My New Love

So I've been humming and haaaing (not really a word) over getting a Kindle for about a year now.  Should I spend the money?  Will I use it?  Isn't better to just go to the library or buy used books and then you can loan them out to your friends, right?  Well yes, in a perfect world, of course!  I live in the real world with twin 2 year olds who don't like to be quiet and patient in a library while mommy picks out a book.  They don't like to wait aimlessly while I look at the book section at Target.  Plus where would I keep the books?  We don't have much extra storage space in our house to begin with, obvious answer: donate them.  Yes I'll add that to my list of things to do...lets see, it'll be number....85.  Yep, that'll work.  

I took the plunge and ordered the least expensive Kindle that Amazon offers and I have been crazy, head over heels in love with it since it arrived.  Its small and so light and doesn't have a bunch of extra bells and whistles, its simple.  Plus its very easy to use and buying a book is as easy as pushing one button.  I have an entire book store at my finger tips, plus an area to "store" books I would like to read once I am done with my current books (which will help me with my mommy-memory issues).  

Also, the Kindle is something just for me, its not a fun toy that my husband wants to steal away from me (like my phone).  It doesn't have any kid games on it or even any color which makes it very unappealing to my daughters.  Its all my own, a tiny little 5x8 retreat that I can slip in my purse and always have with me.  

**Amazon did not ask me to review the Kindle or even talk about it all, these are just my thoughts, but wouldn't that have been amazing?!**

Graduation

Well he did it!  My little brother graduated from high school and I don't think you could wipe the smile off of his face.  Or mine, or my mothers!  It was a sea of red but we were able to find good seats and actually see Joey throughout the ceremony.  Chasing around the girls during the whole thing wasn't a blast and a half, but it was worth it.  With almost 50 missed days of school and my mom meeting with counselor after counselor to make sure he was still on track was a challenge to say the least, but we made it and he's done!  Here's some pictures from last night's ceremony.  Also here is a link to his slideshow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNxR9TXQVo8

  Its hard to believe that my little brother is all done with school, 19 years old and ready to head out into the world on his own.  We've been through a lot together and I am very proud that we've maintained such a close relationship since my own graduation 9 years ago.  My girls are lucky to have him as their uncle and my Husband and I are lucky to have him as a brother.


Congratulations Joey!  This is your time now and you can do whatever you want with it!  I know you are going to do great things.   

Simple & Easy Banner

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Between a baby shower, my brother's high school graduation and two 2 year olds to chase around, its been pretty hectic and crazy around here!  I am putting my flair on my brother's graduation party by making a very simple & easy banner.  I got the idea from my good friend who was making a similar banner for a different occasion, so this isn't my original idea (even though I love it!).

Materials:
Paper plates of your choice
Cardstock paper of your choice
Stencils to cut out letters & circles *I am using a die cut machine*
Glue
Ruler

Step 1:
Measure the inside surface of the plate, mine measure 5.5 inches so I'll cut my circles to that size.
Cut

Step 2:
Decide how much big or small you want the letters to be, mine are 4x4 inches.
Cut

Step 3:
Glue down the circles, let dry for a few minutes
Glue down the letters

 Step 5:
You can punch holes in the paper plates so that you can string some ribbon through to hang up the banner or you can simply put some adhesive on the back of the plate (glue, double sided tape, etc) and just stick them right up on the wall.

I was pressed for time so I went ahead and stuck up my banner with double sided tape, simple, easy, affordable and a bit more personalized than something you would pick up from Target.

This is me and my little brother Joey, tonight is his ceremony, cannot wait to see him in his cap & gown with that diploma!

I hope you have fun making your own Simple & Easy Banner!

UPDATE: DIY Laundry Soap

I've been reading more about homemade laundry soap and really wanted to try the same recipe with a different soap so I could have a comparison.  I bought a bar of Zote Pink laundry soap last night and made a new batch of laundry soap this morning.  The difference was I didn't need to freeze the Zote and I only used half a bar.

I cut the bar in half, grated it with my cheese grater, mixed in the baking soda and borax and then mixed it up in my food processor to get it smooth.  I only need half a bar of Zote because its about twice the size of a regular bar of soap.

Once I was all done mixing everything up it looked like this:

My favorite color!  Score! (as a side note, I am no photographer so please excuse my pic quality)

I am going to do another 5-6 loads of laundry to see if I notice any difference between the Zote and Ivory soaps.