In which I have a learning moment--

December is going by to quickly. I'm beginning to understand why people put up their Christmas gear the day after Thanksgiving. My holiday season got off to a rocky start this year after a violent stomach rocked its way through my family....the day before Thanksgiving. For those of you who don't know me-- well, this is the day I look forward to for 364 days from the last time I did all my Thanksgiving pre-cooking. Every year I get up, watch the parade with my kids, cook, eat food, and close the day with White Christmas. Instead there was moaning, pots next to beds, pepto, and we'll leave it at that. We missed the parade, had turkey the following Saturday...its wasn't the same. I did watch White Christmas to kick of the new holiday season {my own personal tradition} So to say that I was looking forward to moving onto Christmas was and understatement.

With this Christmas is closing in fast I'm trying to find that balance of getting all the stuff we wanted to do as a family for fun holiday prep and merriment, but not getting angry at myself if we don't get to it all. The phrase quality not quantity comes to mind. {Sometimes I think I even need to tattoo it on my forehead so I see it everyday when I look in the mirror. I'm a visual learner..} Anyways...We have been out past bedtimes a lot the past few weeks and it's such a treat to see all the holiday lights. My youngest son says while we drive, "Mommy, Christmas comes in darkness." The first time I heard it I giggled to myself and said, "that's right honey."

After he said this a few more times during the week it really got me to thinking about the deeper meaning that my two year old was oblivious to still; Christmas really does come in darkness. The true meaning of Christmas, celebrating the birth of our savior, that miracle really can bring light and hope to even the darkest corners of the earth. It's in the ways we pause during the craziest dinner hours and help a little boy who's struggling putting a puzzle together, pay for the person behind you in the drive thru, or bring a thinking of you present to a random friend. Taking the time to let Christmas be apart of your life and not just something that comes one morning every 25th of December.

Even thought my kids are only 4, 2, and 10 months I really feel like teaching them this truth early on will help them enjoy the simple things in life. To be grateful for what they have and share it with others. Weather it be toys now, or testimonies later.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and look forward to seeing you back here again.

xO- Cat

Independence Day

You may notice that there is something missing from my blog. And if you guessed posts you'd be right. Our summer has been intense and crazy thus far and while I'd love to blog about every second of it, its just not in the cards. I figure it's better to actually have the fun and quality time with my kids and husband instead of blogging about it. I'll try to post blimps here and there, but no promise. I'll be in full motion again in a couple of weeks.

Hence, my ongoing summer sabbatical.

Happy Fourth of July my friends and be safe.

xO- Cat

Self Medicating: {the right way}

This is a carton of Tropicana Orange Juice:

This is how many cartons of Tropicana Orange Juice I've drank in the last 4 days:

Now I'm {pretty much} all better.

Moral of the story::

Pump yourself full of vitamin C and go to sleep at 7:30pm right after your kids go to bed and soon you will be like new.

xO-Cat

Would you rather ?

There's a game out there called would you rather? We are playing it here today.

*Would you rather bang your head repeatively against a brick wall or be sick?

*Would rather go through labor again or be sick?

*Would you rather stand in the pen with hippo at the zoo or be sick?

*Would you rather perform 3 out of the 10 uber gross challenges on fear factor or be sick?


Are you seeing a pattern yet? Have you realized that are some pretty bizzare things I'd rather do than be sick. It probably crystal clear by now that I am in fact sick:( And not the got kind you can fake your way through. It's the hazy, itchy/scratchy ear nose and throat buisness!

I'll be back soon when I've stopped wishing for death {that was a joke} but in the mean time...what would you rather do than be sick?

xO-Cat

Exciting news

Today I was featured over at Diapers and Divinity. To say that I'm excited would be putting it mildly!! If you are visiting via her site, WELCOME. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you'll be a regular here at Her Eclectic Life too. Leave a comment so I can return the love.



I stumbled upon Stephenie's blog a few months ago and have quickly become a regular follower. She is so honest in her writing and offers such wonderful little nuggets of wisdom that you simply can't help but apply in your own life, or that get you off in a tangent about something gospel oriented. So head on over to Diapers and Divinity.

Sanctuary--

Today my husband changed my life. Today he bought my a new dishwasher. What was wrong with my old one you ask? Nothing-- we didn't have one. You see for over a year {since we bought our first home} I have been the sole washer of dishes. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind most of the time, it has always been my time for reflection about howthings are going in my life, what the agenda is for the coming weekend, and did I do enough today for/with my boys. Heavy stuff right?

Sometimes however, on those rare occasions {ie. Holiday meals or having the elders over} thing just ge out of control and a dishwasher is handy. And that's why I am ultra happy to be among the elite homemakers who own dishwashers. I now have a pretty stainless one in my kitchen too. Wanna be my friend?? ;)

xO- Cat

xO- Cat

An inconvenient truth-

Rant of the day.

