Friday, August 31, 2012

Foto Friday Week 52: Time


Time. There never seems to be enough to go around. This weekend, my sister in law and only niece came into town to surprise me & my sisters and we had a blast spending as much time with them as we could before they went back home to Texas. I snapped photos of my Lola girl, wishing I could extend the time as much as possible.



Visit the other girls of Foto Friday's last blog post for the year's challenge! It's been so much fun!


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

New Instagram Fancies and Some Pregnancy Confessions

The sickness in the Watson house has yet to subside- we've been hit with a 24 hour flu bug and Landen, Penelope, and I have all fallen victim. I didn't get half of what I wanted to get done finished and pretty much just tried not to hurl all day.

However, I did get one thing done- posting my new Insta Frames in my Digital Shop. For just $0.99, you can get these bold and bright square frames with a little flag and some tinting to jzoojsh up your iphone photos. Aren't they swell?



There's going to be more fun designs in the Digital Shop coming up after Clementine is born, I have a ton of great ideas for the holidays coming up! I also have a blog "mini facelift" in the works. Not a full makeover, mind you, but a little change up for the upcoming season. I'll be doing some reorganizing of my brands and projects and introducing some new ones, but not until after this baby gets out of my belly.

I have found myself struggling to stay positive and cheery about this last pregnancy, it's just so hot and miserable here and I have a ton of complaints and grumpiness that I can't shake. Then of course, I feel super guilty because I also know I have a ton to be thankful for. Oh well, it's the nature of the 8 months pregnant beast I guess. Hopefully I can get out of this sick and tired funk and not go into labor all crabby and cranky like I have been. Pray for me friends.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Favorite Baby Bow Idea Round Up

I've been dragging my feet a little getting Clementine's pretties and wardrobe ready. We were all so sick last week and now that I'm back to my non-zombie self I really want to make some cute things for her in case she decides to arrive extra early. Of course, Pinterest had a ton of good ideas for baby headbands and bows so I made a little collage of my favorites to make for our new itty bitty.







Now the hardest part is to choose which one I want to start with! I am planning on doing a tutorial next week for one- which one would you like to learn how to make?

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Introducing: The Homeschool Project

When Olivia was four I gave homeschool preschool a shot, but my kids never really took to it. Landen was a wild little three year old, and Penelope was just a teeny little two year old and when I became pregnant with the twins, I kind of abandoned the notion and put her in a preschool down the street from us. Landen & Penelope both attended the same preschool last year, but sadly our beloved Miss Crystal moved to Thatcher and I never decided what I wanted to do for preschool with the kids this year. Landen is five now, and he and Penelope (who's four) are at about the same level educationally and behaviorally so they'll both be starting Kindergarten together next year. With launching a new photography business, Braden starting college, having a sixth baby, and with wanting our kids to participate in more activities like soccer and ballet we don't really have the budget for preschool too; so I've made the executive decision to be in charge of my littles' educations. Introducing, The Homeschool Project.


It's amazing the resources that are out there online that empower mommas to give their children quality, creative, and incredibly flexible educations. I've started a Pinterest board with some great ideas, and will be sharing my favorite resources and printables here on the blog that I'm going to use with all the kids. Even the twinners will be joining in on the Homeschool fun- I've found a ton of great ideas for early learning education as well as preschool.

AND, I was so excited to get a One Buck Wednesday email from Jessica Sprague last week and got this entire A to Z School Digital Kit for just $1! It's the perfect companion to our Homeschool Project, wouldn't you say?


We're starting The Homeschool Project September 3rd, so next week is all about preparing and collecting curriculum and supplies. If you have any awesome resources please share too!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Here's To The Best Right Hand Man Around

Yesterday was my first Senior Portrait Session for my 2013 Senior Rep Campaign. I have four gorgeous, and unique girls representing me & my photography; and I have an awesome team of creative people to collaborate with for my shoots. Along with Lindsey (my Fashion Stylist) and Leah (my hair & makeup artist), I have this guy assisting me on my shoots. 


