More Gardening...my mom made me do it!!!

While my mom was in town, she helped me out quite a bit with gardening. In addition to helping me get my square foot garden going, she also helped plant some other stuff around our yard. She insisted that I should attempt gardening without using the Mel's Mix that I used for the square foot garden. So, I gave it a shot. In addition to the pole beans, cucumbers, bell pepper, herbs, lettuce, squash, tomatoes, zucchini, and zinnias in the square foot garden, we also planted cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkin, tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, and squash in regular soil on the side of our house. I planted blueberries earlier this year and we have strawberries randomly growing. So, as you can see, for being a brand new gardener, I have been quite ambitious! But, what I am most intrigued about is my Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Yes, I got one. I figured I would give it a shot! I will keep you posted on how everything goes! Oh, and my very creative mom decided that she could make a topsy turvy. It is the upside-down hanging basket with the cucumber dangling through the bottom. Don't worry, I will keep you posted on that too! :-)

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What Happens When Naptime is Over...

I guess this is what happens when naptime is over for the babies and they are bored in their rooms...waiting for me to get them out.

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How to Display your Blog AWARDS on your Sidebar

So, you have such an awesome blog that someone decided to give you a blog award. Of course you want to show it off, but you can't seem to figure out how to get them onto your sidebar. Well here is what you do. However, let me warn you that it may seem like alot of steps, but I tend to be wordy when I describe how to do something. I find that more details make it easier to follow. So here goes:

1) Right click on the image of the award that you recieved and save it to your computer.

2) Create a new post on your blog. (Don't worry, you will not need to publish it...we just need some HTML code from it.)

3) Click the icon to upload an image and upload the image of the award that you just saved. Be sure to select the Center and Small options for the layout.

4) Once the image is uploaded, select the "Edit Html" tab.

5) Copy all the HTML code that you see.

6) Save your post (do not publish it).

7) Go to the Layout page of your Dashboard and select Add a Gadget --> HTML/Java Script.

8) Paste the HTML code that you just copied.

9) Save and close your new widget.

10) Select View Blog to take a look at it.

11) Is it too big or too small? Go back to the the Layout page of your Dashboard and find the widget you just created.

12) Adjust the WIDTH and HEIGHT values in the HTML code. But, be sure to adjust the values proportionally so that the image is not skewed. Continue doing this until the image is the size that you want it to be.

13) Need to add another award? Just follow instructions 1 through 6. Once you have done all that, go back into the widget that you created for your first blog and follow steps 8 through 12.

{These instructions are for use with BLOGGER.}

There you have it! You can now proudly display those awards that you so deserve!!!

Just wanted to share what Works for Me!

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Super Sticky Cinnamon Buns (Bread Machine Style)

This recipe is not so good for me, but it is OH-SO-GOOD to me!!! Let me just say, that if you have a bread machine, you have GOT to make these! If you don't have a bread machine, you need to go out and get one. We LOVE this recipe and it is SOOOO easy to make!


Let me start by saying that I found this recipe over at AllRecipes.com. It is called Clone of a Cinnabon (though, my kids fondly refer to them as the "super, sticky, cinnamon buns) and it was submitted by Marsha Fernandez. Thank you so much Ms. Marsha for this awesome recipe. So, you can head over to AllRecipes and check it out or you can follow the directions here. I have only made a few changes and I will highlight them in italics.

INGREDIENTS (for the dough):1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (regular yeast seems to work just fine)
INGREDIENTS (for the cinnamon mixture):
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

INGREDIENTS (for frosting):
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt



DIRECTIONS:Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. (I just let the dough sit in the pan for awhile after the cycle is over rather than letting it rest on a floured surface.)

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. (I use Pam to spray the surface that I roll the dough on.)

Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan.

Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. (I usually make mine in the evenings and I let them rise overnight in the refrigerator so I can just pop them in the oven in the morning.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. (I have made this frosting, which is great, but I have also just used some store-bought cream cheese frosting.) Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Enjoy!!!

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How We Met...

I kind of stumbled into Kasey over at All That is Good and I just love her blog carnival, Friend Makin Monday. So, I decided to join in this time! In honor of her 7 year anniversary, the question is:

How did you and your significant other meet?