Can I just ask this question to the cyber world...why is it that there aren't "drive thru" convenient stores readily available in most towns. For the specific purpose in catering to mothers, or fathers, with multiple children? As one such mother, can I just tell you what an ordeal it is to get all my little ones in and out of the car, to a shopping cart that doesn't really fit my needs {space wise}, for the sake of a gallon of milk, or the hamburger rolls I didn't by while grocery shopping 5 days ago because heaven forbid I wanted them fresh. And if this is our 5-6 stop in a multiple outing trip...well sometimes it's enough to make a mama cry.

I mean they have drive through liquor stores. Do we honestly need those? Do we really need to add such insult to injury? I'm just saying.

So there you have it. Who's with me??

xO- Cat

Rain Gutter Book Shelves: A solution

I love to read. So does my oldest boy. I love it.

He does however have a tendency to act like his 4 year old self from time to time at the most inopportune moments. On the one hand he loves to read and look at books, on the other he will rip all 35 covers of our Bernstein Bear books because, "I wanted to", or "I thought they would look better this way."

Let's just say I've lost it a few times. So I'm constantly coming up with new ideas for homes for our kids books. One after another after another. Nothing seemed to be working. Don't get me wrong I don't have terror children and we don't belong on Super Nanny {love that show} but about 2-3 times per week my boys give into there Mr.Hyde dark side and chaos always ensues. It's the life of a mama with little boys, or so I tell myself.

Finally after hunting around the blogosphere I found this great little DIY project called rain gutter book shelves. Now, the point of these shelves are to mainly let kids see the front of the book and not just the spine and give them easy access to them. In my case I use them to keep the books around BUT OUT OF REACH!! {hehe}

First we screw in the brackets...

Then we slide in the gutter...

Can't forget to measure...

Excuse my lack of end caps...

Voila'

These of course aren't all the kids books. We also set up a sort of library system at home. If they want a new book and their is no room on the bookshelf they have to "return one" for a new one. So far it's worked great.

S0, how do you get these really awesome shelves in your home? Simple take a quick trip to your local hardware store and pick up a very few things. Most of them you'll have a round the house.

Supplies:

-Vinyl rain gutters {I got mine from Home Depot. 10 feet for $5.25}
-Brackets for the rain gutters
-End caps for the rain gutters {I skipped out on these at the moment. They were the most expensive and since they were just for looks I'll get them another day}
-Wood screws {make sure they fit the size of your brackets}
-Hack saw
-Drill
-Level
-Marking pencil/sharpie
-Stud finder

Now in 10 simple steps you can to can have these great shelves in your home.

1. Decide the length that you want your shelf to be

2. Cut the rain gutter with the hack saw

3. Decide where you want to put the shelves and find and mark the studs {Remember studs are usually 16'' apart}

4. Determine the height that you want the top of the shelf to be and mark that point on one of the studs that will be close to the end of the other shelf

5.Level the stud marks

6. Using the wood screw and the drill, screw a bracket into the point that you just marked

7. Slide the gutter into the mounted brackets

8. Glue on the end caps

9. Repeat if needed

10.Enjoy

I hope that this project can serve for a happy solution to whatever you need as it does in our home. We'll see ya next time on Ask this Old House.... {KIDDING}

xO-Cat

Reappearing act

I have been slowly but surely tackeling projects around the house as I adjust to having three children and getting my home just the way I want it. Although the later one feels like a never ending project. Isnt that always the way?

Upcoming Posts:

No.1-- A refinished goodwill find that now calls home my daughters room.
No.2-- Box cars for a birthday party
No.3-- Bookshelf solutions for little boys that have a slight Dr. Jekel side

Stay tuned.

xO-Cat

Tunes

March/April Playlist:

1. Civil Twilight- Letters from the Sky

2. Adele- Rolling in the Deep

3. Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks

4. Natasha Bedingfield- Little Too Much

5. The Black Keys- Tighten Up

6. The XX- Shelter

7. The XX- Start

8. Adele- Turning Tables

9. Florence and the Machine- Dog Days are Over

10. Conditions- Soldier On

11. Lustra- Scotty Doesnt Know

12. Fitz and the Tantrums- Money Grabber

13. Cee Lo Green- Forget You

14. Mumford and Sons- The Cave

and last but not least...

...No.15>> Josh Turner -Your Man...only because I love how much Scotty sounds like him..lol.

It's been a good music month. A little of this a little of that. Whats on your ipod?? xO- Cat

A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!

So if you are a friend of mine you will know that this is not my first time mentioning A Bowl Full of Lemons.

Right now she is hosting an awesome giveaway....A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!: "My new Silhouette SD machine finally arrived and I'm dedicating this week to my Silhouette creations. I'm also giving away a Silhouett..."

