a "sweet" day...

{1st treat ;} {curt's treat}

{and....tummy ache...}

today i worked in the salon, and daddy worked on a project for mommy.

travis was so sweet and patient and just played by himself

until we were done.

he came out and visited with me and my last client,

and actually said "excuse me mommy"

{instead of interrupting. i love when they randomly use manners in front of people,

it makes me look like such a good mom ;}

so for a special treat, for the sweet boy, i took him to his favorite place!

the coffee shop!

he gets the biggest cookie, and then "reminds" curt {the owner}

"weemember u gave me oweeo's {oreos} wast time!? dat was so cool..."

how can you say no to that sweet hint of a hint.

so he gets his bag of "oweeo's", talk for a bit and then head home.

i wuv my widdle trav!

{he is such a sweet boy}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

p.s. the coffee shop is not only super cool, super yummy, annnnd they were on cupcake wars, AND won ;} but they are in our hood, so we get to walk down there everyday!

yes i'm bragging...so if your a local and haven't been there yet, get your butts down there.

fort fit for kids...

{design*sponge...my fav!}

so summer is coming...uggg

and living in AZ, summer is my least favorite time of year.

spring is wonderful, but so hard to enjoy when you feel the heat rays looming around the corner.

{read here about our AZ's summers}

this year when it rears it's ugly head, i will have a new born baby, and three other kids

running around, off for summer break, asking me "what we are doing today?!"

everyday...for 2 1/2 months.....

in times like these us mothers need ideas, and lots of indoor activities to keep

the little turds busy ;}

here is a pretty sweet little fort tutorial to do for your kids.

bring them some popcorn and books

{or a portable dvd player ;}

and they will be set for hours. especially in this little fortress!

i kind of want to build one for myself and put a "keep out" sign on it ;}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

fabric galore!

my friend {cassidy...i swear i have other friends ;} told me about this place.

and i'm sure most of you have heard of it, but if not,

fabric.com is the place to go to find CUTE affordable fabric!

{i linked the pictures #1-#6 below, so you can see prices ;}

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

this is making my decision making process so much harder...

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

girl after my own heart

i am so proud to see that the thrift store-ing blood has passed on to our children

my sweet little niece is only 8 and has already developed her own unique style,

and on a budget!

it brings tears to my eyes ;}

check out her little minni fashion show!

here!

not so GOODwill!

so this may sound a little silly for those of you who don't have a passion

for thrift store shopping, but for us who do, listen up.

it is time to boycott GOODWILL!

they officially suck.

hear me out...

i told myself once upon a time that i would no longer shop there because of their

over priced {and that is an understatement!} items,

that remember folks,

is DONATED to them which, means their inventory

is FREE!

last year alone we donated hundreds of $'s worth of tax donations

{just like many of you probably did}

and they take those free, dirty, broken, falling apart, used, smelly, items

and slap a $10 sticker on, let's say a dress,

that i'm sorry but you can get a brand new dress for the same price at old navy!

or a $300!! price tag on a table that is falling apart

{that is not even cute or vintage}

when you could drive down to ikea and get one for $150 NEW.

a couple weeks ago my husband drove down a trailer full of stuff to donate.

we don't own a trailer, so we borrowed one, along with a vehicle that would tow it...

when he got to freakin goodwill, they tried to say that

"they might not take some of the stuff."

{ummmmm are you kidding me! your not gunna "take it" we are donating it, and you make

$ off of it! since when are they allowed to say no?! it was a perfectly good item, i might add}

anyways, my husband didn't take "no" for an answer, and unloaded the items.

as he was pulling through the "drop off zone" he ran over a chair arm with a giant bolt sticking out of it, which punctured the tire on our borrowed vehicle!

{there was crap all over the "drop off zone"}

since they don't have proper policies for vehicle damage on their property,

it took another 30 minutes to round up A sheet of paper, to report it on

{which was a total joke}

not to mention every employee there was rude, and unhelpful including the manager...

it was a very frustrating trip to say the least!

yesterday

{i should have known better}

i went into a goodwill in the part of town that i was in

{20 miles round trip for me}

and found something i wanted....i went home, and told my husband, who then drove back

to get it.

{another 20 miles round trip}

when he got there, it didn't fit in our car. so today he borrowed a truck from a friend

{less then 24 hours later, and another 20 miles round trip}

drove down there to get the already PAID for item that was on hold.

to his surprise {and all of the employees in the back..} it was GONE!

no where to be found!!!!

at this point, my husband was furious,with good reason.

"ummm, gosh...it must have been picked up by recycling last night"

said one worker.

why was it sitting outside, when it was supposed to be inside on hold, you ask?

we don't know.

"we have a no 'cash back policy' if you don't have the card you purchased the item with you

when your returning something"

said the worker.

ummmmm what about if it was THROWN AWAY!!??

my husband didn't think he needed the card, because he wasn't returning anything!

{oh noooowwww they have policies, huh.}

GOODWILL officially SUCKS!

we. will. never. ever. go. there. again.

