Weight Watchers and my new personal motivation

Is it SPRING yet??? Happy March 2nd everyone. I am still crawling out of an exercise rut. I really don't mind exercising. It's the book of mommy excuses that get me out of it. Laundry, the kids are hungry, sleep, and other commitments. Blah blah. You know what I mean.

So I came up with this visual motivation...to HELP ME!

I used one of my free America First Calendars-Modified and hung in my bathroom!

I included: Motivational quotes, I put a picture of me unhappy and overweight on one side under the star (not shown), a picture of me happy and a healthy weight under the other star (not shown). I write on the day I work out, the distance/speed/time of my treadmill workout, my Weight Watcher weigh ins (I am a lifetime member right now-with more to personally lose), and any resistance training I am doing.

Go for it...Staci-You are worth it!

I was off dreaming...and not on the computer.

Well, I have been off the computer for a bit dreaming of being at the beach. I can't wait for sandy toes, body surfing, smells of sunscreen, salt water taffy, looking at jelly fish, and trying to catch sand crabs. I'll be back soon with something practical.

Get bored of something-PAINT it.

I was bored of the white chair backs so we painted them- A brick red. It looks great with the wall color in our house (and other decor items) Tip- Sand lightly all areas, wipe down, let it dry, paint with an oil or latex based high-gloss paint for this application (easier to wipe off grime). An oil based paint takes double the dry time in the winter. We painted these in February '08 and they are now showing small chip marks on the top-but I knew the fresh coat wouldn't last more than a year. Plus, I am crossing my fingers for a new dining room set in 3-6 months. Memorial Day is a great time to buy furniture.

An oldie but a goodie...Ants on a log.

I bet you enjoyed eating these as kid! Did you forget about them? It's funny how things of your childhood pop up in your memory during different stages of raising your own kids. Do you notice that too? I now serve them to my kiddos. I buy the Organic Kirtland brand creamy peanut butter (comes in a 2-pack) from Costco. I hope the peanut butter recall is over soon. I might just go and whip some up for the kids today. Have a nice weekend!

Birthday parties are coming and I am planning now!

I love to treat my kids to birthday parties with their friends (for less $ of course).

Here's my latest thought process and purchase today.

Walmart Valentine stuffed animals were 75% off today.I bought 9 Valentine puppy dogs- They hardly even look like Valentine themed dogs. They were 75% off and $1.25 each.

Party theme- A Build a Bear knock off type party at home. We will call the party theme "adopt a puppy", name it, bathe it, brush it, put bows or a kerchief on his/her ears, have some "tea" and cookies with your puppy, and of course games & songs with your puppy. Then everyone leaves with their new puppy and a small gift bag. The 4 year old birthday party is not until May. I will keep my eyes out for goodie bag stuff from Easter clearance in April.

Here's my party planning box in the basement....filled to the brim! The puppies are in a box in the cold storage area. So, there is a method to my shopping madness! Hey, there's my other 75% off Walmart purchase from last week-The football party planning pack.

I LOVE PARTIES and PLANNING!

Valentine recap

Our yummy family dinner at home.

My wonderful husband made:

Crab legs (followed instructions in the red and white Better Homes and Garden cookbook) served with a side bowl of melted butter and lemon juice.

New York Steak cooked on the George Foreman grill

Baked potato with butter, sour cream and dried chives

Our summer garden corn from our freezer-YUM!

Rhodes rolls with raspberry butter (see below)

and of course Coke Zero

Raspberry butter (courtesy of Laura at Real Mom's Kitchen blog) http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/breads

The kids and I made Valentine's Chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Here's my tip- I used my leftover Christmas Nestle chocolate chips (purchased at 50% off on December 26th) for the red in these cookies. I will use the green ones for St. Patrick's Day. The chips don't expire till October 2009! My daughter had fun seperating them for me.

I love Children's art work!

Heart stamped Valentine paper sack, Pixie Stick butterfly Valentine


"I woof you" dog Valentine and a paper plate heart crown.

