School Pictures

We got Bayleigh's school pictures back today that were taken on September 7th, 2011. This is the official First Grade Picture for the yearbook. :)

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Muffins With Moms 9.27.11

Today, Tuesday, September 27th, 2011, brought about a great morning. Bayleigh's school hosted an event called Muffins With Moms for the first hour of the day. It was for Moms, Step-Moms and Grandma's. My mom took the day off of work so that she could go with Bayleigh, but I just kept having the nagging want to go as well. I asked Larry on Sunday if he would be able and willing to go into work a little later so that I would be able to attend. He said he'd check his schedule. Luckily, I was able to go because he ended up working later on Monday night and so he got to make up for it. Larry is such a wonderful man. His dad...another wonderful man...helped me out as well.
Once we got there, we all headed to the lunch room for muffins and then we got to go over to the bookfair in the library and find a quiet spot in the school and read until 9. It was fun. Papa sent money with Bayleigh for the books on her wish list and then Grammy bought her some as well. She made out like a bandit for sure. :)
Below are a couple of pictures I took and a video of Bayleigh reading to me and Grammy. Enjoy!

Bayleigh at her desk. My mom had never been in the elementary since it has walls. That's right...when I went there, no walls!

Our quiet spot in the hallway down from her classroom. Geeze, momma REALLY needs to go on a diet!

Bayleigh reading to us! She did a pretty good job! You may need to pause the music at the bottom of this page.

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Fun Weekend!

We had a pretty fun weekend that didn't involve too much! On Friday we went to my cousin's house to pick up our purchases from her moving sale. Saturday, I had to work and also went to the Hope Heritage Days in a neighboring town. Sunday we hung around the house because it was chilly and rainy.

While at the festival Bayleigh got her feather extensions for her hair that she's been wanting for a long time. It's the new craze! She also had her entire face painted like a panda. When she wiped that off this is what was left. There is something about this picture that makes her look so grown up and mature. :/

One of our purchases from the moving sale was this scooter. Our family knows what is so funny about this. I have an inside joke with my best friend as well. It makes me laugh! Bayleigh kept telling me I was a chicken and too scared to go fast....she's right. I finally got to the point of going as fast as it will go and the above hair is what I call my "full-throttle" hair. LOL! It makes me laugh! 

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Halloween Crafts!

Hello!!!! So, remember a couple of posts back about the website I stumbled on called Pinterest???? Well, I found another really great idea on there and I just had to share! (You're welcome). ;)
So, this year I signed up to help with the Halloween Party in Bayleigh's class and wanted to do something fun and original. When I found these jars I knew right away I had hit the jackpot of craft ideas! These are the simplest, most cutest, inexpensive crafts EVER!  The first picture is not mine. It is actually a photo I borrowed from the original website so that I could link you up to the site directly...go ahead...click the picture, but don't forget to come back here and finish reading my post. ;)

These are so simple they only require a couple of steps...Let me throw them at you and then I'll brag on...(My steps vary some from the original site, and are not quite so in depth).

Step 1. Squirt about a half dollar sized mess of Acrylic Craft Paint into the bottom of the jar.

2. Use a sponge paint brush...about an inch is what I used, to run the paint up the side of the jars. INSIDE!!

3. Spray Paint the rings that come on the jars with Black spray paint. (I used black acrylic on the ones seen below and am not happy with them, so I will be redoing them).

4. Draw or stencil faces on the OUTSIDE of the jars with a black sharpie. The original site calls for painting over the sharpie with black acrylic. I did not do this step and they are fine.

5. Spray with a clear coat. I also did not do this step, but I think I will at a later time.

6. Screw the rings onto the jars.

7. Insert a tea light candle and light for your enjoyment!

Are these not the cutest things you've ever seen?! Bayleigh's are on the top row and mine are on the bottom! They just need the rings in this picture!

Here they are lit on the porch. Yes, the paint inside has runs, but I think it adds character! Bayleigh's are from the ghost over to the left and mine are on the right!

SO, then last night...I decided to get a little more creative and expanded my "Martha Stewart" abilities. See below!

Notice my haunted house and owl in the background??? 

Isn't Frankie SO cute?! To do the details on him, I simply used Q-Tips and painted the eyes, nose, teeth, and whatever those things are in his neck. HOWEVER, me being the rule breaker that I am...I got ahead of myself and painted the green too quickly and it smudged. SO, I painted the eyes and nose on the outside as well.

I will not be sending tea lights home with about 25 first graders so I will be typing up a note to the parents. Let's face it...I'd be pretty irrresponsible if I sent 6-7 year olds home with candles. I will also be putting the seals to the jars on under the rings so that in case they are not 100% dry they will transport home nicely. I will also be spray painting the rings a couple of days early so that I don't have to mess with that in the class. Hope you enjoy this craft as much as Bayleigh and I have!

I have a feeling this might even turn into a Christmas craft with snowmen and snowflakes. If so, you know there will be a post about that later. :)

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King's Island 9.10.11

Saturday, September 10th, 2011, Honda Manufacturing of America had their company party at King's Island in Ohio. It was actually for Honda in Ohio, but they extended the invitation to the Honda my mom works at here in Indiana. She was able to take her and a guest for $10 and then purchase up to 8 more tickets at $25 each so she bought us tickets too. We had a lot of fun! The first ride Bayleigh wanted to go on was the Woodstock Express RollerCoaster so she wanted Grammy to ride with her. SO, Larry and I waited for them to go. I told Larry as they were approaching the top of the hill my mom was probably peeing her pants right about then. LOL! WELL, check out this picture...