Well, here is our story. I will try not to be too long-winded! {smile} I was on the east coast and he was on the west coast. I had this college friend who was engaged to this great guy (nicknamed Slim) who went to church with my Husby. Well, I met Slim and thought he was great. I asked him if he had any single friends like himself. He mentioned my husband. So, eager to "hook us up," Slim gave Husby my email address. He did email me and I was so taken aback that it took awhile for me to email him back. I wish I had saved the email (you know, now that I think about it, I need to look through *my box* and see if perhaps I did print it and save it...).

Anyhow, in the email the main thing that I remember is that he referred to me as a virtuous woman. Now, that is great and all, but it kind of gave me a weird impression of him...being that that was his very first email to me. He didn't know me...other than what Slim said about me...and I didn't really know Slim that well either. So, to be perfectly honest, my first impression of my Husby was that he was one of those "holier than thou type people." I don't know how else to say it, but that was what I thought.

So, I didn't email him back for at least two weeks. Infact, I went out of town for part of the time. So, when I got back, I emailed him. But, he had graduated college and no longer had access to his college email. Now, at the time, I didn't know all this. I just figured that he got my email and decided not to respond. So, I wrote him off and didn't think much more about him...that is until I got a call from Slim. He wanted to know how things went with me and Husby. Well, I told him that we never connected with each other. So, Slim asked if it would be okay if Husby called me the next day. I said sure. Well, about thirty minutes later I get a call from Husby. Now, mind you, it is about midnight my time (we were in different time zones.) I complain about how Slim said that he was going to have Husby call me the next day. Husby declares that Slim told me that I was up and expecting him to call right then.

So, we spend the first 15 minutes or so dogging out Slim and how he got over on us. But, would you know that that phone call lasted for 3 hours. We talked for 3 hours again the next night and the night after that. Okay, I think I AM getting long-winded. I will try to speed it up a bit! {smile}

Remember, we were on opposite coasts. So, the bulk of our relationship was over the phone. That first night that we spoke was Easter 1999. He came to visit me in July 1999. He proposed to me when I went out to visit him in December 1999. I graduated from college in May 2000 and we were married in June 2000. (My aunt always said that I had to get my BS before I could get my Mrs.)

So, by the time we got married, we had been in each other's physical presence for about 1 month and that includes the few weeks came out prior to the wedding! So, to make a LONG story short, we were married a little over a year after our very first phone call! God is awesome and He has given me an awesome man who still sometimes refers to me as a virtuous woman! {smile} Almost nine years and five kids later, we are still just as in love as we were years ago...just a bit more tired! {smile}

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Square Foot Garden UPDATE

I did it!!!! I got my ingredients for Mel's Mix and I got my Square Foot Garden going. Since I already had planter boxes, I just used them. I did, however, dig up all the dirt in them and replace it with Mel's Mix. I know that probably sounds like alot of extra work {it was}, but I really want to be successful at this. It is just something neat about feeding your family food that you grew and harvested yourself...well, I assume it will be neat. I haven't actually done it yet! :-) But, check out my pic. I used extra slats from faux wood blinds for my grid and I have squash, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, herbs, bell pepper, lettuce, and zinnias planted. I can't wait to see how this works out!!!! I really think I might cry once I actually see a squash or tomotoe or something! Oh, and I did go ahead and spread some Sluggo around the planter boxes. I am trying to avoid pesticides and such, but if I have to deal with slugs again...I think I might give up on gardening. So, for now, Sluggo is my best friend!

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Twins Two by Two Sign

For those of you who don't know, I consider myself somewhat crafty. I love making things. This is one of the things I made to decorate the babies room. The theme of their room is Noah's ark. I used the exact same stuff (except for this sign) for my older set of twins. The whole idea of the animals on the ark in pairs just seems fitting for twins. (The boys now have a sports themed room.) Anyhow, I made this sign using an unfinished board from Michaels. I painted it brown. I used my Xyron to cut the letters for the words. I adhered the words to the board with glue and then glued the little alligators on. (I bought those pre-painted from Michaels.) Afterwards, I coated the whole thing with Mod Podge and let it dry. I hung it up above their closet door and stuck the other animals to the wall in pairs with adhesive velcro dots. And, that's it!

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And the Winner is...

