So Here's My Life

The things we make,
the food we eat and
the shenanigans in between.

A blog about making things by
MICHELLE SEXTON

Thursday, December 29, 2011

What's In My Purse - The Mom Edition

On occasion I come across blog posts where people take pictures of what they have in their purse. They always seem to have interesting items. It's amusing. Well yesterday, right before was leaving to run errands, I realized my purse was really heavy. And you know, I've really had a hard time finding smaller items in my purse, so I decided to quickly clean it out before I left. And then I got an idea - to do a post about what's in my purse - the mom version of what's in my purse. Ha!

So here's what I found -

2 wallets (yes, 2 - they are both mine, and it's a really long explanation), a baby wipe container with dried up wipes, 3 tubes of hand cream, 1 bottle of hand sanitizer, a mirror, lipstick (amusing since I rarely wear makeup because I'm too lazy), tinted chapstick from Burt's Bees (the closest I usually get to wearing makeup), a comb, coupons, a busy bag (more on that in a minute), a devotion book from church, a red plastic spoon (I don't know why that was in there), a hair clip, a sugar-free lollipop, a Fiber One bar (I think that's been in there for a while), a sanitary wipe, and a ring with various baby care items - brush, comb, nail clippers, and temperature strips (I think I've used that whole contraption ONCE)

In addition to all that junk I also found:


7 cars (one is not pictured. I found it after I took this photo)

One giant pile of TRASH

which also included an old shopping list, expired Chuck E Cheese coupons (scary place), 2 nursery claim stickers to pick up The Toddler from the nursery at church, a coffee stirrer (?), a half eaten coupon (courtesy of The Toddler), and a movie ticket stub from Captain America


And 9 pens. The purple ones are from church. Somehow they always end up in purse???

I mentioned a busy bag as well. In case you aren't familiar with busy bags, they are small bags with a little activity to keep you kiddo entertained and quiet while you are out an about. I usually pull this out when we are at a restaurant, waiting for our food...and even at the coffee shop (yes, sometimes I go get coffee with a friend!!).  Here's what is inside mine:

We use these paint swatches and paper clips for matching games.

So there you go! Now you know what I have (or had) inside my purse. And in case you are wondering, yes, I do have a REALLY BIG purse. (It used to double as a diaper bag before The Toddler was potty trained). What's the most unique item in your purse?

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Truthful Tuesday Confessions

I've decided to start a weekly (or semi-weekly, maybe?) theme on my blog - Truthful Tuesdays - where we can all confess the ridiculous actions and thoughts we have on our mind. Why? For fun.


So do you want to know my confessions today?

  • It took me over a year to enjoy being a stay-at-home. The first six months after my son was born were incredibly difficult, and beyond stressful, due to an unexpected move, my son's sleep issues, his challenging feeding issues, and his reflux. I felt very alone and no one seemed to understand why I was having such a hard time with my son - especially when it came to my son's feeding issues. (We ended up having to taking him to a feeding clinic for several months that helped him get over his feeding problems). There was so much stress during that time, and it seemed that everyone seemed to think I was being overly dramatic about these conflicts. I was so overwhelmed with all of these issues, it was hard to enjoy being a mom. Earlier this year I really found my groove and started enjoying being at home with The Toddler.
  • During the winter I sleep with socks in bed. I take them off in the bed once I warm up and usually forget to take them out. (My husband finds this annoying. I don't blame him). One time I found 8 pairs of socks in my bed.
  • I find Lima beans horrid. Over the years, I've tried them several times to see if maybe my taste buds have changed, but alas, they have not. 
  • One time I walked into a wall around 5 AM when I was half awake. My husband was out of town and my son started crying. So I walked across the house to my son's room and totally missed the entry way to the hallway and walked straight into the wall. (What can I say? I know I'm amazing. I had a nice, swollen and bruised nose after that. The good news was that I didn't break it.
There you go. You should feel privileged that you know pointless information about me. Now it's your turn. Confess. You know you want to.

An Awesome Snack + An Anniversary

I have a new favorite afternoon snack - Whole Grain Toast spread with Nutella and topped with banana slices. It's nothing profound or even terribly creative, however I find it so satisfying and delicious, that I look forward to making it every afternoon. It makes me sad when I run out of bananas or bread before I can go grocery shopping again. I recommend that you try this amazing, satisfying, chocolatey -goodness snack.