His responsibilities currently entail lugging around gear, making sure I stay hydrated, towing props, chauffeuring, making sure I don't slip and fall while trudging through the desert, and also being there in case I go into labor while on a shoot. At larger events, such as weddings he will be doing more "photography" type things; but for now he's basically my babysitter. And although it was hot as the dickens in Queen Creek yesterday, this guy made it a lot more bearable my cracking me up the whole time.


Today is a big day for him- he's going back to school! It's really exciting (and probably a little crazy) for us to be starting a new photography business while he is starting school and we are having a new baby (AND there's those other 5 kids that have things like school, preschool, soccer, ballet, and maybe girl scouts) but we'll just strap in and hold on for the ride; just like we've done for the last seven years we've known each other. 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Foto Friday Week 50: Out My Window


Whenever I look out my window I am comforted by the site of these two:



Capone & Frannie Dog don't really do much other than bask in the sun, and take an occasional walk with me through the neighborhood at 5:00 am; but they are a part of the Watson tribe that I know I would miss if they weren't always there.

Check out what the other girls of Foto Friday are seeing out their windows today:


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Countdown To Clementine: Delivery Date Pool Update

This is how the Delivery Date Pool is shaping up so far. For those of you that want to get in on the action, I have a special surprise planned for the winner! I've been talking to a few friends that want to contribute to the pool prize, so I'll be sharing the goodies the winner will be getting next week! I think my mom is going to start making me walk the malls next Monday so she gets her date! 



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Sweet Baby Onesies Round Up & Tutorial

As Clementine's premiere gets closer and closer, I keep realizing how completely unprepared I am. I don't really stress about it because babies really are super low key if you make them that way, but I really should have something for her to wear when she gets here. If you haven't discovered already, newborn babies do not fit into ANYTHING for the first couple of weeks, so all those cute newborn outfits you have stashed are going to look ridiculous for at least a little while. I like to stock up on basic newborn or preemie white onesies for those first days, and they are super easy to customize and jzooge up to give your itty bitty some personality. Here is a round up of my favorite fancy onsie ideas from pinterest: 



The very first image of the chevron felt applique from Finely & Oliver is my most favorite, and she has a super sweet tutorial about how to make it on her blog. I feel like making a whole slew of newborn onesies for Clementine, now just to choose what designs to make....


Monday, August 13, 2012

Penelope's Fancy Day

Being so crazy busy and having so many kids sometimes takes a toll on my sanity- so I have to conciously make an effort to slow down sometimes and give my kids the extra attention they crave and stop "working". My mind is constantly moving and creating and planning for all my projects I am juggling right now so it is really hard for me to completely stop and disconnect from the world and web and just be present in my life.

I decided to make an effort for one of those "disconnect days" on Friday, because my little Miss Peepers got to have a whole special day just to herself. Grandma & I took her to get her very first hair cut and we chopped it into a sweet little bob that fits her charming personality just perfectly. Landen came along for moral support for his best buddy and he was so sweet when she got it cut "Oh Peepers, you look BEAUTIFUL!" (after he realized who she was- he didn't recognize her at first ;)


After her haircut, we took her to get her ears pierced, which I figured would go terribly because she is SUCH a drama queen. She of course freaked when her first ear got pierced and cried immediately, but after we oohed and ahhed over how pretty her earrings were she sucked it up and got brave for the second ear. She didn't even cry after the second one.

Then we went on a lunch date at Chick-Fil-A (which has the most delicious peach milkshakes on the planet) so it was a super fun day for my Peeper Girls. She looks like such a big girl, I can't wait to get her all fancied up with her new hair do and earrings and snap some fab photos of her to hang in our house!