{my husband got the cash back}

there are plenty of other charity centers that actually give back,

and don't take advantage of the

donation system, to shop at.

*buffalo gal*

p.s. tell me about your horrible goodwill experience...come on! i know you have one ;}

p.p.s. "goodwill, i hope your reading!"

1st makeover deal!

so i already found an awesome deal for my bedroom!

i went to homegoods and got these pillows for $14.99

compared to the west elm pillow at $59 each,

i saved $88!!!

bedroom makeover...step#1

my bedroom has been the same for 4 years!

that is the longest any room of mine has ever been the same...

it's time for a change...and some color!

i just sold my entire bedroom set, so i am literally starting from scratch.

{as soon as i am finished i will have before and after pictures ;}

my color scheme inspiration...

{thanks to me sweet friend cassidy, who got me this vase for my birthday. it's from anthropologie} i love this pillow from west elm, but it's a bit out of my price range... i have a headboard similar to this that i just got...

it's much older, so my plan is to re-vamp it ;}

{read about it here} i love the throw in this picture! {especially since it's fuchsia, this will be added to the color scheme} these were the best that i could find so far in my price range... {please let me know which one you like best, #1,#1,#3 or #4??}

well...wish me luck!!

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

together again...

{previous before and after photo}

i finally finished.

my two previously old, dingy, orange, velvet chairs
are together again.

they are white, and new, and clean!

the foam is new, the buttons and cushions are new, all of the dirt and cat hair

found in the cracks, is no longer there.

{that is the worst part of re-upholstering...you never know what your going to find in the deep,

30 year old cracks of a chair or couch}

i did find a quarter though...

my next project is this beauty

"tuft luck"

so far, it sucks.

wish me luck ;}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

kids being kids

maybe it's because our mom let us play with an old water barrel, taking

turns getting inside and rolling each other down a hill in our old back yard...

or letting us jump off the patio roof onto our trampoline

{that's when they first came out...before all of the reported broken bones and such}

or sliding down our old stairs in sleeping bags, slamming into the wall at the bottom to stop ourselves, and laughing hysterically...

or building a fort in the rafters of our 100 degree, garage attic in the middle of the summer...

or perhaps it was because there weren't "DSI's" and "video games"

and big flat screen tv's in our own personal, in home movie theatres

{or maybe it was because we were poor and we just didn't know it}

either way! my point is...

i love seeing my kids and their cousins play...like, REAL play.

outside.

with boxes and a hose.

and buckets on their heads!

{the bag was a little iffy...we took that off ;}

last night my sister and i laughed as we watched our children rummage through

our neighbors bulk trash to build a "tree tee-pee" out of all of their tree clippings!

{it was actually pretty awesome...i would have gotten in but i was too big}

it was sweet, and awesome.

kids need to be outside.

they need to use their imagination.

so hide the video games, limit the tv watching,

or pretend like your poor ;} and let our kids be kids!

{at least until summer, if you live in AZ}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

baby poll!

ok, I officially started my 6th month.

everyone seems to "know" what i am having.

I don't really want to know how or why you think i am having one or the other,

especially if it's followed by:

real person comment: "your totally having a girl!"

me: "oh ya? how can you tell?"

real person comment: "well because with girls you usually get wider in your back side"

me: {a little confused since i was barely 2 months prego at the time with my

second. how could she freakin tell already!?} "huh....interesting..."

i had a boy that pregnancy.

so much for that theory!

any whoo.

take a guess ;}

{poll is off to the right side bar, above "followers"...oh and while your there, get on my followers list too ;}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

marlee and me

if only there was a way to install a mini video camera into my eyeballs, so that i might capture life's wonderful moments. in fact i'm pretty sure that if there was such an invention, we would have a lot better quality of "reality tv shows" to choose from, that were ACTUALLY reality.

on that note,

today would be a great season premiere into my very own reality...

for starters, it's spring break and travis my second has been sick with a stomach virus, which includes, stomach pains, diarrhea, headache, and lots and lots of whining...so bright and early this morning i woke up to crying coming from the bathroom {my bathroom, that had been freshly cleaned just the day before, might i add} i stumble in to see travis, sad, on the toilet. he had pooped in his pants and was upset...poor guy...but he had also missed, and pooped on the clean floor and toilet seat...awesome. we clean him up and get him clean clothes.

next, we go to the community pool.

it was all fun and splashing {travis not so much} after all it is spring break, so i try to do something fun...after about...i think...350 "mommy...mommy...mommy...mommy" 's at the pool which eventually turned to complaining it was "too cold", we pack up and leave. that was fun...

back to the house. nothing to eat. i have an idea! chick-fil-a! they can eat, they can play, they can get tired ;} so off we go.