In other news, the spouse and I celebrated 7 adventurous years of marriage with an indulgent dinner at The Melting Pot. Have you ever been there? They serve fondue. It's amazing. We had four courses - a cheese fondue appetizer, a salad, a fondue entree with a variety of surf and turf, and one amazing chocolate fondue for desert pureed with raspberries and peanut butter. Oh, it was good. So very good. I think I want to go there again - just for that chocolate fondue.

Our younger and skinnier days. Like the spouses' hair? I like him better bald. :)
I'm looking forward to 60 more years of adventures with this great guy!

Graham Cracker House FAIL

Yes, you read the title right. Fail. The other title I was thinking about using was "How to NOT Make a Graham Cracker House."


Last week my friends from the Mom's group had a Christmas party. We had a great Christmas lunch, exchanged gifts, and did a craft with our little ones. We decided to do Ginger Bread houses, but we used Graham crackers instead.

The prep was pretty simple - Graham Crackers, cake frosting, and candy.  I put the frosting in snack ziplock baggies and then snipped a corner so we could squeeze out the frosting.











The thing we didn't anticipate was how difficult it would be for the little ones to put together the houses...well...actually, I did think about this, but I didn't have time to put together the houses ahead of time.

We envisioned the kids having a great time, decorating the graham crackers houses, but here's what actually happened:


  • We (the moms) had trouble putting the houses together, which kept collapsing. 
  • One of the kids ripped open the ziplock bag and shoved her hand into the frosting. I'm not sure what she was planning on doing with that handful of frosting...
  • The kids only wanted to lick the frosting and eat the candy. And the moms did too. ;)
 A failed attempt at a graham cracker house

This was my son's house. I put the frosting on. Can you see how interested he was in putting the candy on? Not so much.


 Another abandoned attempt with a graham cracker house. Notice the bite mark in the cracker at the bottom of the photo, and the empty sucker wrapper?





 So after about 10 minutes of futile fidgeting, we gave in and let them eat the pieces. Oh well. In hindsight, we should have constructed the houses ahead of time (like maybe the night before). That would have eliminated some of the chaos, but over I think this would have been a better activity for ages 5+ (our little ones are ages 1-4).

Notice the enthusiasm on her face as she is holding the candy? If I were to title this photo, I would call it, "My precious!!" Ha ha.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Uhhh...Oops.

Do you want to know how awesome I am? Let me tell you.

Last week I went to the podiatrist (aka foot specialist) to check on my ankle. I got more x-rays, had my foot removed from the boot (finally), got a new smaller ankle brace (that I can finally wear with shoes), and was assigned to go to physical therapy.

So after I finish, I'm at the front desk, scheduling a follow-up appointment, and waiting for my papers. The receptionist was confused and gave me the address for a different physical therapy office than the one the doctor assigned to me. I knew it wasn't the correct office so after she checked with the doctor, we got it all straightened out and I got the info to the correct PT office.

Fast forward to yesterday. I have my first appointment with the physical therapist. I thought I knew where the physical therapist office was, but when I got to where I thought the office was, the address was different than the one I had on my paper from the doctor's office. So in the midst of my confusion, I look across the street to the other medical offices, and BAM! Right in front of my face is the sign for VC Physical Therapy. (Name abbreviated, because it's really not that important). "That must be it." I thought as I drove across the street and parked in their parking log.

So I go inside and sign in. And here is the conversation I have with the receptionist:
Receptionist:  Can I have your name?
Me: Michelle. Michelle Sexton.
Receptionist: What time were you scheduled for?
Me: 12:00
Receptionist: Hmmm....I don't see you on here....How do you spell your last name?
Me: S-E-X-T-O-N
Receptionist: Hmmm...I just can't find it. What did you schedule an appointment for? Was it just a consult? Or was it for physical therapy?
Me: I don't know. My doctor told me to come to physical therapy here. So I called and set up an appointment.
Receptionist: And what time was is for again?

At this point, I pulled out my paper from the doctor's office with the information about the physical therapy office. And I realize, that I am at the WRONG OFFICE!!!! Ha ha ha! I was supposed to go to an office called Select Physical Therapy not VC Physical Therapy.

So I hold up the paper and say, "I guess it would help if I went to the right office!!" And we both laugh and I walk out. What can I say? I'm just awesome like that. Ha ha ha. I amuse myself.

But I will say, in my defense, when I was at the podiatrist office and the receptionist initially gave me the information to the wrong PT office, it just so happened that that office was VC Physical Therapy. So when I saw the sign for VC Physical Therapy, my subconscious remembered that name, and I immediately assumed that was the office I was supposed to go to. I should have checked my papers first. Oops.

