60 Best Halloween Movies

Messy Messy Fail - Besides doing dishes, wiping off surfaces is my second least favorite chore.  Maybe it's because there are constantly streaks, spills and crumbs everywhere and there is NO satisfaction in the chore because what you do is undone so dang quickly.  Do you wipe down surfaces constantly or just once at night?

Tidy Victory - I ran to my fav local shopping mall - the DG (Dollar General) - and found a box of white allysum seeds to plant in my garden for 30 cents.  That's AMAZING!  However, I generally don't have much luck with planting seeds, so I'm hoping for the best :D 

Health, Beauty and Wellness Groupons for a Parental Relaxing Experience #Groupon #ad

Messy Messy Fail - Definitely had the cute t-shirt I had on under my sheer LuLaRoe Lindsey inside-out for half of the day yesterday.  I only noticed when I looked down and saw the hem on the outside of the v-neck.  Perhaps no one noticed (da da DAaaaaaaa).......or did they?

Tidy Victory - I am so excited that the new fall TV show lineup is in progress - so many new and exciting series it's hard to know what to pick!  There is simply not enough room on my DVR for all of them - will there be anything to replace Parenthood in my life?  Only time will tell - what are you excited to watch this fall?

Thomas Land - A Family Review

Messy Messy Fail - I met a friend and her two sons for a swim date at one of our local pools. I slathered both of my boys in sun block, and I thought I had covered myself pretty well.  One day and a nasty back sunburn later, I realized what I had missed.  Ouch.

Tidy Victory - I was in Cleveland, OH over the weekend enjoying some much overdue college friend reunion time when I remembered that the Olympic opening ceremonies were on! I had only missed the first 45 minutes so I quickly texted my husband to record them.  Do you think I've watched them yet?  Nope :)  Going to save the recording for Saturday night!

Let's Get Grilling - Father's Day Roundup with the Blog Friends

Messy Messy Fail - I thought I could trust the UPKer to go to the bathroom on his own.  Two bathtub toys buried in the pipes of the toilet later, I realized that I cannot.  

Tidy Victory - If you need to know how to get two bathtub toys out of the plumbing of your toilet, just drop me an email or a PM - did you know you could take a toilet off of the floor and flip it over?   Needless to say we got the toys out - we really shocked yourselves with this extraction!  Two unwound hangers, multiple towels and a bucket later the culprits were removed.  What a way to spend a Friday night!

Toilet toy bleaching in my LuLaRoe's.  The boat and the odd shaped upside bunny head were the culprits.  Unbelievable.

Beermosa Recipe

Messy Messy Fail - Somehow, the UPKer broke the forked plastic piece that holds his Minion Big Wheel bike together.  This bike is rated for up to 80 lbs., and somehow this little 35 lb. boy figured out how make it unrideable.  Replacement part arrived today - thank goodness!

Tidy Victory - I had a lovely 35th birthday with my family - I enjoyed some yummy pizza, cards and ice cream cake (my favorite!).  Such a wonderful time and it really means so much when they show how much you are appreciated with the little things that you enjoy so much.  Thank you my beautiful family!

6 Ways to Reuse Your Leftover Hair

Messy Messy Fail - We purchased a new entertainment center to go underneath our TV that we mounted on the wall on a hinge.  All of the DVD's were reorganized on the shelves underneath.  Low and behold, aren't 4 of the most popular DVD's missing - The Land Before Time, a Thomas DVD, the Little Einsteins and the old school Disneyland Mickey Parade.  The boys will not confess nor show me where they went, so the search continues.  Until then, the Peppa Pig DVD is on our hot list.  I feel as though I have really begun to master that British accent.......

Tidy Victory - I attended the UPKer's field trip to a local farm this morning - what a treat!  We got to pet some horses, check out some pigs & cows, even saw some baby goats that had been born only 6 hours before we got there!  So cute - be careful if you ever see a baby goat, you'll want to take one home!