We laughed SO hard when we first seen this picture! Larry said, What did you expect when you were going up the big hill?! Mom said, THAT IT WOULD LEVEL OFF!!! LOL! WRONG! Notice Bayleigh is having a ball!!! She got Grammy on it one more time before we left too!

We kept having to go from one side of the park to the other to ride rides. Which was fine because it was all about Bayleigh anyways. One ride she got to go on that we didn't realize she could ride last time was the Viking Ship! She LOVED it! The entrance and exit are right next to each other so she'd get off and get right back on getting higher in the seats each time until she reached the top row. Larry had to hold her in though because it is only a lap bar that holds you in and since she is so small there was quiet a bit of space between her and the bar. Here is a video of her on the top row. Notice her arms in the air again! LOL! (you might have to pause the music at the bottom of the blog so the sounds don't play over each other).

I was SO nervous with her that high! LOL! She is the second person from the left on the top row. Larry is in the green shirt and is the first person.

All in all we had a terrific time and am very thankful to my mom for taking us. :)

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Homemade Laundry Soap Follow-Up

I just want to follow us really fast about the homemade laundry detergent. To see that blog, click HERE! (or view right below this post). I am SO impressed with how cheap it is to make! I wanted to show you this following picture. 

These are 1 gallon zip-loc bags of what is left out of the Borax and the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. I have taken 2 cups out of each bag to make 2 different batches. One for me and one for my neighbor. As you can see, I have plenty of both to make several more batches. I just need to add a bar of Fels*Naptha to each batch!

I have been doing laundry all morning and I really LOVE this stuff. I will say though, I think in my next batch for myself I will use either Ivory or Dove soap and see how that goes. When the laundry comes out it is unscented, but I don't care much for the scent as it is washing.

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Homemade Laundry Soap

Yesterday, I found a site on my iPhone called pinterest and stumbled on a picture of homemade laundry soap. To find the direct site I found my directions click HERE! I have heard of this before, but never gave it much thought. Lately, we have been pinching every penny so the thought of spending nearly $20 a bottle on Tide really had me thinking twice about my laundry duties. I made my first batch of laundry soap and it turned out great! AND!!! It was SO cheap! Here's what you do...

Mix 1 cup Borax ($3.36) + 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda ($3.24) + 1 Bar Finely Shredded Fels*Naptha ($0.97).

Use 1 Tablespoon per load in the washing machine.

The site says that this amount will wash 40+ loads of laundry.

I had enough of the Borax and Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda left to make around 4 or 5 more batches as well!

I store mine in this cute jar that I also found at our local Wal-Mart for $2.97.

I noticed that this detergent doesn't suds up like my Tide, but my clothes seem to be CLEANER! The Fels*Naptha has a scent to it as well, but when the clothes come out of the washer they don't have a scent at all. The site I found the original directions on, linked above, has comments that say you can use a bar of Dove or Ivory soap in place of the Fels*Naptha as well. I may try that next!I have used this detergent in both Hot and Cold water washes and it has been great either way. The soap flakes melt away in either temperature.

  

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New Website!

I am not 100% sure why I decided to get us a website...I don't know, because it's free????? I thought I would play around with it some. I will still be a blogger here and the blog on the site directs you here. I just thought it would be fun to mess around with. :) The address is therutherfordfamily.weebly.com, but you can click HERE and bookmark it to your favorites if you'd like. :)

School Picture Day!

Today, Wed, Sept 7th, 2011 is school picture day! Of course that required a photoshoot here at the house prior to leaving for school! LOL!

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Labor Day 2011

We spent our Labor Day Morning this year enjoying the Fall temperatures that Indiana has given to us. It's funny, Friday was 100 and miserable and then Monday we were dressed in sweats and freezing! LOL! It was a great morning though. My kite is the owl, Bayleigh bought it for me. Bayleigh had the ladybug and Larry had the turtle. I'd say, this was a great day off!!!

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Kind of a Random...

What we've been up to....ROUTINE!!! That is what we have been up to. By the time Bayleigh gets home, it's homework, dinner time, and then not longer comes bed. Bed is much earlier this year because we found that Bayleigh...OK, and mommy, both really needed it. Thursdays are some later because of Gymnastics--which Bayleigh LOVES SO much more because some of her friends now go at the same time.
School is going well. She did forget her homework twice and we are praying that doesn't become a habit, but none the less--she likes it and is doing a great job.
Colts football has now kicked off with preseason so on game nights....like tonight....our house is some louder from Larry's end. He's usually so quiet! Speaking of HIM! So, tonight coming home from Gymnastics he drove--you know what I have learned about Larry???? He is constantly watching the road around him: FROM THE SIDE WINDOW!!!! LOL! I kept noticing that when we went down south this past weekend for a birthday party and then there he goes again tonight. We laughed with our friends down south about it because according to my girlfriends--their men do the same thing! LOL!
OH YEAH! The dentist went well! No cavities! No x-rays either. She is still too short.

Wednesday is school picture day so you know a photo blog is coming with that one. :) For now, I have a little girl in the shower past her bedtime, so I must cut this short!

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