Happy Anniversary to Us!

Eight years ago today I married my best friend. It's hard to believe that eight years has already gone by, but we're looking forward to spending many, many more together. I can't wait to see what the future holds with my sweet husband by my side. I love you, James!

Terrible graininess from an iPhone photo but it's the most recent one I have

Anniversary Project

So it's my eight year anniversary coming up soon. It's amazing to think that we've been married for that long. It certainly doesn't feel that long. Here's a photo of us on our wedding day:

The crazy thing is we're sitting on the same bench in the church courtyard where we took our prom photos together. I'd post that photo, but it's somewhere in storage.

This year we decided that we aren't going to buy each other anything for our anniversary. Money's tight because we're saving for our vacation this summer (Venice and Rome!). We are counting our vacation as our anniversary gift to ourselves. I hate not giving him something other than a card though, so I crafted him something I knew he'd love and really use: a treat jar!

It's a recycled peaches pull-top can, some paper and tape, and treats we had around the house (m&ms) leftover from Link's party. Therefore, cost for this project: $0. I wish I could say I came up with this idea, but I didn't. You can check out the complete tutorial from Our Best Bites. This idea would make a great gift for teacher appreciations, graduations, birthdays, anything really.

Have a great Memorial Day!

Friday Musings

I love this photo. I managed to snap it while I was cleaning the spare bedroom in anticipation of my step-daughter's arrival. I was hanging photos, picking up clutter, and straightening out my bookshelves. They were pretending to sleep in the bed and generally messing up whatever I cleaned. Hard to be upset with that when they're this cute. Every time I look at this photo I can hear Drake saying, "muaahhh" as he kisses Link.

Then I moved to the bedroom, aka laundry central. I keep all our clean laundry here in the baskets until I get time to fold it. The boys love to play in the baskets. Drake in particular. He does this thing where he throws all the unmatched socks in the air over his head, an action akin to throwing leaves above your head in fall. It yields approximately the same mess for me to clean up.

I mentioned in my previous post Drake's love of the mirror. Today was no different. He was trying on all the random hats, gloves, and scarves that end up in the unmatched socks laundry basket.

Lincoln even got in on the escapade. He insisted on wearing this knit hat over his eyes. I kept trying to pull it up out of his eyes, but he wanted it that way. He honestly made me kind of nervous walking around like that.

I also came downstairs after cleaning up three rooms upstairs to find that they'd made new messes downstairs while I was preoccupied. I should have known better...This is what I found in my sink:

Ignore the dirt on the sink...tomorrow is downstairs cleaning day. Note the cute WASPS shirt my boy's in? Yeah, that's my t-shirt from my first baseball team that I was on. It's so cute that he wanted to wear it. Have a great Friday and weekend!

You Capture - Pretty

Yay! It's another week of You Capture. Have I mentioned before how much I really enjoy participating in this? Well, I do. This week's challenge by Beth is "pretty." Pretty is so subjective and so vague that I could literally shoot just about anything and call it pretty.


What's prettier than a rose?



Maybe hydrangeas?

 Nature certainly is plentiful when it comes to "pretty." But I found some pretty little things lurking about my house too. Like these eyelashes. On a little boy.


My youngest baby

I'm also having issues lately (who am I kidding....forever) with confidence. I know that my husband thinks I'm pretty and I'm sure there's others out there that might think so too. I have such a hard time though accepting compliments, even from myself. It used to be that the only part of myself that I liked and wouldn't change a thing about was my eyes and nose.

Every time I walk into my bedroom or the bathroom, I'm looking at myself in the mirror, scrutinizing, nitpicking, wishing away or wishing for. I know it's a bad habit and I hate it, but I'm having a hard time finding myself pretty. And I hate that because I'm supposed to be a role model for my children. I've found Drake running into my bedroom just so he can stand in front of the mirror, lift up his shirt, and look at his tummy. As cute as it is to see a toddler inspect his tummy, I'm just glad that he doesn't understand why I do it. I hope to kick the habit long before he understands. So here's to being pretty...



  Linking up to http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/

The Boys

Yesterday was a great day. Both boys were exceptionally well-behaved and sweet. There was minimal crying and whining, both from them and from momma. Today? Well, today is a different story... So I'm remembering yesterday in all its cuteness.

This photo just makes me smile. I like the smirk on Drake's face (older boy), the "cool" sunglasses on Link (the younger boy), the natural solar flare that I managed to catch, the way the sunlight highlights the soft baby fuzz hair on Drake's shoulders (click the image to enlarge), the beautiful hints of colors (the green shirt, the red card, the yellow bike), and just the way these two stopped and posed for me. There's something about it that just makes me smile.

