There's Something Fishy About This Lunch...

I wanted to surprise my daughter with a special lunch the other day so instead of just a regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I decided to create a little underwater scene.

I just cut the sandwich with a cookie cutter, put on an icing eye, and drew a mouth with an edible marker.  The bubbles are just slices from the narrow end of a carrot and the seaweed is carrot shavings.  I used carrots because that's what we had, but any fruit or veggie could be used, really. 

Ashlyn loved it and thought it was funny that when she wanted more and I gave her the scraps, I called them sea snakes.  :)  Do you create fun little meals for your kids?

BLUE?! Make It Pink!

I couldn't help making a Sleeping Beauty reference for the title of this post.  :)  I mentioned back in my water marble nail design post that hubby and I redid a small side table as my Christmas present so I had a reading/nail painting area in our bedroom.  I wanted to share our before and after pictures.

Hubby found this table somewhere (for free... yay!) and brought it home with this exact project in mind (I forgot to take before pics before we started sanding, but it didn't look too much different).

It was already a pretty color and I liked the distressed look, but it was going to go next to my awesome peacock blue chair that I fell in love at first sight with at World Market a couple of months back.

The picture doesn't do the color of this thing justice.  ♥

 

So the different blues just didn't look good together.  So I thought... what about bright pink?  I told hubs about my idea, but wasn't exactly serious about it because I didn't think he would like it.  And it was going to go in our bedroom, so it mattered to me a lot.  But he actually got behind the idea and thought it would look good.  Then I got the crazy idea to paint the insides of the drawers a different color and hubs said we should find a paint that matches the chair (we actually got spray paint that was perfect).  LOVE!  Here are the after shots.

I wish I took some during shots, but after lightly sanding everything, we just used some painter's tape and spray painted the inside of the drawers blue (Rust-oleum Gloss Protective Enamel in Gloss Night Tide).  Then we painted everything else that beautiful, fun pink (Glidden Brilliance Collection 2 in 1 Paint + Primer in Pre-Dawn Sky).  I want to say we did 3 coats of the Pre-Dawn Sky.

I also had this cute little shelf thing that someone gave me.  I didn't think to take a before shot, but it was white with some flowers and vines up the sides.  We spray painted it the Gloss Night Tide blue to match the chair and inside of the drawers. Now everything is together in my little getaway in our room.

I use it as a reading nook and to keep all my nail stuff tucked away (with my favorite and/or most used polishes on the shelves).

Isn't it just too fun?  I absolutely love it.  Thank you for the awesome Christmas present, sweetie!  And for my birthday coming up?  Well, I found out what his present is early... supplies and labor for another project involving a fairly large piece of furniture we already own.  I've just started prepping it so I will share pictures after it's all done!  What projects have you tackled lately?

Movie Night - Robin Hood

We had our first movie night of 2013 just the other night... Robin Hood! 

Head on over to Disney In Our Blood to check out what all we did.

January Book Review - Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

The first book I read off my TBR pile was "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by  Ransom Riggs.

"A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

description from Goodreads

This book starts off very strong.  I was instantly drawn in by what was going on with all the stories and cryptic messages from the main character, Jacob's, grandfather.  The vintage pictures shown throughout the book (which are authentic pictures the author found, with only a few being slightly altered) makes this book different and gives it a somewhat creepy vibe without making it a horror story, which this is not.  I went through this book fairly quickly and enjoyed it.  The only thing I could not get into is the romance that comes along when Jacob travels to the island.  It didn't ruin it for me but it didn't add anything, either.  The ending also leaves plenty of room for a sequel but it doesn't make you feel like you're being left hanging.  All in all, I'm very glad that this challenge came along and gave me a reason to make time to read it.

Next I will be reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld!

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

Okay, so I'm jumping in on this challenge I found Sunday morning.  It's the 2013 TBR (To Be Read) Pile Challenge where you read and review all the books that have been in your TBR pile (from 2012 and earlier)!  Hmmm, I guess the title was kind of self-explanatory, huh?  Anyway, there are a lot of books I've been wanting to read AND hubby's grandparents sent us a gift card to Barnes & Noble (WOO HOO!) so this is just awesome.