Holiday Fun with our Bloggy Friends - Easter & Spring

Messy Messy Fail - I swear my boys are growing out of their clothes so much faster than I can even keep up.  The toddler needs to start getting into 24 mo. and 2T clothes, but I cannot get those out until I pack up all of the 12-18 and 18 mo. clothes currently overtaking his drawers - it's madness I tell you!

Tidy Victory - I am working on a review post for a lovely group of gals and their LuLaRoe business - if you haven't ever heard of this latest craze in the world of ladies & girls tops, dresses and leggings you are MISSING OUT!  Be watching for my review of their butter-soft leggings this week!

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #110

Messy Messy Fail - I haven't published my own post in a couple of weeks now.  Lots going on around here - concerts, swim lessons, meetings, but I've got an Easter roundup and a couple of great posts in a different format than what I typically publish coming up, so be warned.

Tidy Victory - I was able to conduct my first all-county ensemble this weekend - an elementary orchestra - and I had an absolute blast!  This ensemble was made up of the best elementary string students in the county and I had the distinct pleasure of leading them through rehearsals and at our final performance on Saturday.  An absolute joy and a treat - this was why I wanted to teach orchestra!

100 Great Movies for Valentine's Day

Messy Messy Fail - A very large wine store in Nana Patti's hometown called Premier was having a mail in rebate sale with Relax wine (I know what my bloggy friend Rhiannon is thinking right now, but she understands my struggle is real) so I bought a bottle.  In order to get the $3 back, I had to mail in the rebate with original receipt by January 15th.  I had every intention, but of course I forgot and completely missed my deadline.

Tidy Victory - The laundry volcano that has been erupting in our house last week finally came under control - about 12 loads later.  I'm not quite sure how it builds up as much as it does, there's only four of us, but at least the multiple mountains of dirty clothes are gone.

Holiday Fun with Our Bloggy Friends - Great Food for the Big Game

Messy Messy Fail - In our low-budget remodel of the finished part of our basement, my thoughtful husband pulled out the carpet and foam padding to save some money.  He's such a DIYer, that guy.  Unfortunately, the foam padding with quite securely glued to the cement floor, requiring a straight edge shovel to literally scrape it off of the floor.  Truly a messy messy mess!

Tidy Victory - The new carpet is being installed in the morning, a few pieces of new furniture and my husband's man room will be complete!  I've already been banned, from decorating that is ;)  I have a hard time incorporating deer heads into my typical decor.

Printable Super Bowl Party Prop Sheet

Messy Messy Fail - All I want is one of those cute tribal/geometric print open front sweaters with the angular cut.  I see them on Instagram all the time - usually worn with leggings and riding boots.  Do you think I can find one here?  Not at Old Navy, Bon Ton, Maurices, American Eagle, JC Penney or even Sears.  TJ Maxx is my last hope tomorrow......to be continued.

Tidy Victory - I have successfully cranked out nearly 4 posts in 2 days - a little delay on my image mapping led to this slight cluster, but I am publishing and rockin' the blog this week like no one's business.  Boo ya!

Non-Toy Gifts for Little Kids

Messy Messy Fail - It appeared as though the toddler decided to record some extra programing on our DirecTV DVR of his own before we went away for a weekend.  Upon returning, an episode of  American Horror Story Hotel and Fargo was missed due to a full hard drive of Good Morning America, the Rachael Ray Show and Kelly & Michael.  Delete, delete, delete.

Tidy Victory - These last few days I have been a MACHINE getting my Christmas tasks done - Santa Sprinkles for the UPKer's class, teacher gifts, peanut butter fudge for co-workers, cards mailed out, Christmas breakfast and dinner items purchased!  This may truly be the most ready I have ever been for the holidays, and it feels so good!

Oh Hey, Friday - Lately

Messy Messy Fail - Truly nothing worse than having a dishwasher full of FILTHY dishes when you discover you have no more dishwashing detergent left.  Luckily after frantically digging in the cupboard below my sink I found a sample tablet that I had gotten at Sam's Club.  Not quite as clean as the usual BUT better than nothing.

Tidy Victory - I finished the UPKer's ghost costume last night at 11 PM.  I plan on publishing a tutorial on my quick diy children's ghost costume shortly.  Never thought I'd be making my own costumes for my kids, but I managed to put this one together.  Go me!