Linking up to Leigh vs Laundry

Top Ten Tuesday - the Dad version

So I'm not a dad, but I've had experiences with one. I lived with my parents til I was eighteen, and I've been living with my hubby for almost eight years now, three of which he's been a daddy to our little boys. While he hasn't had many opportunities to use the little nuggets of wisdom that most fathers pass on to their children yet, I was inspired by my free printable father's day cards which feature these epithets. Here's a few of my favorites.

10. If you keep making that face, it'll get stuck that way! This always fascinated and scared me growing up. I always wanted to do an experiment to see if this was true, but the fear of being perpetually frozen in a goofy grin prevented me from following through.



Link makes some of the strangest faces

 9. You make a better door than a window! This gem was primarily used for when either of us kids accidentally stood in front of the tv set. I always thought it sounded so funny and I wanted to have a witty comeback, like, "Yeah? Well you make a better couch potato!" ...I wish I was witty.

8. If you don't knock it off, I'm turning this car around. Always a roadtrip favorite. Often preceded by, "Are we there yet?"

7. I don't care who started it, I'll end it. This was an instant disagreement-ender. No matter who was in the wrong (we both were) or the right (we both were), we stopped the argument right then and there. I like this threat because it's pretty vague but incredibly effective. Might have to try it out on the boys some day.

6. If they jumped off a bridge, would you too? Or a cliff? Or the Empire State building? Which one did your father use?



We might be using this one often since they like to do everything together

5. A little dirt never hurt anyone. We live by this rule around here. Both boys love are obsessed with playing in the dirt, much to my dismay. I really need to buy them a sandbox...
4. Shut the door. Were you raised in a barn? Or, Are you trying to heat the whole outside? My father liked to mix it up and use both. I always thought the barn one was kinda funny since he obviously knew I wasn't raised in a barn, but under his roof and his rules!

3. If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about. I always hated this one growing up. It only made me cry harder, imagining what I could be crying about. I don't think we'll use this one on our kids. Here's Drake, hiding from the camera, but it passes as him crying, right?

2. Go ask your mother. The old standby. Used for everything from "I'm-too-tired-to-care" to a genuine "I-don't-know."

and my favorite:
1. No matter what, you can always come home. I love you. Dads are great. They often know just how to temper their strictness with the sweetest love and caring. My dad is a master at this.


Also, you can download my free father's day card by going HERE

Linking up to http://www.ohamanda.com/.

Father's Day Free Printable - UPDATED

***UPDATE: I replaced the links with mediafire links, hopefully this will fix the problem***UPDATE x2: I put in some links for a 16x20 denim version and a green Stepdad version***

Since I was sooo behind the times on getting a free printable out for Mother's day this year, I decided to get a father's day print out much earlier. I did another subway art type graphic print but about dad-isms. You know...all those rules and epithets that all great dads say like, "Stop making that face or it'll get stuck that way!" I know my dad always had rules and expectations about how we children were to behave, and now that I'm an adult with children of my own, I definitely appreciate all that he did for us. I now know that all those rules were designed to protect us, nurture us, and make us become more compassionate adults.

Also, if you don't get the message, try reading the colored words. I call this one, "dads rule!"
I've created this 5x7 design in four lovely shades: denim, citrus, robin's egg, and pea green. You can see a sample of all four colors below. If you want a different color or size, just message me or drop a comment below and feel free to follow my blog as I plan to create more free printables in the future! The card looks great printed on heavy cardstock. Then write a personal message or poem on the backside, sign and date, and frame. You don't have to frame it, but it looks really lovely in a black frame.

Here's the links to the downloads:
Click  HERE for the denim version
Click  HERE for the citrus version
Click  HERE for the robin's egg version
Click  HERE for the pea green version
Click  HERE for the denim 16x20 version
Click  HERE for the green Stepdad version


Please respect my work and don't try to pass the design off as your own, or resell it. Please don't distribute it in any way, but if you want to share the design, please share this blog post. Thanks!

Also, if you're a fan of the original design that I created for Mother's day and want me to switch out MOM with DAD just let me know. I just wanted to do something a little bit different for the fathers out there. You can see that original design HERE


Designs copyright 2011 by Amy Proffitt.


