30 day photography challenge

I got the idea to do the 30 day photography challenge from my friend Marie, over at The "Linc Between Us.
I got a new camera a few months ago and love taking pictures of my boys, but this challenge will help me to broaden my photographic horizons. It's about time I learn how to really use my camera.


So here is day 1: self-portrait

Like Marie, I probably won't post every day, but may post a few days in one.
Who else would like to join us on this journey?

new hair

Okay so this was just before Christmas, but I'm a little behind.
Dylan got another hair cut, and I must say, he looks adorable.

before

 after

with a little gel

Now I just have to figure out the scissor cut on my own. I'm not ready to buzz cut his hair yet. It's still so baby soft.

I adore

I adore these munchkins.

I am amazed every day at just ho much I love them. Who knew one person could be filled with so much love?

New Year's Party Berry Style

So I posted the other day about my goals for the new year, but I forgot to tell you what we actually did to celelbrate the coming of the new year.

Most years we attend a party at some friends' house. It's always good to see everyone and hang out, but this year we decided we wanted something low key with just our family (we did a lot of running around over break).

A couple days before Ronan and I went through my appetizer cook book to pick out some delicous snacks for our evening. We decided that instead of having an actual dinner we would just snack all evening. Healthy I know, but it's one a year.

For our menu Ronan chose:

Chickan Kabobs - chicken with mushrooms and onion and a soy sauce mixture 

Crackers, cheese and sausage (we got a delicious box of the Hickory Farms stuff from some good friends for Christmas, and when they were 50% off we bought another)

 Cracker spread (this is so addictive!)

 And in the crockpot I made BBQ smokies with a pepperoni and a meatball. Delicous!

 The boys enjoyed having a picnic on the floor while watching Smurfs

Then they snuggled in their sleeping bags and watched Kung Fu Panda 2.

 (We used left over pirate plates from Collin's 4th Birthday.)

It was nice to stay at home and have fun with the boys. After they went to bed Dan and I watched a couple more movies and come midnight I was half asleep and didn't even care to open the champagne! Oh well.



Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from my family to yours!

It is hard to believe that yet another year has passed by us so quickly. If it had been like any other year we would have another baby on the way already (or actually here already) but hooray for us! We finally figured this NFP thing out! We would love to have another beautiful baby to add to our berry bunch, but for right now, our 3 beautiful boys are just enough for us.
I have always found in the past the New Year's resolutions are a waste of time. Mostly because I know in from the start that I'm not going to follow through with it. Just like every year this year I swear I'm actually going to esablish and maintain a workout routine (I'm not getting any younger and my metabolism won't last forever). But this year I'm also going to work really hard on finding a better balance between family and "work". And by work I mean all the crafting that I do and love that makes me little to no money.
There are days I feel I have absolutely no time to work on the many project piled up on my desk, and other days when I feel like I spend too much time on my projects, and not enough time with my children. This year I am going to create a schedule for myself to make sure that first and formost my children are getting all the love and attention that they deserve, but also that I have time to sew and crochet and keep the house somewhat organized. I know that creating an effective schedule will take some time, but to be the kind of mommy I want to be, and the kind of mommy that my boys deserve, I know that a balance must be obtained.
What resoutions do you have for the new year?