by jcastles | Sep 3, 2013 | Crafts, Uncategorized
In a few hours from now the kids will be going back to school for the 2013-2014 school year! It will be our first full school year in Washington! This time last year I was very very sick so I wasn’t able to do everything I wanted to for my kids teachers but I did what I could and I think they were totally fine with it.
This year I’m not sick and I’m much better using my Silhouette Cameo so of course I had to do as much as possible, lol!! I made each main teacher a bag filled with the extras that they usually ask for and my own special back to school survival kit. Well, I didn’t actually make the bag I bought canvas bags from Michaels and used printable transfer sheets. I used my silhouette to design the bags. I gave them each a hershey’s, skittles, chips, gum, lotion, travel hand sanitizer, bandaids, tylenol, pencils, disinfectant wipes, kleenex, and a personalized cup! I’m so pleased with it all. Since I put the images on canvas the images came out with a real weathered look. I love that!
Here are all the little projects I did for the teachers. Ignore my paneling background please…..I rent my house and my office is in the basement……so ummm, yah, I can’t change much of the walls. 😀
by jcastles | Sep 1, 2013 | Family, Uncategorized
I want to start off by saying Tuesday can NOT come soon enough!! I need a kid free pedi and quiet…plain ole quiet!!!
Well that dreaded time has come…..back to school shopping! Back home in Texas we usually buy shorts, a few t-shirts, socks, underwear and shoes for back to school. Then in late November we usually have to buy the kids a few pair of jeans and that’s it. But now that we’re in Washington (incase you’ve been in a hole or forgot!) we had to buy for an actual fall/winter! So strange!!
A few weeks ago we found out that a city about 40 min away had a Dickey’s BBQ Pit. That’s our go to bbq place in Texas so we knew to go especially since it was by the mall we needed to go to. So we planned our shopping around a lunch trip to Dickey’s! OMG that was absolutely worth it! I haven’t felt so stuffed full of food in 4 months!!
We had a short list for today since I took the boys during the week to get jeans. The top items on our list today were rain jackets and shoes. The first place we hit was Burlington Coat Factory. School starts Tuesday and our boys are not use to being in the rain. Luckily we found one for the youngest really quick. After about 3 others stores we wound up paying a little more than normal one for the middle kiddo but his little tubby tummy was hard to work with. And we actually found a winter jacket for the middle kiddo…..that he liked!! That’s like the hardest thing to buy this kid! Besides shoes. I’ve never seen a kid so picky especially a boy about shoes and jackets. So even though we weren’t prepared to buy a winter jacket we did it anyway. And of course we hit Famous Footwear to cover our precious kiddos feet and they had a buy one get one 1/2 off deal going so I was determined to make the kids settle but they actually found some they liked. And BONUS! As we were standing in line I found a coupon online for 20% off for rewards members and 15% off for non reward members. So duh! I signed up at the register and got my 20% off the already awesome deal!
Then of course since it’s almost September the Halloween stores are opening up. And we were suckered into one, lol! We are always scrambling to get Halloween costumes….find the right size..etc. So this year we decided to buy 2 months early! Crazy, yes. Happy about it, yes! I’ll have a black morphed kid and a mickey mouse this year!
To end our exhausting day we decided we needed to be stuffed one more time. We hit The Outback Steakhouse and OMG OMG i’m so glad that we did. I ate so much!! We started with the bread, salad, bloomin onion, steamed broccoli, sweet potato, and a steak……well half of it came home, lol!! But it was absolutely worth it!!
Now I have a tiff about the jeans I bought earlier this week. Old Navy jeans fit my kids really well. So of course with their $12 a pair sale I got them each 5 pair. Each friggin pair had 3 tags on them!! WHY?!! If they reduced it to 1 tag per pair i’m quite sure they’d save a ton of $$ and could charge us less. Look at this pic! This is all the jeans….just 10 pair of jeans!!! Crazy!!!
by jcastles | Aug 1, 2013 | Family, Uncategorized
These past 2 weeks have been hard for me mentally. I don’t know why because the people i’m about to tell you about have no relations or friendship to me.
Two weeks ago a friend of mine added me to a facebook group and at first thought I didn’t want to be added to it…for a few reasons. 1) I no longer live in Texas. 2) I don’t know this family and sure I feel sorry for them but I don’t know them and I don’t usually like stuff on FB because it usually junks up my page.
So fast forward 2 weeks…….I stayed on the page. Her 1.5 yr old son choked on a pop tart and unfortunately didn’t make it. I read everything that’s posted on the facebook page and cry just about every time. My youngest son is almost 5 yrs old and I am so connected to him because of all the obstacles we’ve hit with him being Autistic. So the thought of loosing him (really any of my kids) is just devastating. All I can think about day and night is what would happen if I lost my kids. I find myself hugging, loving, and kissing them so much more. It should NOT take a child’s death to make me love my kids more. But that’s how I feel lately….that I don’t show them I love them enough. I have found myself slipping on them going to bed on time, wanting to read more of that book, wanting me to read a bedtime story even though I said no the first 3 times….I’m slipping for my kids. We won’t be here forever and I want to learn to cherish those moments more and more.
I’ve seriously thought about getting out of the facebook group. But then that makes me think….she lost a kid….a friggin kid and I haven’t. If I were her I wouldn’t want people to turn away because it was too hard for them….hell she lost her baby!!! So like I said I read the posts and see all the pics and video’s that are posted….and I hurt for her. I hurt for her so much.
This past weekend another death of someone that I don’t personally know affected me…why? I dunno. He was a radio dj back home in Texas. I grew up listening to him on and off my entire life. He had a heart attack and died…..no symptoms led up to it, it just happened and he was dead. I suppose I’m in shock because he’s the first celebrity type person i’ve known my entire life that’s passed on.
Just with those 2 deaths I feel like in some weird way it’s made me a better mom. I don’t think I was a bad mom before but I do think that I can let go of some things like reading a bedtime story….why is the news or a movie I want to watch more important than my child wanting a story?!
To my kids…..I love you all…Derryk, Kennyth, & Jayson…more than you will EVER know!!!
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by jcastles | Jul 24, 2013 | Recipes, Uncategorized
If you hate apples (like I do) you should really try this cake. Honestly if you left the apples out and added a little water I bet it would taste just as good…the batter is sooooo good!!
So because I want to share it with you and I want to be able to access the recipe from the store I wanted to post this most delicious apple cake my grandmother always made for me. I would look forward to this cake every holiday and summer. Once she passed in 1995 I had no idea what happened to the recipe but once my mom got ill (2004) she gave me her cook book and I found this recipe tucked away inside! I was so excited and I make it once a year. I’m usually the only one that eats it but I eat on it for days.
Today I decided to make it in several pans so I could share with neighbors…..hopefully, lol!!
Granny’s Fresh Apple Cake
Mix 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1.5 cups of oil, 3 cups of thinly sliced/chopped apples, 1 cup of nuts (can omit), 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla. Bake at 375 for 55 minutes or until center comes out clean.
That’s it! Enjoy!
by jcastles | Jul 11, 2013 | Family, Moving, Uncategorized
So the homesick set in yesterday. I’m not sure exactly what set it off but I definitely felt it. And I don’t like that feeling.
I suppose when you live in one state for 32 years there are things that trigger your memory and make that “at home” feeling….well so far away. So to help me stay a little close to Texas I made a decal for my car. I’m in LOVE with it!!
I know one day I’ll be able to go visit but I don’t think it’ll be in the next few years.
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