Linking up at:   Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, The DIY Showoff, At Home with K, Sumos Sweet Stuff, Marvelously Messy, Crafts Keep Me Sane, Between Naps on the Porch, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Sugar Bee Crafts, Someday Crafts, Sew Woodsy, Run With Glitter, Finger Prints on the Fridge, A Vision to Remember, Tatertots and Jello, Lolly Jane Boutique, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Kuzak's Closet, Petite Hermine, A Bowl Full of Lemons

Happiness is a Playground

Happiness is a Friday spent at the playground. I would say this mantra applies only to the toddler and children sort, but really, it was a great day to spend the day for me as well. Any day where my children are happy and well-behaved is a great day. Hope you have a great one too!

New Friends

After much deliberation this morning, the boys and I decided to head to the park. They'd been good all morning long, which is a rarity around here, so they deserved to go. Usually we just go the park out back or the one in downtown, but I figured they could use some American (and English) companions. I love the German parks nearby since they're nearby and I want my children to learn German and be open to other cultures, but I know they also get frustrated trying to play with other children when there's that disconnect because of the language differences.

Once we got on base, I decided to head to a different park than the usual one. I'm not sure why I decided this particular park was better than the other, but I did. We pulled in, I unbuckled Drake, and he took off as soon as his feet hit the pavement. The great thing was that there were only about six kids at the park, and all but one were Drake's age. He had a blast playing with the other children, and they were having real actual conversations. I loved this since I've been trying to get Drake to interact more and speak more.

 

What's even better is that I met someone! She and I got to talking about the kids, preschool, Germany, just anything and everything! It turns out we're on the same page about a lot of things, she's my age, and she has a kid Drake's age! I can't stop writing with exclamation points that's how excited I am!

I'm so lonely over here in terms of female companionship. All of my friends are back in the states and while I've met one or two awesome girls over here in Germany they either live far away or they either don't have kids or their kids are all grown. I honestly am so excited about having a friend over here. I know that may sound lame, but it's a bit tough when everyone over here speaks a different language and you don't live on base. So with that, I bid you adieu  auf wiedersehen and hope you have as great a day that's as full of promise as I had.

You Capture - Busy

Every week I look forward to the photo submissions over at ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com by Beth. I love taking photos, and this is a great way to look at some other people's work too. I love how many talented people get into the challenge. I'm always looking at things a different way and finding myself critiquing my submissions when I get back to my page. I find myself lately looking at my photos and saying, "I wonder how a professional photographer such as so-and-so would have photographed or processed this differently?" and "How can I be better next time?" Not that it's a contest over there; it's just a way to come together and share our love of photography. So without further ado, here's my humble submissions. If you have any hints, suggestions or anything, please do share! I'd love to know what you would have done differently.


Busy as a bee



Three reasons why I'm always so busy!



Look closely, there's several ants busy on a mission only they know

Check out all the other wonderful submissions if you have time (click the button below).

Top Ten Tuesday - Top 80s Movies

Alright, let me just preface this with a disclaimer: this is my personal top ten 80s movie favorites. I don't hold a degree in cinematography or anything like that, so this is just my favorite movies of the 80s. These are the kind of movies that I never get tired of watching over and over again. I own all of these except numbers 8 and 9, solely because I own them on VHS and haven't upgraded yet to a DVD. Also, these are in no particular order.

1. Adventures in Babysitting - My first exposure to this movie was with my best friend. We'll call her Jess since that is her real name. Maybe I like the memory of hanging out with my best friend more than I like the movie itself, but this movie is pretty cool. It also sparked my interest in Chicago and its architecture.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off- This movie is classic! I went to college and the house I stayed in didn't have a copy of it for their DVD collection. It was my going-away gift to them. Every one needs to see this movie atleast once in their lifetime, if only for the awesome lip-syncing and dancing during the parade scene. Movie mantra to live by: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

3. The Goonies - staple of any 80s must-see list. Admit it. On more than one occasion you've been known to yell out, "HEEYYY YOU GUYS!!!" in your best Sloth impersonation. No? Just me? Moving on...

4. The Princess Bride - What's not to like? A romantic comedy that isn't too mushy and has such great quotes like, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die," and "Inconceivable!" Well, they sound more impressive in context and if you've seen the movie. Also, Cary Elwes used to be hot.

5. Ghostbusters - Rick Moranis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver...how can this movie not be awesome? I will also admit, rather reluctantly, to growing up and being a tattle-tale (don't judge.. I grew up with all male cousins and I was the youngest!). Whenever I'd threaten to tell, they'd start singing the "who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" song which usually sent me into tears. Now that I put it like that, it doesn't sound like such a fond memory of a movie...