The winner of my latest CURLS giveaway is mandbrid blogging over at The Hot Chocolates. Congratulations!


{We didn't have as many entries this time around. Remember, if you want to be eligible to win, you must enter each giveaway. Entering one CURLS giveaway does not enter you in all the CURLS giveaways.}

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Kid Friendly Friday: Q-Tip Cards

I was in a crunch and I needed some birthday cards. So, I had this bright idea of letting my kids make the cards. We already had some paint out. So, I ran and grabbed some Q-tips. I took some white cardstock and wrote out the words "happy birthday." I, then, had the kids dip the Q-tip into the paint and make dots along the letters "happy birthday." Afterwards I attached the white cardstock to some folded, color cardstock, wrote a little note inside and slid the cards into envelopes. Not only did the kids make some really cute cards for me to mail out, but they also got to work on their hand-eye-coordination, dexterity, and most importantly {for them} they got to use paint.
Head on over to I Blame My Mother for more great kid friendly ideas!

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Preschool Corner: Finger-painted Insects and Herbs

My mom has been in town, which means that we have not really done much school. But what we did do was finish up our lessons on insects. We used Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book to make finger print insects. I absolutely LOVE this book. It has so many cute ideas for finger and thumbprint artwork! Although the book suggests using ink for the finger prints, we used paint. This is my daughter's finger paint insect page:

We did also manage to get their flower pots painted and we were able to transplant the herbs that the kids started growing. The loved painting their very own pot, but even more, they love inspecting their herbs each day to see their progress. It has kind of turned into a game...once we got over the tears of not having the biggest sprout! :-) KJ has the basil. DC has the parsley and JJ has the cilantro.

Well, we are planning to be back on schedule next week. So, hopefully I will have more to share!

Be sure to check out Preschool Corner for more great preschool ideas as well as my other website for free online preschool/kindergarten resources.

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Wigs, Wagons, and Weddings

It has been awhile since I posted, but it has been for a good reason. My mom has been in town and we have been enjoying our time with her. She always comes bearing gifts. Many times they are not really "normal" gifts, But the kids always seem to love whatever she brings. This time she brought alot of dress up clothes for the kids. Sounds harmless, right?!?!?! Well, in addition to the Brittany Spears look-alike outfit (that my husband quickly got rid of), she got them wigs. And, boy were they a big hit. Check out DC wearing one of the many wigs!

All the kids with the exception of TJ loved wearing them.

Now, my mom is also a very crafty person. She can turn anything into something totally different. So, needless to say, we have been busy. While she was here, I made my first garage sale excursion of the season. I LOVE going to garage sales and thrift stores. You NEVER know what you will find. Speaking of that, let me tell you about some of our finds. We got a hammock that the kids love swinging in for $3. I found some scrapbook paper and supplies for 5o cents. We stumbled onto so many other things that I can't even remember what all we got. I guess that is a sure sign that I am addicted! :-)

But, our biggest find was this old red, Radio Flyer wagon. I am not sure why, but my mom always said that every child needed to have a red wagon. She even bought me a little red Radio Flyer miniature wagon when KJ was a baby. I guess she figured that would suffice until we got a real one. Well, we found one...an older one that had been loved on and used quite a bit by some other little kid, because it look very used...so much so that I was skeptical about getting it. Well, of course, my mom HAD to get her grandchildren a red wagon...and so she did...for $11.50. (She haggled down from $15.) The wagon was rusted quite a bit, but other than that it worked well. Now, remember I said my mom was crafty and could turn something into nothing?!?!? Well, check out the before and after pics.

Before...

And after...

You can't really tell from the pic, but the bottom of the wagon (where you would sit) was very rusty. My mom bought some red and black spray paint, sanded down the wagon and repainted it. She even got stain for the wood and brand new bolts to put it back together. I am so in awe of what she did to the wagon! I can't wait to take the kids for a ride in it.

Oh, and one other big find...a wedding dress. KJ is VERY into getting married right now. In fact, she probably gets married to her brothers at least twice a week. (I don't know what she is going to do once the boys decide that they have had enough of KJ's weddings.) Well, my mom caught one of their "ceremonies" and just had to indulge KJ. She found a little flower girl dress that looked just like a wedding dress in KJ's exact size. It was a David's Bridal dress and she got it for $8. It looked brand new. Needless to say, KJ was elated. But, my mom couldn't stop there. She found some flowers for a quarter and used some ribbon and rhinestones to make her a bouquet. She even glued some rhinestones onto a ring so the could exchange rings and KJ could have the one with the "diamonds."