I'm going to put myself in the "A Firm Handshake" level (reading 1 - 10 books this year) because there is a lot going on this year.  Plus you can always move up in levels, but not down.  So if I read more than 10... YAY!

What do you think?  Want to join in on this challenge with me? 

Making Time To Learn Something New

Back story: I have two older brothers who are 11 and 13 years older than me.  The younger one, Michael, loves to play the guitar.  I remember being 5 or 6, sitting on his bed, listening to him play.  He would always play fun things like the Flintstones theme or other songs I liked.  It's always been one of my favorite early memories.  Ever since then, I've wanted to learn how to play the guitar.  Well, 20 some years later, I am!  Hubby and I talked about getting a joint Christmas present and somehow the topic of guitars came up and he was interested in learning, too.  So we purchased an inexpensive bundle (guitar, case, pitch pipe, pick, extra strings) and a teach-yourself-to-play book and it came in a few days ago. 

I am so excited to learn something new, especially something I've been wanting to do for so long.  It will be fun to learn alongside Aaron, too.  Today I encourage you to do something you've always wanted to do, whether it be learn to play an instrument, go on a trip, or get a book you've been putting off reading!  If you do take that first step in tackling a dream today, please let me know about it in the comments.

Water Marble Nail Design

Happy New Year!  Hubby found and redid a small table for my Christmas present.  I wanted a little table next to my favorite chair in our room and this was absolutely perfect!  I will share before and after shots soon.  Anyway, I keep my nail polish and nail art stuff in this table.  I was so excited about it, I decided to do my nails in a color scheme I've been excited to try (you can click the picture to enlarge).

A month or so ago, I tried water marbling for the first time.  I was really nervous because I've heard that it was hard to get right.  However, I found this tutorial by cutepolish on YouTube and it is awesome.  I got it down the first time and it's worked for me every time I've tried it. 

After a coat of clear polish (I use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri 110), I put on 2 coats of OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It! on all but my ring fingers.  For my ring fingers I put on 2 very thin coats of L'oreal Greycian Goddess, then did a water marble with the blue, grey, and black.  After it all dried, I topped everything with a top coat and voila!  I absolutely love it!!

Have you ever tried water marbling?  What's your favorite color combo for it?

Colors used: OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It!
                     L'Oreal Greycian Goddess
                     Wet n Wild Black Creme

A Better Me in 2013

I know I've neglected this blog for over a year now.  I wanted to concentrate on my Disney blog, Disney in Our Blood, and honestly just didn't have confidence in what I was putting in this space anymore. 

I have a lot on my mind for 2013, however.  I want to become a better me.  A better wife and a better mother, of course.  I always pray that I can find ways to do that.  I also want to make sure that this year, I am better to myself.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm turning 30 29 again in January (hubby says it's okay if I stay 29 for a few more years lol), but I realized there is so much I want to do that I've just ignored. 

My family will always come first, but it's time to make sure I find a way to take care of myself, too.  Whether that means going to the gym more, taking a night off to paint my nails, devour a book I've been dying to read, or whatever, I will try to follow my passions.  I would love a place to post about all that as well as continue posting about crafts and movie nights I do with my family.  I would love if you went on this journey with me as I share my thoughts and fun things I find.  I hope you have a wonderful and inspired 2013.

Movie Night - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

I posted our newest movie night, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, over on my Disney blog, Disney in Our Blood. One of my favorite parts of the movie night was a very last minute idea.


I had bought Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (some of the best stuff ever!) because I wanted a yummy red drink for the night. I had an idea to make it more festive right before my daughter woke up (I like to have everything ready during her nap/quiet time). So I found a picture of Rudolph through Google and made a quick label. It says "Rudolph Fizzies... To keep your nose looking its reddest."

Christmas Decorations

I found some very cute Rudolph wrapping paper at the Dollar Store a week before Thanksgiving and couldn't pass it up. I knew it was early, but I didn't want to risk it selling out and them not getting more. I'm a little obsessed with Rudolph. :) Anyway, I got the idea to use it as the mat for a printable I found online.