6. Dirty Dancing - another 80s staple. This movie also has some great one-liners, "No one puts baby in a corner." The weird thing is my old babysitter (this is when I was about four) used to put it on the television downstairs and tell us all to be quiet and watch the movie while she was upstairs doing Lord knows what. Even then I thought it was scandalous that we were watching such a naughty movie, but I wasn't one to complain either. It was a good movie.

7. Big - love everything about this movie. Tom Hanks is easily one of my favorite actors of all time. I love him in this kid in a grown-up's body movie. It's really just a lot of fun, especially the iconic dancing on the large floor piano in the toy store. Whenever I see one of those fortune-telling machines in the mall or at a faire, I always reminisce about this movie.

8. Back to the Future - I love me some Michael J. Fox. This is the movie that put the DeLorean on the radar and made Marty McFly a household name. This movie is a perfect blend of science fiction, fun, and comedy.

9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - As a kid, I loved watching this movie. I don't know why. I guess ET is just so lovable, which is a feat in itself considering it's an animatronic prop. I remember thinking that it looked so real on the screen, but if you go and watch it today I'm sure it's not as impressive. Still a great movie, even if I never did find a bike that will fly up to the moon.

10. The Dark Crystal - Really creepy movie by Jim Henson of all people. Especially creepy if you first watch it when you're young, say six or seven. But that being said, it's also really fantastic, full of wonder, and it sticks with you. It's muppets in a whole new way.

What about you? Any favorite 80s movies? I know someone out there has to love Pretty in Pink or any John Hughes films, but sadly I didn't watch those movies until just recently and while good, they aren't part of my movie memories of the 80s.

Linked up to ohamanda.com

Blue and Red Party on a Budget

As I've mentioned before my little man had his second birthday here recently. Seeing as we know few people here in Germany, we kept the event really low key and didn't invite many people. But that didn't mean that my little guy didn't deserve a spectacular party, right? I think I honestly had too much fun putting it together and photographing it (well, not photographing it so much). This party was designed and assembled on a budget. Not counting the items I already had on hand like twine, scissors, tape, printing paper, etc. I spent twenty-five euros on the whole thing, which is about thirty-six US dollars. This cost even includes purchasing/making the three cupcake stands!

All the stationery items like the invite and the banner I created myself. I wasn't sure what theme to go with but just decided to go with a vintage feel with a few of my favorite fonts. I actually didn't start planning this party until the Monday of the week the party was on, so it's also possible to achieve a great looking party with minimal time. Here's some of the printed items I created for his party:

I printed everything at home on heavy cardstock paper. For food, I made cupcakes, brownie bites, and marshmallow pops in addition to having such party staples as colorful gumballs and m&ms. I put the larger items on some cupcake stands that I made from some ceramic vases and plates that I found at my dollar store.

I love the way these turned out. I can't wait to use them for different occasions as well as just regular home decor. I made three because sets of similar items always look better in odd numbers (don't ask me why, but generally they do).

Some party details:

As you can see, I didn't stick to the strictly red and blue theme, but added in some punches of color with the food. I'm by no means a professional photographer, or chef, so you'll have to excuse my sloppy photos and food. I assure you little Link didn't mind one bit! Oh, and I'd also recommend that if you're planning on dying your icing to match your colors, don't buy the spring yellow icing (even if it's on sale). The icing turned out a bit too aqua/tealish. Oops. :)

Happy Birthday Link!

I can't believe my sweet little guy is two today. It's crazy that he's two already. I miss the sweet days of him being so little. There's so many things that I miss, but there's so many things that I relish about this age, and so many more that I look forward to in the coming years.

Little Link is my dichotomy baby. There's just no way to describe him. He's sweet yet ornery, lovable yet trying, passionate yet complacent. He can be the sweetest baby ever. He loves to run up from behind and give your legs a big hug and a kiss. It's one of the best parts of my day. But he can also scream and turn red anytime he doesn't get his way (which turns out to be pretty often around here).

I love this little guy sooo much. Happy second birthday, baby. I love you to the moon and back!

You Capture - Motherhood

Beth over at ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com (best blog name EVER) has a hard challenge this week for me: motherhood. I can't capture myself in photos since I'm always the one snapping away, and my own mom is several thousand miles away, so I was a bit stumped on how to photograph motherhood since the obvious choice is a mom, right?

So instead, I got to thinking about what it means to be a mother (which also isn't an easy task). Being a mom is so many things, and often all at the same time, that it's hard to describe. Once you're a mom, you get it. But until then, there aren't enough words in the English language (or any language!) to fully and accurately describe what being a mom is.