Being out and about with them forced me to put down the iphone, stop planning photo shoots in my head, and just focus on not losing one of my kids as they wander around the mall. I'm thinking I may need to take one of those days at least every other week so I don't turn completely into a robot ;)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

A Quilt For Clementine: Part Two

After going over quilt pattern after quilt pattern and then realizing I need to go as simple as possible to ensure this quilt for this baby is actually going to get finished- I decided on Anna Maria Horner's Folk Dance Zag Quilt Pattern


I dig Anna Maria's Bohemian vibe, and the girl as some crazy sewing and fabric designing talent. She also has a ton of kids, and I love reading her blog- it's so inspiring to see someone that has such a big family balance her life to be there for the ones she cares about and live her dream and let her creativity soar. I haven't had the chance to buy her books, but I think I need to plan a trip to Barnes & Noble to scoop them up and add them to my library.

As far as fabrics go, at first I wanted to stay in the grey/neutral palette that we chose for her Nursery Nook, but then I realized that I wanted something a littler girly for Clementine, and since she would be moving into the twins room eventually; I should make something that would go with their Heather Bailey fabric scheme. I decided on Heather Bailey's latest collection, Garden District fabric collection- here are my favorite prints from that line.


I'm placing my fabric order this weekend, and can't wait to get my hands on these luscious colors and start cutting and piecing the quilt together! I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress!





Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Well Prepared Weekly Meal Plan 1

In order to keep my life as organized and prepared as possible, I started planning out my family's meals for the week ahead of time. You can follow along with my meal plans, shopping lists, and recipes to keep your sanity when school starts too.



SUNDAY
Breakfast >> waffles & bacon
Dinner >> Family dinner at my parent's house {my mom's lasagna- mmmm}

MONDAY 
Breakfast >> zuchinni muffins
Lunch >> tortilla soup & garden salad
Dinner>> brown sugar spicy pork chops, sauteed garlic asparagus, baked sweet potatoes


TUESDAY
Breakfast >> oatmeal with blueberries
Lunch >> quinoa burrito bowl


WEDNESDAY
Breakfast >> waffles
Lunch >> sub sandwich slice & tortilla soup
Dinner >> Braden in charge of dinner (usually a frozen food item like corn dogs or chicken nuggets)


THURSDAY
Breakfast >> fruit & yogurt, quinoa bowl for me 
Lunch >> chicken & avocado quesadillas
Dinner >> Italian crockpot chicken & bowtie pasta


FRIDAY
Breakfast >> pancakes
Lunch >> sub sandwich slice & garden salad
Dinner >> order out


SATURDAY
Breakfast >> bacon & eggs
Lunch >> leftovers
Dinner >> Date night, frozen food item for kids




Here's a grocery list to get your preparation ready for the week!


First things first- the grocery shopping. We hit the grocery store (Wal-mart) and the farmer's market (Superstition Ranch Market) on Saturday, so I need to have the next week's menu and shopping list ready by Saturday morning. Braden tackles the Wal-mart shopping, and I go to the farmers market. Braden happens to have OCD so he puts everything away and organizes the fridge and pantry the way he likes it; but if you don't have the luxury of a crazy neat-freak husband, as you put away groceries is a perfect time to get your kitchen organized.  This is also a good time to chop any vegetables and mix dry ingredients for the baking you'll be doing Sunday for the week. Put them in ziplock bags to shorten your prep time for your meals and baking.

On Sunday I make a huge double batch of waffles, so we can freeze the extras. We only have one belgian waffle maker, so it's a great time to multi-task and make a batch of flour tortillas to use for lunch. In the afternoon I mix together the pre-made dry ingredients with the rest of the ingredients for the muffins and bake those off for Monday morning. It's great to get that done in the afternoon, since I don't have to prepare dinner Sundays! I highly suggest getting together with family at least one night every week and rotate cooking so you can have a night off of dinner duty. Plus, it gives a scheduled night with the people you love and probably don't see as often as you want to. Win-win!

On Monday, since breakfast is done with your muffins, take this time in the morning to put together a salad for the week. Throw a bunch of lettuce, your favorite chopped vegetables, and dry toppings all in a large tupperware and you have a salad to use for lunch all week long. I like to rotate soup, salads, and sub sandwich slices all week, and it's great to have them all prepped on Monday. For this week's soup I threw all the tortilla soup ingredients in the crockpot Monday morning, then put together a sub using an italian bread loaf and whatever deli meat & cheese I had in the fridge. I also had some leftover bacon from breakfast on Sunday so I threw that on my sandwich too. I keep all the veggies I want to put in my sandwich cut in ziplocks in the fridge so my sandwich doesn't get soggy. Each day I want a sandwich, I just slice off a nice chunk of the sub and add my condiments and toppings.

