlorinated water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature commonly reached in household use. This led the researchers to question whether triclosan-containing soaps even provide the purported anti-bacterial benefit.• Quote: "At fairly low levels of chlorine, the triclosan degrades rapidly [into chlorine byproducts]." - Researcher Peter Vikesland

What you need to know - Alternative ViewStatements and opinions by Mike Adams, executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center• What this groundbreaking study reveals is that antibacterial products containing triclosan are a hoax. This chemical is proving to be a real threat to human health, and that doesn't even include the fact that it can accelerate the breeding of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.• I strongly advise consumers to avoid purchasing antibacterial products made with triclosan. Use natural products containing tea tree oil or other herbal ingredients that are naturally antibacterial.
Resources you need to know• Worldwatch Institute page on triclosan: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1501
Bottom line• Antibacterial ingredient triclosan degrades rapidly when exposed to chlorinated tap water, producing potentially toxic byproducts.

http://www.newstarget.com/021703.html

1st Day Of Spring

Happy 1st day of spring!

I haven't been able to get Gandharvas - First Day Of Spring out of my head since I woke up!

Love that song.

Edited:
Looks like tomorrow is the 1st day...not today. But I still have the song in my head.

Stay This Way

I was watching 20/20 while sitting here with my baby sleeping beside me. Very sad story about children being kidnapped and bad things happening. I get so sad thinking about how happy Kieran is. Sounds strange I know. But what I mean is... I'm sooo glad he's a happy boy and I want him to stay this way. I want him to always be happy. He wakes up with a big smile on his face everyday. He thinks everything is funny and everything is great, the world to him is a peaceful place, life is wonderful. The reason I get sad at times is because I want him to ALWAYS be this happy. I don't want him to grow up and learn about bad things in the world, be depressed, unhappy. I know there is nothing I can do to stop that and it's part of life but I can't help wanting to. I want him to always wake up with a smile on his face. I'll do everything I can to make that happen for both of my boys.

Please Read

http://www.mercola.com/2002/feb/9/fluoride_safety3.htm

Dream

I had a dream last night that I had to see a Dr. due to a rash I had (in the dream). A little while later in the dream I see some of my family. My Mom, and two family members that I don't care for. I remember wondering "why are they here? I don't even like them". Then I noticed their eyes were all watery and red...as if they had been crying. I asked my Mom what was wrong and she told me that I have the same disease that killed my Aunt Sue (odd since my Aunt is alive ans well). I refused to believe it and broke down and began to cry.

I thought it was strange.

I find myself worried and thinking about not only me dying but those that I love as well more often since my Mother passed away. I guess when somebody that close to you dies...it makes it so much more real. You know?

Sorry for such a depressing entry.

Zombie

OMG I am soooo tired! As I posted last...I haven't been getting much sleep as of late. Well, last night (or should I say morning?) Kieran woke up at 4am wide eyed and bushy tailed. At 5am I finally asked Josh to walk around with him and try to get him to sleep. Josh was up for work anyway. Josh brought him back and he didn't go back to sleep until almost 6am. He didn't go to bed last night until 10ish. He woke up this morning at 7am for the day. Sheesh...does this kid not need sleep? LOL. On top of that he woke up for his usual nursings. I really hope this doesn't keep up much longer.

I made 2 cards last night! Woohoo! One is from a sketch challange at Scrap Garden.

Oh and Kieran is 7 months old today!!! :)

Paper Bag Albums Are So Fun!

I just finished Kieran's paper bag album. I love the Basic Grey Oh Baby-Boy papers. These are out of order but you get the idea ;).

Kieran is still not sleeping well. Waking up all through the night several times. I'm getting maybe 4 hours of sleep a night if I'm lucky and it's really taking it's toll on me. Lately he's been coughing as if he has a tickle in his throat. Hopefully he's not getting sick!

On to good news... I just sold 4 cards today! And I seem to have a regular customer that has come back twice :). Now I just need to make more cards! lol.
I wish I had more time.

Well, time to eat dinner and hopefully make a card or two.

Bye!

Well Hello!

Well, I'm back. I had a blog here years ago and forgot all about it. But, here I am once again!

You may see many typo's along the way...thats because I'm often breastfeeding my baby and typing one handed...often with my left hand (like right now lol).

Let me tell you a little about myself.
I'm a SAHM, homeschooling Mom to 9 year old Nevin and 6 mos old Kieran (both boys). I'm 29 years old (as of Jan 11th) married to my best friend, Josh (30) and love to scrapbook! My 2nd home is at Scrap Garden...hanging out with my garden girls! I'm vegan and live (to my best ability) a cruelty free life. I'm an Attachment parent and try to live a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Well, thats me in short! :)