Part of being a mom is giving up spa pedicure and manicures for short and often chipped fingernails. It's also chopping off your hair or choosing a hairstyle that can be fixed in a moment's notice instead of having hair that requires extensive upkeep or styling. Motherhood is sleepless and restless nights: staying up late with those you love while they're sick or just waking yourself up to check for that sweet soft baby snore. It's replacing all those fancy stemware and crystal pieces in your cupboards with sippy cups. It's constantly being on duty, fulfilling all the myriad roles, that your children require of you. It's sacrifices, unconditional love and support. I love every minute of being a mom.

I've traded in my fancy stemware for some cute sippy cups all in the name of motherhood :)

All photos taken by myself, Amy Proffitt, and copyright 2011 by Amy Proffitt.

Top Ten Tuesday - the Kiddie Version

With two little guys under the age of four in my house, I spend a bunch all my time repeating rules and making mandates. "Don't eat that! Wipe your face! Use the potty, not the plants outside!" You know, the usual. But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I figured that I should be taking my own advice. Here's my top ten things I say to my toddlers that I should also do:

1. Wash your hands!  I'm not a germaphobe, but I make sure that my kids wash their hands often. They're often digging in the dirt outside, picking their noses (GROSS), or just plain being boys. Trust me, I wash my hands plenty during the day, especially near meal times, but there's tons of times that I'm more lax than I should be, especially since hand washing is by far the easiest way to eliminate germs and infections from your household.

2. Don't cry over spilt milk. The boys are both so young that they'll cry over virtually anything that doesn't go their way, so I've often told them not to cry over spilt milk. Yeah, I know...that old adage. I usually only reserve this for extreme times when I can't get them distracted or over it, but I think I should maybe take my own advice. I know there's been times when I've been incredibly bummed over something minor and silly. I have too much to be thankful for in my life to spend time crying over spilt milk.

3. Eat your veggies! Corn is about the only veggie around here that I can get the boys to eat without a fight. Maybe it's because I don't do better at modelling or maybe because I give up too easily with the veggies, but it definitely couldn't hurt me to eat more veggies myself.

4. Don't eat that! It fell on the floor! My boys, especially my youngest, are notoriously bad about dropping food. No matter how hard I scrub, this cheap carpet in our rental home is stained beyond repair. The boys have also been known to eat said food long after it's been sitting on the floor. I try to pick up the food as soon as I see it, but there's this vortex in the house that hides all the crumbs, hot wheels, and socks around here. Tiny toddler hands are the only ones capable of uncovering the missing pieces. So in the interest of full disclosure, I've been known to eat food off the floor too, but well within the five second rule. That being said, it's still gross, so I should probably listen to myself when I say, "don't eat that!"

5. If you're that bored, you can always clean your room. hahahah, like that one ever works. I doubt it'll work on me either, since a: I don't have much time to be bored, and b: cleaning isn't exactly my forte. But it's worth a shot!

6. Share! The boys are eighteen months apart, so their interests often overlap and they always seem to want the same exact toy at the same exact instant that the other one wants it. I find myself begging asking them to share things several times a day. But I'm also guilty of sneaking off to the kitchen to sneak a girl scout cookie or some other goodie without them seeing so that I don't have to share. I know, I'm terrible, but seriously those girl scout cookies only come around ONCE a year! I'll be better about sharing everything else, promise!

7. Remember your manners. My boys are pretty polite. Drake can say please and thank you in two languages (English and German) and Link is even saying please, thank you, and welcome (English only so far). I try to get them to be as polite as possible, and I know that sometimes I forget to say the niceties myself, especially to my family. I'm not sure why I'm forgetful about it when it comes to myself, but it's something I intend to rectify.

8. Use your indoor voice! Two rambunctious toddlers means my house often gets pretty noisy...and I often feel like a record on repeat asking for a little bit of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, I know that I also can be loud (hmm...wonder if that's where they learned it from?!). I may or may not have in the past yelled up the stairs at my hubby to "bring down the laundry please!" or at my kids to "quiet down!" Yelling up the stairs for them to quit yelling is probably not the best method of dealing with the noise, now that I think about it...

9. Clean up your toys! They've got hot wheels, Thomas the Train, and more little knick knacks than I care to think about. I've got lotions, books and magazines. This house would probably stay a lot cleaner if more of us listened to this little gem of advice.

10. Always be grateful. No matter what's going on in my life, my family and I have too much to be thankful for. I hope you do too!

Linking up to ohamanda.com for her fabulous top ten Tuesday!