Oh, and it doesn't stop there. My mom got some tulle and made her a veil. It looked just as good as the one she made for me when I got married. Now, how is that for a wedding. Ever since KJ got her new wedding gear she has been marrying the boys a few times each day. I wonder how long that will last?

Well, now you know a bit of what I have been up too...wigs, wagons, and weddings!

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KJ's Family Portrait

One of my fellow moms with 2 sets of twins over at I'm Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor is hosting an event called:

Her, along with her friends at Three Bay B Chicks and Domestically Challenged are celebrating art and creativity. The event gives you the chance to not only showcase your own artwork or creative projects, but your kid's handiwork as well. You can read the kick-off post here. Prizes for children and adults will be awarded to a few lucky winners selected at random. To see the fantastic prizes, click here. This is my entry (well, my daughter's entry) for the event.


This is one of my favorite pictures that my 5 year old daughter, KJ, has drawn. I think I love it because it features all seven of us! She traced a circle for all the faces and then added in the bodies and the color.

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Lots of Honors!!! Thank you so much!!!

I received this awesome blog award from Pucktricks over at Adventures in Mommydom.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

Tape it up on your blog somewhere. Pass it along to 5 fellow super bloggers, and comment on their blog to let them know how lucky they are today! When you present your Super Blogger awards, link back to the super blogger who gave it to you. So, without further ado, here's who I choose:

1) Cortney Can

2) Sweet Pea's Corner

3) Baby Making Machine

4) What a Trip

5) Cutie Booty Cakes

Head on over and check out these great blogs.

Thanks again ladies!!!

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CURLS Organic Hair Product Giveaway

***Giveaway has ended***

Mother's Day may be over, but we are still celebrating moms! In honor of Mother's Day month, I am delighted to host another CURLS giveaway. This time it's for the moms!



CURLS is a hair care line specializing in effortless, frizz-free curls for multi-ethnic women (CURLS), kids (Curly Q), and babies (It's a Curl). Even better, their products are created with certified organic ingredients.

The giveaway is for one bottle of CURLS Gel-les'c from the women's line (valued at $25). It is a botanical based, organic curl enhancing, shine promoting, silicone free serum styler that defines, defrizzes, and holds curls with sheen. Oh and I can't forget to mention that it is lightly scented with cucumber-melon and citrus.

GIVEAWAY INFO:

All you have to do is follow the entry requirements below and pay special attention to the rules.

GIVEAWAY MAIN ENTRY: Visit CURLS and tell me one thing: Which product would you be most interested in trying and why? Your main entry must be emailed to me at jenn.at.mamajenn@gmail.com and you must leave a comment here saying "I emailed you"

EXTRA ENTRIES: For extra entries you can do any of the following. (For each extra entry, please leave an additional comment. Main entry above must be completed before any extra entries count.)

1) Become a Follower of Mama Jenn (or let me know you already are) and leave a comment saying "I follow" (Followers widget is on right sidebar)

2) Subscribe to Mama Jenn (or let me know you already have) and leave a comment saying "I subscribe" (See top right sidebar).

3) Add Mama Jenn to your blogroll (or let me know you already have). Leave your blog link in your comment.

4) Blog about this Giveaway including a link to this post. Leave the link to your post in your comment.

***Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry***

RULES: The giveaway ends on Thursday, May 21nd. One winner will be selected by random.org and announced here on Friday, May 22rd. I will also email the winner. Your email entry (the main/required entry) will be forwarded to a CURLS representative so that they can get product feedback and so that you can begin to receive CURLS promotional emails.

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The Cutest Mother's Day Note Ever...

