It's been a while friends! Finally getting my life and even my craft space organized again. I have been so obsessed with Pinterest lately. I kept pinning and pinning and pinning and then one day I asked myself if I was ever going to make any of the things I was pinning. I started out slow and made a few new recipes for my family. (They have turned out pretty great, loving my crock pot!) I kept wondering when I was going to get to be creative again. I came across this on Pinterest and decided to give a try today.

What is it? It's a handy ironing board for next to my new sewing machine! While looking for the TV tray at Target I found a table top ironing board for $10 and considered taking the easy way out and just buying that one. I decided I missed making things with my own 2 hands and went off in search of my TV tray. Found one for $8. I was a bit concerned by her directions to just use batting and was thinking it would make the TV tray pretty hot. I found a table top ironing pad at Menard's for $6. I know what you are thinking, wouldn't it have just been cheaper to buy the one at Target? Yes, it would have. But it would take up valuable table top space in my craft room. This one folds up and down and sits exactly where I need it....plus like I said, I needed to prove to myself I could actually make something again. I first staple-gunned (not a word I know) the Ironing pad cover to the TV tray and then found the cutest polka dot fabric in my stash to go over the top of it. Those who know me, know how much I love polka dots! I need to take a photo of my polka dot wall! So cute!

Let me know what you think!

When I was 12, I was in love with one person. I was over my John Travolta obsession. I had a new love in my life. His name, Mr. Joey McIntyre.

Joe was one of the members of New Kids on the Block. I had the Joe doll, pillowcase, posters, CASSETTE tapes, stickers..anything with his face on it, I had to have. My room walls were plastered with Joey Joe. I heard that NKOTB were going to be coming to the Palace and I had to go. I begged my mom. I was told no about 3 million times until finally, finally...she said yes. My sister Julie would take me and a friend to the show.

Karly loved NKOTB as much as I did. Well, I loved them more..but that's probably not what she would say. :P Her favorite was also Joe. This could have caused WW3 among most teen aged girls but we were able to get through that small obstacle and become great friends. We would spend the night at each other's houses and watch the Saturday morning WORLD PREMIERE Videos on MTV. We would call the NKOTB hotline just to see what was going on in our favorite boys lives. We even made Joey a cake on his birthday (a bunt, on Dec 31, tyvm!) So I knew without a doubt it would have to be Karly that saw them with me at the Palace.

Our seats were awful. They were in the 2nd tier and almost the last row in the entire venue. I don't think we cared. I know we didn't. We were just thrilled to be there. I was so thrilled that I started hyperventilating, but that's a whole nother embarrassing story for another time. The show was so great. Being in the same room as our favorite band was beyond exciting for us 12 year old girls. My sister Julie just remembers the screaming. The loud pitched WAILS from an entire amphitheater full of screaming, crying (yes I did!) girls. Over the next few years we saw them perform together 5 or 6 times. I could write a book with the amount of fun stories that we have from these shows.

After we graduated high school we didn't see each other. We both went our separate ways, and each started a family. We talked on the phone once or twice, and we emailed..but we never got together. That is until Saturday night. A few month's ago, Karly sent me an email with a picture of a ticket. A ticket to see NKOTB at the Palace on Oct 25. I emailed back and told her I was jealous and to have a great time. She told me that one of the tickets was for me and I could not believe it. We had not seen each other for 15 years! As the time passed and the show got closer and closer, I got more and more excited.

Karly picked me up at my sister's house on Saturday afternoon and I was so excited to see her! She looked exactly the same. It felt like no time had passed at all. We chatted and tried to cram 15 years of info into the 2 hour car ride. We had dinner and made our way to the Palace.



It felt so surreal to be there. Not only Karly & I have aged, but so have the boys! Who are not so much boys. Our sweet Joey is now a married 35 year old with a baby! We are married women with 3 kids each ourselves! I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it be really awful? Would they sing the old songs, only their new songs? I was really nervous. Until they took the stage. What could have been totally cheesy was so not. They were amazing. Pure and simple. They sang their old songs (with the exact same dance moves!), they sang their new songs (wow!). They put on a show. I can't even put into words what it felt like to be there. It honestly felt like I had went back in time 20 years. At the beginning I was a little quiet, but by the end I was screaming (no tears this time) like the 12 year old girl who sat up in the rafters. And to look next to me and see Karly...it was just surreal. Karly and I still were fighting over which one Joey was really singing to (ME!). They sang all of my favorites, and a few new favorites too! At one point they appeared on a circular platform right at the back of the floor area. This was right in front of our section!!! I couldn't believe it.

It was so great to watch them having fun. You could tell they really enjoyed it. The entire audience was on their feet screaming, with their hands in the air. (Throw your hands in the air, and wave them like you just don't care, If you are ready to rock with the New Kids on the Block...) Sorry, got a little carried away. I know that we all have moved on with our lives, but it was so much fun to just have this little walk down memory lane. I know that they will never read this, but a huge thank you to the boys. They made me feel like I was a kid again!

Here is one of my favorites from the night. Have fun!

Step by Step

So after waiting a super long time we FINALLY got to see HSM3! The kids are huge fans, and since I am such a fantastic mother, we just HAD to see this the day it opened. I bought our tix a week in advance and Kev was SOOOO excited. ;) ( I think I only heard, "You have got to be kidding me." like 4 or 5 times.) I really love these movies. Emma is in love with Troy. Everything in our house is Troy, Troy, Troy. She tells me how one day she will marry Troy, how she dreams about Troy, and how cute he is. She names her Build-A-Bears and Webkinz Troy. I felt the same way about John Travolta. I watched Grease a few thousand times growing up. I carried around the record. My girlfriends and I would act out all the scenes from the movie. So with Troy, I completely understand. I mean come on, Zach Efron is a total cutie! So we get our tix and wait a half hour in line just to get in the theater. We pick our seats and watch the adorable hampster from Bolt talk about how much he loves HSM. As soon as Zach comes on screen, my shy husband shouts out, " OH TROY!" The entire theater cracked up, except for Em. She was mortified. I was laughing hysterically. She forgave him and we watched the rest of the film..which was really good. I actually caught my husband laughing and enjoying himself too. The soundtrack is now in the #1 position in our 6-disc in the Nav. I am sad to say that Em pushed Eddie Vedder aside for Troy. One day hopefully she will go back to Ed. Here is the trailer. It's the Grease of our kids time.

We bought Ellie's costume today at Target. On sale for $8. Can't beat that! She was less than thrilled but looks adorable...

So far October has been a busy month for us! Emma had a field trip to the pumpkin patch for preschool. We took a fast hay ride, had cider & donuts and petted some filthy germ infested animals. Oh what fun! She had a lot of fun though.