we get to chick-fil-a, order, get seated, and bam! marlee smacks her lip and starts screaming AT the top of her tiny little lungs, in a chick-fil-a full of people, staring right at me {i hate that...} i know she is a little tired, so it was hurt/tired tears at this point. i finally get her settled down. we start to eat, i take one bite of my sandwich {which now i am sooooo hungry i'm shaking, because of the little baby in my tummy} when all of the sudden marlee throws up allll over. well isn't this nice...i manage to clean her up incognito {just a little trick us moms pick up along the way, aren't we so cool and lucky}. i finally, shaking still from hunger, get to take another bite of my glorious sandwich, when marlee {because now she is mad she is in only diapers} throws her cup of water, which spills all over MY food...it took a lot...i mean a lot...of will power to not start screaming and crying and throwing everything off the table in front of me out of frustration...........i salvage what's left of my soggy sandwich and try to eat, regardless of the fact that i still had a little throw up on my finger, because i am sooooo hungry, i don't even care...i got one more bite in when marlee made it impossible to keep the "starers" from staring...we packed up our lunch and left.

..she fell asleep in the car about 30 seconds later

{poor baby... i wasn't mad anymore...just hungry}

when we get home i manage to get everyone down for a nap. hallelujah! i'm pretty sure the boys went down, because they truly felt sorry for me.

i work.

{on my other job, that i do from home}

two hours later they are up.

marlee....sweet little marlee, poops. it looks like a doosey. because i'm so tired i decide to change her right on the coffee table in front of me {you know, to "save" time, plus i have never used a changing table in my whole motherly life, but the coffee table was the first;} as soon as i lay her down, SPLAT! it comes out from all angles! frothy, yellow, watery, poop...i busted up into a crazy laugh...we all started laughing, and gagging, and laughing, and gagging, marlee crying...which i don't blame her, it had smooshed clear up her back and into her hair. i get her to the bathroom, without dripping any on the floor

{another fun trick, up my sleeve}

get her cleaned up {still gagging}...so much for "saving time"

i couldn't be mad. she was so sweet. she let me clean her up without a fight, and after that she sweetly talked to her "my little ponies" in the bath, and taught them to "swim" {just like we did earlier today with marlee in the pool} "kick, kick pony!...swim! good dob!" {in marlee's words ;}

i hope the mommy universe is better to me tomorrow, then again my husband will be home to help...you see he works 3/24 hour shifts a week, and today was one of them...these days usually suck ;}

tonight i will watch them sleep peacefully, and forget about how hard today was.

and that's a wrap! "the REAL desperate housewife/mommy that works two jobs from home at 30+ hours a week, and is literally with her kids every waking moment" will be back ;}

have a fun weekend!

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

crazy hair day

after cooking breakfast this morning and sending ryder off to school,
i had a minute to myself while the other two kids watched a tv show...
right before getting into my shower, my quick 5 minute, all to myself shower,
my kids came running in
{thanks to my freakishly loud pipes in our walls that are a dead give away to running water in my bathroom}
"we wanna take a bath!"
"bubble bath, bubble bath!!!"
urggggg
they get in the bath.
after the fun "splashing game" i washed them up, dried them off, cleaned up all the water, and got them ready. then i got ready {sort of}
after spending 5 minutes alone, trying to cover the giant zit on my jaw line
{that has been there for a few weeks now, so fun}
i stopped when i heard nothing...
when it's quiet, and there are kids in the house, it's usually not a good sign.
when i came out to see what they were up to, i found a puddle of water on the floor,
my nice hardwood floor.
so i cleaned it up, i was annoyed, but what-ever. what's a little water gunna hurt right?
then....i thought....where did the water come from??
i saw marlee standing by the couch, with a really sweet and kind of odd look
on her face. almost like 'if i smile really extra sweet at my mom, then she won't be too mad' kind of look...
as i got closer to her, i saw on the table behind her my laptop.
my laptop sitting in a puddle of water!!
i opened it
{well first i screamed}
then i opened it...she had also poured water all over the keyboard, then closed it
and finished off the water on the top.
it was a lot of water...as i frantically tried to dry it off as good as i could, marlee screaming in the background because of my crazy scream that scared her,
i realized it was almost time for my other son to go to pre-school! crap!
and then he reminded me it was "crazy hair" day! crap!
blasted school spirit week.
whenever i picture myself really mad {like finding my laptop in a puddle of water} i picture my hair. i picture it standing straight up in every direction, with a little bit of smoke
sizzling off from the ends of it...is that weird? well i do...
so we go out to the salon and i make travis's hair "crazy"
and rushed him to school...
when your day starts off this way, the rest of the day seams to follow along with it.
today was one of those days...
tonight i will lay in bed thinking of ways to be more patient, and calm when it comes to life's little misfortunes......

{i also realized that earlier this morning marlee was upset at me because i had my laptop on my lap and wouldn't let her sit next to me because she kept pushing buttons. so i guess this was her revenge...what a sneaky little thing...}

xoxo
*buffalo gal*

spring hair tips

spring is near,
but have no fear,
i have some tips for you my dear,
{yeah...that was nerdy...}
but seriously tho.
read below!
{heeeey i didn't even mean to rhyme that time ;}

{click on the pic...sorry it's so tiny}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*