Spicy Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Messy Messy Fail - I can never seem to remember to send back my beer rebates.  I cut out the upc code from the box, save there receipt, fill out the sticky stupid little form that I usually end up ripping and taping back together.  But I ALWAYS miss the return by date.  It's only $5 dollars you say?  Every little bit counts, people!

Tidy Victory - Nana Patti came up for a quick visit over night and I wanted to find a decent meal to serve.  I knew I had a frozen 5 pound pork tenderloin in the basement chest freezer and a few pieces of leftover bacon in the refrigerator - I found this recipe for crockpot brown sugar balsamic glazed pork tenderloin and this for bacon parmesan asparagus on Pinterest and BAM - dinner was made.  The pork was really moist and FULL of flavor from the glaze.  The asparagus had a great flavor from the bacon fat and it was so nice to eat it cooked a different way other than oven-roasted.

12 Highly Recommended Things To Do at Niagara On the Lake

Messy Messy Fail - It's our first day of school without students (professional development) and doesn't our coffee pot poop the bed.  It's six years old so I guess I'm not too surprised.  Thanks Topic (whose mom created and shared this recipe I posted) for the wedding gift!

Oh, Hey Friday - Mish Mash

Messy Messy Fail - The fruit flies in this house are insane right now.  All windows have a screen, there is no food or fruit out on the countertops and yet they continue to buzz around and make me want to tear my hair out.  I have my little glass of red wine with plastic wrap over the mouth to trap the little snots - you poke a few small holes so the flies can crawl in but not get out.  Doesn't quite seem to be doing the trick.  Back to the drawing board.

Tidy Victory - At story time this week, I was chasing the baby through the reference section when I happened to notice a rack of TV show DVD collections.  There it was, like a unicorn out of the mist, seasons 1-3 of Big Love from HBO.  They really knew how to create an amazing series - all of my favorites were on HBO.  First it was Sex and the City, then the Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and lastly Big Love.  Every plot and storyline was so intriguing and unique.  When I was in college, we all chipped in to purchase HBO so we could keep up.  Now I'm binge watching Big Love.

With my one summer job at Chautauqua Orchestra Camp approaching quickly, I am all over the place getting things ready and crossing items off of my list.  But that doesn't mean I can't find time for little things that make me happy.  Here's a mish mash list of smile-makers!

<One> The Punch Brothers - I recently heard this band open up for Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn at Chautauqua and was completely BLOWN AWAY.  A fun, current bluegrass sound with some serious edge.  Open up your mind and your ears and listen to them.  In all likelihood you won't be sorry.  If you are lucky enough to see them live, their musicianship is outstanding - they are all true masters on their instruments.  When they play together it's absolute magic (not to be cheesy, but it really is).

<Two> Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar Hand Therapy - One of my best friends gave this to me as a birthday gift - she knows how I love thick hand creams throughout the year, NOT just winter.  Girl knows what I like - it really helps my hands from drying out when I'm doing dishes 50 times a day.

<Three> Lemon No-Bake Icebox Cake - We had that same dear friend over for a birthday brunch this past weekend with her two boys and husband - my menu consisted of my breakfast bake, the Pioneer Woman's breakfast potatoes, champagne oranges and a Lemon No-Bake Icebox Cake.  She loves anything lemon and I knew a cold dessert would be tasty on a warm summer morning.  We loved it - here's the recipe.  

<Four> Wooden Spoon Across the Pot - I have heard that if you put a wooden spoon across a boiling pot it keeps the water from overflowing.  Whenever I boil potatoes, I can only assume my cupeth will runeth over.  I had to make a potato salad for a picnic last week and tried this old wives' tale, and it worked!

<Five> Stitch Fix - I have had a few friends try this and had mixed results, makes me really curious.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Stitch Fix is a monthly subscription where you pay $20 for a month, fill out a survey about your style, and you receive a box with a few clothing items based on your survey.  The clothing items/accessories are supposedly picked by a personal stylist to fit you like a glove.  You then have three days to either A) return the clothes with the prepaid return tag if you do not like them B) purchase the items at the price listed.  Price points are typically range from $50 - $100 depending on the items, so this is clearly no Old Navy clearance rack.  Might be fun to try the subscription for a month.  Something different and new, especially when you have as limited clothing options as you do where I live.