So after I left the wrong office, I went across the street (which is where I originally thought the office was) and found the right office - Select Physical Therapy. Just so you know. I didn't get lost permanently. ;)

And now to change the subject. I sorted through the photos on my camera this morning and wanted to share a few of my favorites from this fall.

A rare opportunity to catch The Toddler willing to take a picture.

This is The Toddler doing what he does best. Picking his nose.

Love these two guys. :)

See how my son loves to take pictures? He was more interested in the pumpkin. Of course.


Thoughts on People's Thoughts.

A totally random photo to share. Because you can't write a blog without putting pictures in. This is The Toddler watching the movie, Tron, in 3D while we were browsing an electronics store recently. This kid amuses me.

And now to be serious.

I rarely blog about spiritual issues, not because I'm opposed or shy about sharing. It's more that I preferr to meditate on these things in private or to speak about them face to face with someone rather than write about them.  But every once in a while, I feel compelled to share. Today is one of those days.

"Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety." Proverbs 29:25

I read this verse today. I've read this verse numerous times. But today this verse stood out to me. Here's why - I am a people pleaser to a fault. I want everyone to like me and I want everyone to approve of me. When I percieve that someone doesn't like me, it makes me feel insecure. My security is based on what people think of me. I am afraid that people won't like me. This is an awful way to live - a dangerous trap. Over the years, I've become more aware of this personal conflict. I've stopped obsessing about what others may think of me. But it has taken years, with lots of prayer and lots of time to allow God to change my thinking. I've had to give my insecurities to God and allow him to heal my heart as I have spent time with him. The closer I've drawn to God, the less time I have spent worrying about what other people think. I'm not going to lie, I still have days when I spend a little too much time worrying about other people's opinions concerning me. There are times when my insecurities creep up inside of my heart, but I've found the best way to deal with this conflict is to stop and remind myself that people's opinions of me don't matter.

I recently got yelled at by a CRAZY lady in the grocery store parking lot of over a misunderstanding. Long story short - she thought I stole her parking spot, but what she didn't realize or see was that I had been waiting for that spot long before she had arrived. She went totally balistic on me, nearly hit my car (and my mom who met me there), reported me to the store (gasp! oh no!), and repeatedly told me that I was a horrible person. Nobody enjoys being yelled at, but honestly, I really didn't care what she said or thought about me. Actually, I found the whole situation rather hysterical, considering that she managed to show everyone around us that she had a screw loose.

That conflict served as a watermark to me. It showed me how far I have come. If this had happened to me about 8 years ago, I probably would have curled up in a ball and started crying. Well...not really. But you get the idea.

Fearing people is a dangerous trap - worrying about people and what they think of you will only lead to heartache. You can't please everyone. It's impossible.

But trusting the Lord means safety - the only opinion that truly matters is God's. And only he can bring you the true peace and fulfillment that you are searching for in others. My relationship with God puts my heart at peace.

And I am blessed. :)

And on a not-so-serious note, I have an awesome story to share with you guys about what a ninja I am. But more on that later. Ha ha.

Another random picture of The Toddler. At the dog park. Wearing only his hood. Because his head was cold. I'm telling you, this kid is awesome. He will probably kill me when he gets older and realizes that I let him dress like this.

And one more thing. My toddler puked all over his bed and the carpet at 10:30 last night. It was awesome. I have no idea why he puked. He seems fine today. Just thought I would share. Oh the joys of parenting.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

DIY Christmas Ornament Chandelier

Hi friends. My husband and I finally decided to decorate our house - 2 weeks before Christmas. We've been putting it off because neither one of us wanted to dig through the garage and pull out the boxes with Christmas decorations...plus there was also the issue of getting the toddler to leave the ornaments on the tree. So we weren't in a rush to put up the decorations, but since we are hosting Christmas at our house this year, we decided we probably should do it this weekend....since we are running out of time. Ha.


Here's a fun ornament chandelier I made to make our dining room a little more festive. My camera's battery was dead, so I had to use my cell phone to do photos. (sorry)

All you need is scissors, ribbon, ornaments, and a hair rubber band.

Cut approximately 7 strands of ribbon about 4 feet long. String 2 or 3 ornaments onto each ribbon and tie them at random places.

Gather the ribbon ends

And tie a knot securely onto the hair rubber band. And that's it!


Now find a fun place to hang your chandelier, and admire :)



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