Hobby Lobby-Inspirational pieces

I was pleasantly surprised when I shopped at Hobby Lobby. They sell a lot of attractive Christian themed home decor items. I purchased this frame because of the brown metal scroll look and of course because of the verse from Phillipians.

Regular price was $11.99 but I know I used a coupon! I think I used a 40% off regular retail coupon printed from their website (newspaper might have one too) Happy Shopping!

I like coupons but...I like manager's special deals too!

Coupons are fun but...don't forget to look out for the

Manager's special items in your grocery stores! I have noticed most stores mark down almost expired meats (and other items) of great quality each morning. Stores want to unload fresh items before they hit the sale by date. (Check the dates thoroughly!) Obviously, we know to stay away from some scary looking and smelling meats. I have found some wonderful cuts of meat at Smiths.

Here's the prices pictured in the photo above:

Deli pizza 3.99 (cooked for dinner that night)

Turkey breakfast sausages leaner so I pay more for it-$1.57

Nice Top sirloin steaks packs $5.29 (for 2) & $4.91 (for 2)

A pot roast for a Sunday dinner in the crock pot $5.XX

French bread $.79 (Yes, it was soft)

Solo brand plastic cups for an upcoming b-day party $1.00

The meat pictured above was found at a local Associated Food Store in Utah-The cut is called a Family butt steak with peppers, cilantro, and onions it weighed 1.77lb for $2.28 (for the two)= $1.29 a pound. This meat fed my young family of 5 for a quick week night meal. This cut had a great flavor and was moist. I cooked it in a skillet. Yum!

Here's what I do: Go to the meat department and look for the discounted meat shelf first then scan the meat department shelves for the stores clearance tags. Smith's tags are yellow-Target's are white-Walmart's are yellow-Associated Food Stores are white

Pictured above-Found at Walmart- Honeysuckle turkey breakfast sausage $1.63 for 1 lb. Regular price $2.33 This is extra lean turkey-not as cheap as regular pork sausage of course much less fat. Great for breakfast casserole or for turkey sausage patties. Look for the yellow tags at Walmart.

Why do I buy Manager's special items? I want a great price on items we consume on a regular basis, something different, an organic or specialty item marked down so we can try it.

When do you eat or freeze them? We usually eat some of the items for dinner that night. I freeze the extra meat after vacuum sealing and labeling them (I list the sale by date on the package and try to use it in a month or less). Eat it or freeze right when you get home!

What else do you get besides manager's special meats?

These are the areas I look for at Smith's:

Deli area- Marked down exotic cheeses

Bakery- Unique bakery breads found on what I call the "rotten rack" (not really but a funny name) back by the produce/juice section of my store

Refrigerated Juices- I find exotic juices marked down in the refrigerated section- Example: Guava & Mango $.99 for 1/2 gallon

Dairy- Yogurts, cottage cheese, & smoothies are clearanced often- Add a coupon for more savings!

Milk- Heavy whipping cream, Soy, lactose free, and regular milk are marked down occasionally

Meat- Meats of all kinds are marked down. Lots of chicken too (not as much boneless skinless)

Seafood-Salmon, shrimp, and Tilapia are OK if we eat them that night

Produce- Red tape Bananas about .39 a lb. If they have some some brown on the peels often the insides are fine.

Refrigerated Produce- Bagged salads, organic spinach and greens-great deals-Don't forget to ask yourself, "Can I use this salad (produce) before it goes bad?" Fruit trays are marked down often. Sometimes they aren't a great deal even marked down.

Organic Produce section- I have found veggies and fruit marked with yellow tags.

Cheeses and lunch meats- My store has a managers special area. Look for the yellow tags.

Floral Department- Great for a new houseplant or a gift for friends or family.

Clothing- I bought a local college T-shirt and bumper sticker once for cheap!

You never know what you'll find at Smiths! I hope you found these tips helpful this week. Do you have any tips to share?

A few tiles for a splash of color...

Don't have money or energy to tile your entire kitchen back splash right now?

How about picking up a few coordinating decorative tiles from Ross, T.J. Maxx, Lowe's, or Home Depot for a few bucks. I suggest buying 1-2 extra just in case you break one while cleaning!