See, I told you. You better hurry though because the contest ends today, March 25th at midnight. So get your trimmed little booties over there and enter:)

xO- Cat

FREE Food Alert

Hey fellow money savers-

I came across a super fantastic deal. Deal isn't even the right word to be honest- it's a money maker!! And I love me some money makers:)

If you aren't familiar with a money maker once I'm done explaining you'll be on the hunt for them daily. I promise! So here's the scoop...A money maker is a coupon that is worth more than the price of the item you are buying.

Case in point. This week at your local Publix Mueller's Pasta is on sale buy one get one free {BOGO}. The sale price is .69. If you hop on over to Mueller's website and sign up to become a member {which is totally free} they send you a coupon in your email to welcome you. That coupon is for $1.00 off any box of pasta. Print as many, for as many boxes you need for your family. Weather you're stocking up on food storage or your family is just pasta crazy it's a fantastic deal.

Each box of pasta only uses .69 of the $1.00 coupon which leaves .31 left on the coupon that Publix will automatically put towards paying off your other grocery's. So say you purchase 10 boxes of pasta; those 10 boxes are free and you also received $3.10 {from the store} to put towards your remaining balance. That's a free gallon of milk or whatever else you need.

So run to your nearest computer and sign up today so you can get free pasta!! And make a little something more:) If ya have any questions please comment so I can help ya out.

xO-Cat

Top 3

There are 3 massive organizing/craft projects I am dying to take on!! I mean it- I'm itching to get started. The thing is I know that either mentally, physically, or for sheer lack of time I won't be able to finish them {and I don't want to rush} so I am constantly repressing the nervous twitch I'm getting to begin them.

What 3 tasks are they you may ask??

No.1- The Garage. Oh my gosh it looks like a tornado went through there. It's a gigantic two car garage to do and neither of our cars have lived inside for the last 3 months. We did some renovations over the winter which required extra space and things just got worse and worse. I'd show you a picture, but I'm afraid my husband would make me sleep in the sofa...lol {Jk.}

No.2- Quiet books for the boys at church. I found the cutest patterns and how-to for even the slowest of crafter {that's me right here} over at How to make a quiet book. It is the best blog and chalk full of the cutest ideas. Pages and pages of things that teach children colors, shapes, animals, and hand eye coordination stuff, all while they sit quietly as mice at church. Okay maybe not so quietly, but quieter than before?? Fingers crossed.

No.3- Get the basement in better order and hang more shelves for food storage. Power tools and an expectant mother, while may make an interesting blog title, may not be best suited for me.

So my plan is welcome our 3rd little angel into the family, get into a good routine with her, and then the two of us get into a good routine with the men {both little and big} and then start these project. Preferably before July when the heat is uber wretched around these parts.

**Notice how I said around instead of round? Just because one lives in the south doesn't mean she has to loose all of her Northern pride. ;)

xO-Cat

In the news...

For some strange reason blogger is not letting me copy and paste, or I'm just not doing it right- For the sake of my sanity today, let's say it's the former....

Anywho- Just in case you were curious the Preparedness and Belief tabs have been updated. Check them out..I may have shared some valuable secrets:)

xO-Cat

Random Questions and Confessions

Why is it that the more it sounds like my kids are going to at any moment fall through the ceiling means they are having the most amount of fun?

How is it possible that my 20 month old can disassemble his bed and move the frame across the room, yet he isn't potty trained?

Why does it always look like its raining out my front window, but never out my back?

Will I be able to wash, dry, fold, and put away all the laundry in one day? Ever?

I can't count how many times I've read 1st and 2nd Nephi, but I can count on one hand how many times I've read Heleman. How can I change this?

Will my spiritual follow through ever be more stable?

I'm tired of having good acquaintances. I want some good girl friends that I can open up to and for us to be important to each other. To forge a sisterhood. {that live close by}

When I'm blogging I never want to use capitals.

Do my everyday actions translate to my husband how much I love and appreciate him?

Up until 2008 I read a total of 12 books. {7 of them where harry potter}

Today I've read 75, and probably half where of the paranormal/post-apocalyptic genre.

Am very excited to finish out backyard renovations so that I can get cracking on prepping our garden beds and chicken coop area once our daughter joins the family and I have my body back.

I think that all ceilings should be painted white and not that off white color. Unless you are actually painting it a color for dramatic emphasis.

That's all for now.

xo- Cat

Practical Applications

There are lots of philosophical question I pose to myself at any given time. For sanity's sake {mine and yours} I'll limit it to blogging right now. Why do we do it? What do we obtain from it? Why do I sit at my laptop for a insane amounts of time reading about the on goings of a complete strangers life? {What? I don't do do that!} I believe its a compilation of things that range from yearning for acceptance, to being able to have an outlet that doesn't include a gym, and a heaping amount of wanted inspiration. I believe that finding the balance in life to be one of the best things we can strive for; be it spiritual, physical, or emotional. There are millions of blogs out there that provide ample amount of recipes, how-tos, and laughs. I hope that you take away what you need from mine as well as others to make your life better- more full-- more eclectic.

xo- Cat