Do you have a Stitch Fix subscription, and do you like it?  Please tell me about it!

In the meantime, have a great weekend with the ones that you love!

Linking up with.....

5 Reasons Why I Have Not Posted in a Few Weeks

Messy Messy Fail - Today itself has been a messy messy fail.  Let me explain - broke a glass candle holder, dumped half & half on the kitchen floor, driveway guys showed up as I was trying to load up the boys in the car, dropped two 2 liters of pop (not soda) in the high school parking lot, dropped multiple items out of my too small cart at Wegmans, had one of my students who worked at Wegmans point out that my cart was too small for all of the items I was purchasing, holding a teething baby, dropped more glass on the floor, dumped a pint of blueberries on the floor.  I guess you could say I dropped a lot of things today.

Tidy Victory - In between dropping the 2 liters and trying to console the teething baby, I had a blissful hour of shopping at Wegmans for the baptism barbecue and purchased everything I needed to make food.  Ah, my happy place.  Did I ever mention I love Wegmans?

Well, according to this blog, I have not posted in nearly two weeks.  It doesn't feel like two weeks to me, but that really is too long of a time.

But I do have 5 very good reasons why I have not blogged in two weeks.

For real.

<One> Work - I will have had three concerts over two weeks - a middle school Lawn Social, a high school Awards Concert and middle school Awards Concert.  The Lawn Social is exactly what the title says - we perform on the lawn and host vendors as a fundraiser for our music program.  At the Awards Concerts I feature some soloists and small ensembles, hand out awards and have the orchestras play some fun pop music.  It's a lot of work.  And a lot of logistics.  But a totally cool way to end the school year.

<Two> Pittsburgh - Last weekend my husband and I went to a Dave Matthews concert with some friends at the First Niagara Pavilion in Pittsburgh while his parents stayed with the boys.  We had a great meal at Bar Louie in Station Square, enjoyed the concert, ALMOST stopped at a bar called the Mousetrap (which upon internet research has a website and may actually be pretty cool despite the gory name), and lastly a quick visit to the Duquesne Incline.  I got some great shots!

Up we go!

View from the top.

Cool light fixture in the incline car.

Aaaaand back down.

There's Dave!

No one can groove like Stefan.

Carter is always smiling!

The soul of the band.

Yes, those are two trumpets he's holding at once.

Boyd & Tim in one shot

<Three> Celebrations - You name it, we've celebrated it.  Birthdays, baptisms, retirements, new houses, new jobs, the list goes on and on.  We love to celebrate and be a part of our friend's and family's special occasions as well as have them be a part of ours.  The baby is getting baptized on Sunday and I'm hosting a retirement party on Tuesday - party on Wayne!

<Four> The House - aka The Money Pit - We have been driveway-less for approximately two months now.  That may not sound like too big a deal, but as the dirt and grass being tracked into the house from the lack of pavement builds up in our kitchen (main entrance to the house) I am reaching my limit.  THANK GOODNESS they came today to put the binder on the driveway, which after being explained to me I now know is the base coat but is still NOT LOOSE GRAVEL.  Finally. We are still lacking a front porch, but come on - baby steps.

<Five> The Bachelorette - I'm just a sucker, what can I say.  I'm watching the latest episode that I DVR'ed as I type.  I'm not really feeling a good vibe from any of the men yet, except for maybe 
Ben Z.  However, history has proven that I NEVER pick who the bachelor or bachelorette picks.  So what do I know.

Thanks for reading my true but ridiculous excuses as to my mega slacker style lately.  With summer approaching, I am setting a personal goal of at least two regular posts a week.  A few current posts in the works include: Fairy Garden Part II, my Deck Hanging Baskets, How to Help Your Child Be Successful on Their Musical Instrument and an Interview with One of My Favorite Etsy Shops - Carolina Knots.

