I been Checking them off the list!

Well, I've been checking things of the good old bucket list, however my keyboard on my computer has a mind of it's own...i type something and it types all kinds of crazy letters! Hopefully a call to Apple will fix that so I can get up and running...I've got a few items to check off and some pictures to post!! :) Well, I better run, (I'm at work, yes the job I want to quit!) I getting ready to knock two things of the list in one day!! I can't wait to share!!

make a balloon wreath...check!

before each of my boys birthdays i always search the internet for great ideas for their birthday party. one day i stumbled upon a picture of a front door with a balloon wreath on it! i thought it looked awesome and knew that i had to have one! that was last feb. when ike was turning 4! of course i always take on more than i can handle so the balloon wreath didn't even get started before ike's birthday party. however, with kane's birthday just around the corner (april) i set out to get it done!

-i purchased a straw wreath at hobby lobby for only about 3.99! i got the biggest size they had.

-then i got a bunch of bags of balloons at wal-mart. if a drive to a dollar tree wasn't 40 minutes away i would have bought the balloons there. i paid 1.50/bag of balloons. i ended up buying ALOT of bags of balloons. i think i used almost 200 balloons on my wreath!

-i also purchased flower pins (in the floral dept. at hobby lobby or walmart) they were only 1.00 for 100!

-i simply put the pin around the middle of the balloon and pushed it into the straw wreath...over & over again until the wreath was covered!! (i left the plastic wrap around the straw wreath...less mess this way!)

doesn't it look awesome! i just love the wreath & it was so simple. my fingers were a little sore, but totally worth it! i think i will put it on our front door for everyone's birthday "week" at my house! a little reminder that someone is getting ready to have their special day!

mushroom hunting...check!

have you ever been mushroom hunting? or even heard of it? i had never heard of it until teaching water aerobics to the senior citizens at the YMCA in terre haute. they took a big bus out in the middle of nowhere and spent the day hunting "shrooms." being one of those "want to try everything" kind of people i've always wanted to go. my good friend tonja and i loaded up my kiddo's and off we went. i won't tell you where we went, because i now know that when people find mushrooms they keep it a secret! i won't lie, it was hard at first! i didn't think we would find any. but we did...pecker heads...yes, i promise that is their real name. i know it sounds like something i would make up, but that is what they are known as. it became fun. we got a good mess of pecker heads that i took home and soaked to get the dirt and possible bugs out of them. i cooked them for lunch one day. i lightly breaded them with flour and fried them in a little butter. they were delicious! i am officially a successful mushroom hunter!! hooray! :)

Bucket List!

the bucket list has potential to grow & grow. some of the things i may have done before...but not in my adult life so i want to do it again! i will edit this list when something no longer seems important, i will cross something off when it is done and of course i will add things to the list at any moment in time! The items are in no particular order...

-read the (entire) bible
-make a budget
-turn my screened in porch to a beautiful room you'd find at the beach.
-volunteer at a soup kitchen
-take a tractor ride
- visit all 50 states
-take a cruise
-quit my job at the usps
-install a light fixture on my own
-install a faucet on my own
-build something (with wood)
-make curtains
-go golfing (i haven't been in a long time)
-take a fish off the pole by myself
-learn to use my sewing machine
-go mushroom hunting(April 2011)
-lose 50 lbs
-become debt free
-make a tiered cake
-teach my children to swim independently (x3, Now 2 more additions to teach)
-learn to say no
-sign my boys up for sunday school
-teach ty to ride his bike with no training wheels  Then Ike, Then Kane! Boom!
-open my own business (Jen's Lens Photography!! :))
-make a balloon wreath(April 2011)
-exercise regularly
-get a doctor and go for a regular checkup
-have a dinner & a movie date with my husband
-throw a surprise party
-pack a family picnic and drive until we find the perfect spot
-go camping
-catch lighting bugs with the boys
-get family pictures taken
-redecorate my bedroom
-ride a tandem bike with my husband
-take the kids to disney world  Might have to plan another trip since the twins arrived.
-tell at least 10 people about my bucket list and encourage them to do the same
-hit bullseye on a dart board
-write a letter to 3 important people just to let them know how much i appreciate them
-help someone in need
-go horseback riding
-give a heartfelt surprise to someone
-donate to a local food bank
-make a difference in someone's life
-write a children's book
-learn wine appreciation
-play bingo
-dance lessons with my husband
-make a candlelit dinner for 2
-make 10 cards and send them to people just because
-jump on a trampoline with my kids
-take a "honeymoon" with my husband...no kids allowed
-stomp in rain puddles with my boys
-have a will drafted
- turn my wedding dress into something else

what's on your bucket list?

Here goes...

most days of the week/month/year i'm a stay at home mom to three wild boys! yes, wild and full of life. the few days of the year that i am not a "stay at home mom" you will find me filling in for the postmaster at a small rural post office in indiana, filling a mary kay order for a customer, or babysitting for a 4 year old girl. yes, as if 3 kids aren't enough i babysit for her about twice a week. i'm not perfect. i don't read parenting books. i'm a take each day and experience as they come kind of girl. i am 28 years old, happily married with a 5 year old, 4 year old & 2 year old. i'm busy and sometimes i don't know how i make it through each day without pulling my hair out. don't get me wrong, i love my kiddo's and wouldn't change it for the world...but it is challenging at times. that is why i decided to create this blog of my very own "bucket list"...as a mom and wife i find myself stuck in the daily grind...feeding the kids, taking the kids to school, running errands, managing the bank account, paying the bills, etc...i am still young and still hopefully have a lot of life ahead of me. but i've decided that it's time to make a list of the things i hope to do for myself, my family & others before i die. i want to live this life with no regrets...