How do you hang them?

Well, while you are at Home Depot buy a pack of picture hanging hardware and some gorilla glue (stronger super glue adhesive). Glue one picture hanger to the back of each tile and allow ample drying time. Hint-Line up each picture hanger evenly with the top edge of the tile so when you hang 3 in a row they look even! Go for it.

Happy Valentine's Day! A master bedroom heart wreath.

My mom made us this wreath as a newlywed gift. She used the garland, toile, ribbon, and grapevines from my spring wedding decorations. It still hangs in my master bedroom.

Happy Love Day, everyone.

Puzzle organization tip

Puzzle pieces....keep them all together.

Here's my tip. I buy Ziplock, Hefty, and Glad bags at 50% off (add a coupon for a sweeter deal) after various holidays (shown Halloween and Christmas) and store all kinds of stuff in them.

I put one puzzle in a gallon size bag. I store them upright in my child's closet. My kids get one bagged puzzle at a time. It is easier to keep track of the pieces this way. It's not rocket science but I didn't think of this use until I saw it somewhere else. I love organizing and it is a constant effort for me. Any other tips for organizing and using Ziplocks? Feel free to leave a comment. Happy organizing!

Walmart...not my favorite place but oh well.

I view Walmart sometimes as a neccesary evil. I don't like to spend all my money there but sometimes I do shop there.

I enjoy party planning and making party foods. My husband likes to eat and watch college football (Utes) and the Super Bowl every year. So we team up and have a party. This year we had a simple family party cheering on the Utah Utes in the Sugar Bowl. I have been on the lookout for clearance football party planning items. I have a party planning box in my basement that I store them in for the next year. Easier to find that way. Keep your eye out at your local grocery store (don't pass by those clearance marked shopping carts-take a peek). You might find something for your kids upcoming birthday party too. Here's what I found at Walmart today.

Game Day Party pack for $5.00 (75% off) It comes with 24 cups, 24 plastic forks/knives/spoons, 24 plates, 24 beverage napkins, 1 tablecloth, 1 pendant streamer.

Front Door wreaths..from Target Clearance!

It's the thrill of the hunt at Target. I enjoy finding inexpensive and interesting home decor at Target. Here's a tip-I like to check out their "garden section" located by the electronics. They have nice fake plants/flowers and wreaths from time to time. If you watch them they go 75% off when the season is over. Here's some examples of what I find at Target.

My front door Smith and Hawkins wreath. I purchased it in fall 2008 because it was a summer item-75% off I paid $12.49. It is dried flowers, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, and dried greenery. It is now a bit sun bleached but from the curb you can't tell!

Here's a clearance Christmas wreath used for Valentine's Day. Again, I spent $12.48 and it was 75% off. I decided I liked this one enough to keep it inside for a punch of Valentine red in my house. The sun bleaches the dried flowers quickly outside.

Here's my Autumn Smith and Hawkins wreath I used last year. I purchased in later winter 2007 at 75% off! I took a close up so you could see the neat fall colors. This one was perfect for the front door. A side note: The dried flower wreaths shed-great for front doors.

Master Bathroom window treatments

I like the simplicity of this window treatment. Great for a master bathroom. I plan on sewing something for my home in 2009! First, I have to fix my sewing machine!

Toilet decorations!

Do you decorate your toilets tops? I sometimes feel inclined! This is my master bathroom toilet room. It just needed something simple. I found this cute little fake potted plant with purple flowers that coordinated with my bedding and bath items. I think the scale is great for this application! :0) I got it at Kohls or JCPenny once upon a time for about $7-8 on clearance, of course!

The family command post!

Here's our family daily command post in the hallway off the garage and laundry room doors. I bought this wall piece from Target awhile back. It has slots I designated for: mail in, mail out, mail yet to be filed, and the backpacks hang below. I really like to keep paper clutter off my countertops and away from my kids hands. It looks like I need to do some filing. I dream of the fancy mudrooms and coat areas from the Pottery Barn catalog.....someday!

Home Depot Kid Workshop-More FREE family fun!