I just took out the mat from my frame that I use for all my printables for each season/holiday/mood, traced it on some of the wrapping paper, cut it out, and taped it on. I love it! I'm still working on decorating my house, so I'll share more soon. What are your favorite decorations so far this Christmas?

Photo Friday

My Memories is letting me tell you about some wonderful freebies they have! They change up their freebies every couple of weeks, and there are a couple to choose from, so I'll be able to bring you free layouts for digital scrapbooking every Friday!

Here are 2 Quick Pages that come with the papers and elements used to make them! Click here to download!


These layouts are not only good for My Memories Suite, but for any digital scrapbooking program! If you are looking for a great digital scrapbooking program, though, I really do love My Memories Suite. You can buy it here and use the promo code: STMMMS78470 to get $10 and a $10 coupon for the My Memories store!

More Thanksgiving Decorations

I found a great printable for Thanksgiving over at Today's Fabulous Find! I printed it out right away and put it in the frame I always use for cute printables. :)


I got the craft kit for the tree and scarecrow at Target's Dollar Spot. We made it in October, but when paired with the little scarecrow it was perfect for after Halloween, too.

My Memories Suite Winner!

The winner of the My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software giveaway, according to random.org, is {drumroll please}...


Comment 11, Jillian! Congratulations! I will be contacting you soon with your code for the software. :)

And even if you didn't win, remember you can still purchase My Memories Suite v2 software with the promo code STMMMS78470 to get $10 off and a $10 coupon to their online store! Thank you to everyone who entered.

Photo Friday

My Memories is letting me tell you about some wonderful freebies they have! They change up their freebies every couple of weeks, and there are a couple to choose from, so I'll be able to bring you free layouts for digital scrapbooking every Friday!

Here are 2 Quick Pages that come with the papers and elements used to make them! Click here to download!


I took one of the background pages and a couple of embellishments to make this.


These layouts are not only good for My Memories Suite, but for any digital scrapbooking program! If you are looking for a great digital scrapbooking program, though, you can enter my My Memories Suite giveaway! It ends tonight at 11:59 PM, so hurry!

You can also buy it here and use the promo code: STMMMS78470 to get $10 and a $10 coupon for the My Memories store!

My Memories Suite Review and Giveaway!

I recently had the chance to review My Memories, a digital scrapbooking program. I love scrapbooking but haven't found the time to do it for quite awhile now. I have wanted to try out digital scrapbooking for awhile, but honestly thought I wouldn't like it nearly as much as good ol' scrapbooking. So I knew this would be a perfect opportunity to try it out.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when I downloaded My Memories Suite. It is very user-friendly and a lot of fun. At first I was just messing around, checking out all the options, and I created this page.


I picked the layout, background page, and some embellishments. I loved how cute I could make it with pictures straight from my computer in just a few minutes! There is a nice selection of layouts, backgrounds, and embellishments to choose from with some free things you can download from the My Memories website. There is also a ton of stuff you can buy to create the perfect scrapbook page!

Here is one of the ready made templates available that I thought would be great for a page about my little ballerina.


Not only can you make simple scrapbook pages like the ones above, but you can make an interactive scrapbook with audio, video, and web links! You can have them put on a CD or DVD and your family can experience your memories. How cool is that? There is so much to explore with this software and I'm just beginning to scratch the surface myself. I must say, I'm loving this digital scrapbooking thing and am really looking forward to using it to catch up on everything I've been wanting to scrapbook!

You know the best part? My Memories is letting me host a giveaway for their digital scrapbooking software ($39.97 value)! Here's what you have to do:

Mandatory entry:
1. Go to My Memories and check out their digital paper packs. Come back and leave a comment saying which one is your favorite.

Optional entries (leave a separate comment for each extra entry letting me know you did them):
2. Follow My Memories on Twitter.
3. Follow Three A's and a C on Twitter.
4. Like My Memories on Facebook.
5. Follow Three A's and a C through GFC (on the sidebar).
6. Tweet about this giveaway.


THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN A SEPARATE POST. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

This giveaway will end at 11:59pm EST on November 11, 2011. Good luck! And even if you don't win, My Memories is offering a great promotion for Three A's and a C readers! Order the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software (available in both digital download or CD version) and enter the promo code STMMMS78470 to receive $10 off the software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store! That's an awesome deal.

My Memories provided me with a complimentary copy of their software for review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Happy November!

Halloween and Thanksgiving merged in our house today. I was gathering all the Halloween decorations from around the house to put away, but I also couldn't wait to put up some Fall/Thanksgiving decorations. I was inspired by some stuff I saw on Pinterest and came up with this.


I got the leaf and pumpkin doilies from the dollar store as well as the tall glass vase. I got the pinecones from around our neighborhood and the chipmunks are salt and pepper shakers that were my mom's. I put the doilies together with some double-sided tape I had just so they wouldn't have to be adjusted 1,246,973 times a day. That would totally get annoying.


It is simple, but I think I'm loving it. And for a grand total of $3 and just minutes to put together, it works for us! I would love to see pictures of your fall decorations. If you have a link to them, please leave it in the comments!

Movie Night - Nightmare Before Christmas

I just put up everything about our Nightmare Before Christmas movie night over at my Disney blog! I would love for you to go check it out! Here's one tip I love that I used during our movie night.


It's getting cooler here in Florida and I know it is downright COLD some places. I love hot chocolate when it's cold outside but I always have to wait forever to drink it so it cools down a little and I don't burn my mouth. We have some whipped cream in the freezer and if you put a spoonful or two straight from the freezer into your hot chocolate right after you make it, it makes it extra delicious and cools it down just enough to drink right away! We're also loving the addition of a special Peep during Halloween season. :)

*tap tap tap* Is This Thing On?

Well, hi there! Remember me? I'm the girl who completely abandoned this blog for, oh I don't know, 4 months? I'm sorry. I just felt very uninspired and frankly didn't feel like any crafty type stuff I did was good enough. I always go back and forth between feeling that way and then realizing that maybe, even if my crafts aren't perfect, maybe they'll inspire something great from someone else! You never know. :) I think the holidays are partly to blame thank for this. There are so many crafts and fun muffin tin meal themes and whatnot that it's hard not to want to share something I find or make. Oh, and I think being obsessed with Pinterest helps with that, too. ;) Anyway, I have some fun muffin tin meals planned, holiday crafts, a giveaway coming up, and more so I really hope you'll jump back on the Three A's and a C train with me. :)

*added* Oh, and if you want to see some of the movie nights we've been doing, I've been posting them over on my Disney blog, Disney in Our Blood!

A Quick Tip

Maybe everyone does this and I'm just late to the party, but I thought I'd share something that I do when baking. When whipping up a cake (I almost always use a cake mix but I'm crazy like that lol), of course I use the same measuring cup for the water and oil.

image from Amazon

But I also use it for one more thing. Instead of breaking out a separate bowl for cracking the eggs in (you know, to check them for impurities before dumping them into the batter) I just crack them into the measuring cup (after I do the water and oil) and dump them in from there. I'm all for using even one less dish! What simple but useful kitchen tip(s) do you have?

Muffin Tin Monday

I threw together a simple lunch for Ashlyn yesterday. She loves getting her meal in a muffin tin. :)


I made her a Mickey Mouse peanut butter and jelly sandwich, provolone cheese, and veggie chips. She ate almost all of it except the cheese. I think I never did muffin tin meals very consistently because I wanted to do these elaborate themes for Ashlyn but whenever I didn't have time to come up with one I just wouldn't do it. But I've realized recently (I made her a quick MTM last week but forgot to post it) that she gets excited just over a simple one like this! I still have fun making elaborate ones for her every now and then but I've gotten okay with the fact that I just can't do that all the time. I may not always post the simple ones on here (though I will sometimes) but I'm excited by the "new" idea that she'll have fun with even the simple tins. :)

To see what others did this week, head on over to Muffin Tin Mom!