In honor of Mother's Day, my husband wrote me the cutest Mother's Day note ever. I love it SOOO much that I am going to take the time to type if out to share:

When I prayed for my wife I selfishly didn't think a bout or pray about your mothering skills. Thank God, He knew what I and our kids needed. He knew they needed a creative mommy who could take a rock and turn it into a ladybug. A mommy who could take paper plates and turn them into dinosaurs. A mommy who could take empty Gatorade bottles and turn them into aquariums. He knew they needed a resourceful mommy. A mommy who could take old sweatshirts and turn them into patches to make patchy pants. A mommy who can find whatever on God's green Earth a "Happy Hallow" is and get a pass in its name. A mommy who could plant a Square Foot Garden so her family will have the best and freshest veggies. A mommy who could find the right curriculum for her 5 kids to learn their way. He knew they needed a selfless mommy. A mommy with a math degree from **** who could be running a fortune 500 company to run "The {our last name} 7" Inc. A mommy who could manage a protege with limitless potential but doesn't want to take the time to enjoy the journey - KJ. A mommy who could manage a sensitive up and coming leader of men - DC. A mommy who could manage a young, energetic, loving go-getter - JJ. A mommy who could manage an incredible dreamer with a million different faces - JI. A mommy who could manage a finger-sucking future superstar in life - TJ. Finally, He knew they needed a mommy who would love them no matter how exhausted, how bad her head hurt, how frustrated, how unqualified, or however she felt. He knew they needed a mommy with infinite love for them. Jenn, you are the perfect mommy for my kids and I love you!

Awwwhhhh, I just love my husband!!! He is the best!!!

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Happy Birthday Boys!!!

This week we celebrated my boys birthday!!! I can hardly believe that they are four years old! Where does the time go? Well, we had an awesome day celebrating! We had a little party here at home with just the family. With just my husband and the kids, that's enough to justify a decent sized party! {smile} Anyhow, I made a race car cake for them, which they LOVED...because of the cars on it...and mostly just because it was cake. (They don't get alot of sweets, so birthdays are extra special for them, because I let them eat pretty much all the sugar they want!) They got new bikes, which we gave to them a few weeks ago because they had severely outgrown their old ones. (I know this has nothing to do with birthdays, but did you know that if you purchase a bike from KMart you can get their replacement plan for less than $10 extra and if anything goes wrong with the bike within a year, they replace it or give you a check for the purchase amount? With four boys, I can't go wrong with that!)

Anyhow, back to the party. I took KJ to the Dollar Store to pick out some gifts for her brothers. She got them some race cars and race car coloring books. Are you starting to notice a theme here? Well, the final gift was a Veggie Tales toy, that they absolutely LOVE: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Pirate Ship Playset. I was planning on getting just the DVD, which currently have checked out from the library, but when KJ saw the pirate ship, she had a bright idea!! You know KJ!!!! Since I had told her that I was not going to pay $30 for the DVD (outrageous!!!) and $30 for the ship. Her quick-witted self suggested that I buy the ship and just keep getting the DVD from the library. Smart girl, huh?!?! Well, needless to say, that is what we did and the kids are loving it.

All in all, it has been a great day! Happy Birthday Boys!!!

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Who's Getting the Leftovers?

Today started out pretty rough for me. I wasn't feeling well and I was just plain NOT prepared for the day. As I was attempting to "survive" the day, I took a break to check out the Small Things Challenge over at Company Girls. The challenge was to take an old classic and put a new twist on it. Well, when I read it I was trying to figure out what I was going to make the kids for lunch. Then it struck me...my new twist on something old would be the same ole PBJ sandwiches, but cut into hearts with a cookie cutter. See, I had been taking out all my frustrations and my plain ole bad attitude out on my kids today. When they saw the hearts, their little faces lit up. I took advantage of the opportunity to apologize to them for yelling at them. My eyes watered up as I looked into their faces. I sat there and looked at the leftover crusts from making the heart sandwiches, which I decided would be my lunch. It made me realize that I had been giving the kids my leftovers. I was not giving them all that they needed. I was not being the mommy that they needed. I was selfish and I let my frustrations and bad attitude get the best of me. Well, at that moment I decided that for today they were going to get the heart {my heart} and not the leftover crusts {my impatience, frustrations, and bad attitudes}. It got me to thinking...if our kids deserve our hearts and not our leftovers, how much more does God deserve our heart rather than our leftovers. If our kids light up with happiness when we give them our hearts, how much more is God pleased when we give Him our whole hearts...rather than our leftovers!

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