Today we stumbled across the Home Depot Kid Workshop (it only occurs on the first Saturday of each month) We didn't sign up in advance (you can and I think it's encouraged) and were there at 10:15 am-ish. The employees directed us to the back of the store to participate. We had a good time and the craft was easy and well made! The kids received the famous kid orange apron and an apron pin upon completing the craft (not pictured). They also were passing out free Valentine chocolates and salty popcorn! We already marked our calendar for next month-Saturday, March 7th. The HD website shows a neat HD Raceway wood craft for March. Wanna tag along with us?

Feburary's craft- A felt lined jewlery box

Now that it has dried we plan on sanding and painting it. Pink of course!

Here's the details from the Home Depot website:
The Home Depot's Kids Workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit.The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin.

It is designed for kids 5-12, these free workshops teach do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while instilling a sense of accomplishment. Offered on the first Saturday of each month between 9 a.m. and noon* at The Home Depot®. *until supplies last*

NOTE: Our Home Depot didn't limit ages. The parents had to be present to participate. They had us sign up including our signature, home addresses, and child's age. We have two under 5 years old and they got a craft no problem.

Free family fun in Utah-Sledding!

Utah has the best snow on earth!

I enjoy finding and planning fun (free is a plus) family activities and making memories along the way. This is our second year going to this fast hill. We had a blast! We hope to go back soon before the snow melts. The kids were worn out and went to bed early-which was an added bonus! I hope your family is able to get out and enjoy the winter wonderlands in your neck of the woods. Did the groundhog see his shadow?

Hallway photo collages

I more than willing to admit I am a Stay-at-home mom with mild decorating-Attention Deficit Disorder. While it's not extreme and some decorations stay put, a lot changes seasonally, and photos in frames change A LOT! I get bored staring at the same walls day in day out. So I have to change it.

This is my hallway with a photo collage of frames, my kids, and a metal family sign in the middle. I like the balance of this arrangement.

NOTE: When doing a collage always include a common element.

As you can see frames are similar but not matchy matchy but have a common element...black and brown frames. The photos are in color and one in sepia…I want them to be all in color soon.

Here's a collage from a house on The Utah Parade of Homes Show. I didn't create this one but I like the spacing. I think the wall is too big for this small collage though.

Birthday card creation

I enjoy receiving and making homemade cards. Here's one I made for a friend recently. Happy Birthday!

Nap time Model Magic creations

Have you ever tried Crayola Model Magic? I loved playing with clay when I was a kid. Model Magic is a fun alternative and it dries hard. We only had yellow, green, and black left-BORING! Here's what we made one day during nap time.

Snowman, spider, snail, and of course snakes!

An expression of love to my little princess daughter.

Here's my latest work of mommy "art". It’s a castle cake with Disney princesses for my daughter. This was my first attempt at castle cake making. I made this cake with love and she loved it! In her exact words, "Mom this is the best birthday ever." Ahhh how sweet. Not bad for a first attempt. I would love to take a Wilton cake-decorating class sometime at Michael's Craft Store. Some day!

Here's the details: The bottom layer is just your normal 9x13 size pan and the top is a round cake pan. The remaining batter was used to make 9 cupcakes. The towers are cupcakes and ice cream cones placed on top of the 9X13 cake.

To make frosting easier I froze the cakes and cupcakes overnight and then took them out of the freeze right before frosting. I used store bought frosting (2 tubs of white) and added food coloring to make it pink. The decorations are a Hershey bar for the front door, Smarties, Skittles, brown cake decorating gel (store bought) used on the windows, and I piped pink frosting around the perimeter and tops of cones in the last photo. I placed all the Disney Princesses figurines around the castle at the party.

This Disney princess castle cake took about an hour and a half to frost and decorate after pulling it out of the freezer. The party was a few hours later and it was completely thawed and not cold. The cake was very moist and yummy for store bought cake mixes.

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."-- Charles R. Swindoll

Speaking of memory banks, My mom made me a Barbie dress cake (you know the ones baked in a glass bowl) when I was a girl. I remember how special I felt blowing out the candles. I hope my daughter remembers this one made with love from her mommy.