On Tuesday, Braden made the oatmeal with blueberries for the kids. Since he works from home, he helps out with meals whenever he can which is a BIG bonus for me. Dividing meal responsibilities, especially when it's a quick and easy meal like oatmeal will give you a much needed break here and there. For lunch I made a large serving of quinoa for our burrito bowls and saved half for breakfast for later on in the week. If quinoa is not something everyone will eat, you can substitute it for brown rice here.

On Wednesday the waffles are already ready! Just pop them in the toaster oven- your kids will be so happy. I decided to take Wednesdays "off" and asked Braden to be in charge of dinner that night. I need to find something to fill my Wednesday nights- probably reading.

On Thursday I use the quinoa I made on Tuesday for breakfast bowls with yogurt & fruit and the tortillas & chicken I made Sunday for quesdillas. Everything for dinner goes into the crockpot in the morning, and the pasta is made at dinnertime.

Fridays is fancy pancake day so I actually have "work" to do- but I've made this recipe so many times it really takes no time at all. For dinner we order out, by this time I'm over cooking. Then Saturday Braden and I make B & E's together, have whatever is in the fridge for lunch, then it's Date Night!

You can see that by being realistic and knowing that I am just not up for cooking every. single. meal. every. single. day; and by preparing a lot of the meals ahead of time I can have delicious food all week and not resort to Lil' Caesar's & McDonalds four times a week. Plus, by enlisting help I ease the burden tremendously. I'm excited to continue this new schedule and see if it's as productive as I hope it will be!


Monday, August 6, 2012

Countdown To Clementine: Delivery Date Pool

It's about that time again people. Get your guesses in for when Miss Clementine will make her debut and you could win a sweet prize! 




a little background to help with your guess:
1) I'm at 32 weeks today
2) I'm due September 27th
3) I had Olivia at 39 weeks
4) I had Landen at 38 weeks
5) I had Penelope at 38 weeks
6) I was induced with Evelyn & Georgia at 37 weeks

I don't know if any of that matters, but there you go! Here's our guesses so far:

ROSEMARY- September 9th
BRADEN- October 2nd (ass)
MOMMA SUZY- August 21st


Leave a comment with your guess and you could be a winner!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Foto Friday Week 48: Guilty Pleasure


Hello, my name is Rosemary and I am addicted to Black Death. Otherwise known as sugar filled, caffeine laced, cellulite building soda. Right now, my drug of choice happens to be Dr. Pepper. I know it's bad. But it just feels so good.


See what guilty pleasures the other girls of Foto Friday are showcasing today

Thursday, August 2, 2012

First Day of First Grade

Yesterday was a big day over at The Watson Abode. Our big 6 year old Lala went to 1st grade! The house is a lot more quiet without her, even with four other brother & sisters that miss her something dreadful.

  Music "All Smiles" by Jess Penner

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Fancy Up Your School Lunches with Free School Lunch Printables

As I was perusing Pinterest last week for The Best School Lunch Ideas I came across this pin from Jones Design Company that featured some free printable notecards to stick in your kids lunches as a sweet little reminder that you're thinking about them. I fell in love instantly and knew I had to whip some up myself to stick in Olivia's lunchbox for her first day of school.


Using the triangle arrow from Rhonna Designs Insta Icons (the same kit I used for the printable card yesterday), I came up with these School Lunch Notecards and labels to stick in your child's lunch to make them extra special.



I used some kraft bags lined with wax paper to put in her chocolate chip cookies in, then closed with a treat label printed on label paper;  and I made little washi tape flags to add some oomph to her peach for snacktime.



Download your own notes & labels to fancy up your own kid's school lunches.

Lunchbox Notes Circle Lunchbox Labels
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