Crazy concert picture, great show!

Cheers to a great weekend with good weather and fun times!

Linking up with......

The Baby's First Birthday with Mickey on the Farm

Messy Messy Fail - Ugh I cannot get the dishes in the dishwasher - especially the top rack glasses - to come out completely clean.  There seems to be tiny bits of grossness stuck to the glasses, especially on the outside of the upper rack.  I've tried cleaning the inside of the gasket to get the gunk out, I'm tempted next to run an empty cycle with a glass of vinegar.  We have extremely hard water in our area, but seriously, what gives?!?!?!?!

Tidy Victory - Now that the high school spring concert is over (stress!!!!!) I can start cooking and catching up on household chores again.  Last night I made the PW's breakfast quesadillas and MAN were those tasty!

I really enjoy having a fun themed birthday party for my kids for their first birthday.  It's so much fun to have all of our family in from out of town to celebrate.

For the toddler's first birthday, we had a Mickey Mouse Luau - he loved watching Mickey Mouse Club House and his family nickname is the Hawaiian so it seemed fitting.

For the baby's first birthday, we noticed he enjoyed Mickey Mouse Club House as well, and we thought it would be fun to do a farm theme, so Mickey on the Farm it was!

Who knew that not many people had already thrown a Mickey on the Farm birthday party - Pinterest wasn't too helpful with this one!  A friend has sent me a whole slew of pins for Mickey things, but Farmer Mickey was not to be found.  Who knew I had come up with such an original theme (wink wink)?

For each kid, I always purchase a birthday banner from A Sweet Celebration on Etsy - she does an amazing job putting together the cutest most creative banners that I could NEVER make in a million years.  

You may notice that I blurred out the baby's name - no offense people, just to protect the privacy of my kids (that's why I do not post pictures of them on the blog either, I want them to decide for themselves later in life if they want to be all over the internet or not).

I also had her make squares for his 2nd - 10th birthdays so I can keep reusing the banner (even though they won't be Mickey on the Farm but that's okay!)

I stole the idea from a birthday party my good friend threw for her second son's 1st birthday party (he was born 14 days before my baby) to have an activity table for the older kids.  We had playdough, crayons, Mickey print outs, toddler scissors and glue sticks to keep them occupied.  I also purchased a 12-pack of cute little farmer hats from Oriental Trading for the kids to keep as a party favor.

I also bought a 12-pack of these checkered tablecloths in several fun colors and the large pennant gingham banner to decorate the baby's highchair and the wall a bit.  I should have read more carefully how big the pennant actually was - quite large for the high chair - but it did the trick.  I had originally intended to purchase the red tablecloths but the colors ended up working well, too.

We are a bit limited on places to purchase cakes in our area but ended up finding this cute farm cake from Tops Friendly Market.  I couldn't find a Farmer Mickey cake and I know my limitations, but this cake was delicious and adorable.

Did you know Tops will give you a free 5" round cake on your baby's first birthday when you show their birth certificate?  Here is what was left from the baby's free cake.  He annihilated half of it and would have finished it had I not taken it away.

I used Mickey happy birthday balloons from the Dollar Tree (holla!) tied to red deli baskets stuffed with  wax paper basket liners to hold extra napkins, salt and pepper.

For the early dinner menu, we decided on a picnic theme.  

We made:

PW's Pulled Pork
Copycat KFC Coleslaw

Our family made:

Aunt Ashley's Taco Dip
Aunt Sarah's Corn & Bean Balsamic Salsa
Great-Grandma Jean's Potato Salad
Aunt Stacey's Corn Casserole
Grandma's Fruit Frog
Aunt Meghen's Tortellini & Fruit Salad
Nana Patti's Spinach Salad

We also had a beverage dispenser of good old fashioned ice tea for people to drink along with water, cans of pop (not soda!) and beer.

There wasn't too much food left when the party was over so I'll take that as people liked it.  The kids had fun running around and coloring, the adults got some good adult conversation, and we had a successful party with the baby and Mickey on the farm!

Katie

Follow my blog with Bloglovin