How I came to be...some background...about me!

I wanted to include some background before I dive into the fun posts I have planned. First of all, I believe our childhood experience and backgrounds influence (not define-influence) who we are today. My childhood was spent on the east coast and I am an east coast girl at heart. Right now we are raising our family in Utah. I am proud to live in Utah but my soul longs for the east coast lifestyle and influences quite often.

I grew up in northern Virginia. I loved practicing and playing house with my sister. I always knew I wanted to be a Mom when I grew up. I had a wonderful childhood. I am who I am because of my mother.

I learned some valuable lessons and habits from my Mom: she took care of her husband, had a sense of style even when the budget was tight, taught me how to deep clean and organize, loved art, showed us healthy food choices, she led by example, loved the Lord, was wise with her money, said “no” to us kids, and loved her kids.

My Mom told me from an early age I was creative and artistic. My Mom and Dad were my biggest cheerleaders. She saw my natural love and passion for art and introduced me to the world of Interior Design. I was hooked after the first visit to a beautifully decorated Virginian model home as a young tween. I think we were both dreaming back then-mother and daughter. I fell in love with the fantasy of theme rooms, paint, fabrics, interior spaces, and making a space a personal reflection. It was natural for me to want to begin my own do-it-yourself projects with my mom including: stenciling my bedroom, painting furniture, making pillows & bedspreads, and recovering an old rocking chair. Those are wonderful memories.

It wasn’t a big surprise when I decided to spread my wings and head off to the Rocky Mountains to “BE” an Interior Designer. I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Interior Design.

I loved working in the design field and cherish the creative times I worked and lived my passion of design. My husband and I welcomed the planned news in 2003 that I was pregnant with our first child. I was so excited and nervous. Like most working professionals, I didn’t want to lose my skills and sense of “self” in relation to design after becoming a stay-at-home mother. It was a couple months after I was at home with my daughter that it dawned on me that being a stay-at-home mom and "mothering" will become my new full-time "art" of sorts. I was learning the art of mothering an infant, next a toddler, and so on. I found this new parenting journey to be exciting, challenging, rewarding, frustrating, and draining-a lot like the professional design career that I had been living prior to being a mother.

I continued to grow and learn in my new “art” and my passions changed from the corporate world to my new love and passion-the art of mothering my child. I have NO regrets of being a stay-at-home mom and am really glad I put the professional day to day life behind. I found other ways to challenge myself and be creative. I won't say at times I missed the corporate world and the money but overall I am fulfilled and grateful for the opportunity to stay home.

As my children have grown, I started a very part-time residential Interior Design business out of my home. I work mostly on personal referrals and it has been fun. I also have a supportive husband who keeps this right-brained gal grounded. Over the past 6 years we have been blessed with two more additions to our family and I am now a mother of three. I thank the Lord daily for them and my earthly privilege…To be a MOTHER! I hope in this blog I can share some of those right-brain creative design and mommy ideas with you. My mothering journey is always a work in progress and I hope this blog will reflect that to my readers. My posts may be sporadic and random but that will be the fun of it. I do have one disclaimer for this blog. I am a right-brained individual and NOT a journalist. I refuse to be confined to laws of grammar and punctuation. I choose to break and ignore grammar rules (to a certain extent) in the name of creativity and free expression! I hope you enjoy Designing and Motherhood. More pictures and posts coming…soon!

Let me introduce myself!

Hello! My name is Staci. Welcome to my first post!

I created Designing and Motherhood to share my two passions in life of being a mother and the love of designing and creating. I truly enjoy (most of the time) being a stay-at-home mom to my three kids and I love to design and create. This blog will be a collection of my personal projects, my mothering experiences, and sometimes how they relate. I will be sharing some successes, failures, and hiccups along the way.

I hope you find my tips, thoughts, projects, insights, recipes, ideas, and ramblings informative and helpful in your journey as a mother. So, here's a raised glass of milk and a C*H*E*E*R*S to the journey of designing and motherhood. Comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged.