2nd Glance Saturday: Join in it's your turn!

Ideas, crafts, pictures, and must have items are things I love seeing and hearing about from others. Of course this is the main reason I love Pinterest!

Another great way to share these fun things are through link parties and you might find some new blogs to follow along the way.

I not only think this link party is worth taking a 2nd Glance but also worth joining in!
If you are not familiar with link parties well then it is time to get started and learn something new.

(If you are reading this and it is past Saturday don't worry you can still link up, I am leaving it open all week. So you are not too late to join in.)

For Non-bloggers:

First of all this is a great time to start blogging. It is free, easy and a great way to capture your memories. It makes me journal and kind of create a digital scrapbook for my family. I can not wait to print each year into a book to save and share with my boys.

If you don't blog but still want to join in on the link party there is another way.

Find the website of something that you think is worth taking a 2nd glance. For example an outfit, sign, vacation place, picture or whatever catches your eye.

Click on the add a link blue button at the bottom of this post
Copy and paste the website you want to share and paste it in the url box.

Write your name or a title for what your are sharing in the name box.

Last check out what other people have shared through their links by clicking on other links listed below.

For New bloggers

(or those who have gotten behind or just haven't made the time this is a great way to get back into it. You will be glad you did later!)

If you have a blog use a previous post or a new post about something that made you take a 2nd glance.

Grab my second glance button by coping the html code below and pasting it on your post

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.graeplace.blogspot.com" title="310 Grae Place"><img src="http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g345/bkelly8/realblogbutton.jpg" alt="310 Grae Place" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Once your post is ready click below on this page on the blue add a link button

Copy and paste your blog address into the url box

Then put in your name, your blogs name, or your posts name whichever you prefer in the name box.

Now you have joined the link party!! Others can click on your link and check out what made you take a 2nd glance.
The last step is to check out some of these links and if you like what you see follow a new blog, or leave a fun comment. I can't wait to see what is making you take a 2nd Glance!

minty fresh

What began as a normal night in the Kelly's all of sudden became craziness (which actually is our normal.)

Most kids love baths, well my 2 love showers. On this particular night my poor shower got the bad end of the deal.

When the laughter coming from the shower turned to a blood curdling scream we knew it wouldn't end well.

The smell of minty fresh met me at the door of my bedroom which was really the only good that came out of this craziness.

This is what I found...

Then I spot the culprit

Not only did the toothpaste make its way all over the shower, the glass, the ceiling and somehow on some cabinets but also into Kase's eyes which set him on fire. Hence the screaming!
In one of Beverly Clearly's book, Ramona dumps all of the toothpaste in the sink for fun. Her wise mother trying to teach her a lesson about not being wasteful scoops up all of the toothpaste and saves it in a bag for her to use.
So I stood there trying to make a decision on what to do next and wanting to make the wise choice but couldn't bring myself to scrape it up and save it. So to teach our "Ramona" a lesson Scotty and I decided that his eye burning like crazy was a pretty good one and to assign him to the low spots on the clean up crew.
Knox was determined not to be left out so why not dip his fork in candle wax and sling it around?

Just a normal night with 2 crazy boys that I wouldn't trade for anything!

2nd Glance Saturday: Great News

Wendy & Brandon's blog is worth taking a 2nd Glance at this week. So if you haven't heard their exciting news check it out!

(click below)

Now it is time for you to share something that made you take a 2nd glance. Just grab my 2nd glance button and post it with your blog. I can't wait to check it out!

(Click the link below and link up to share)

2nd Glance Saturday: Some new favorites

It's once again Saturday and time for things that have made me take a 2nd glance. There have been so many things with the holidays just ending but this week I am sticking with 2 basic things.

As Wendy and I were checking out @ Wal-mart the other day and trying to not lose a kid I spotted this random box of Marshmallow bits up by the register that clearly did not belong there.

(This is what Wal-Mart does to Knox)

Of course I wanted to try it and they had 2 flavors, vanilla and peppermint. I grabbed a bottle of both and let's just say the bottle did not last more than a day in my house.

I was one of those kids (well still am) that would eat all of the marshmallows out of the lucky charms. So it was a great surprise when this entire bottle was full of those marshmallows!! I don't think Kase has had lucky charms so when I was trying to explain what a jewel we had found he did not understand my excitement. Until he turned the bottle up and shook some out. He definitley gave it a 2nd glance and helped himself to way too many marshmallows. (Warning: they are addicting)

The 2nd new addiction in our house are Edy's real fruit juice popsicles. I know they are not new and we have bought them several times in the past but for some reason we are now addicted. Our family of 4 finished a box off in a couple of hours. There is no sugar added so that means eat as many as you want right? Well we do! So now when I give them a 2nd glance in the grocers aisle I also grab more than one box.

I encourage the boys to eat them in the tub, less clean up.

Both of these 2nd glances can be found @ Wal-Mart, and as much as we all dread going there we eventually end of up there anyways.

Happy New Years!

calling all superheros...

This post is about 2 months late but the holidays hit and well it happens.

There was never a question of the theme of Kase's party. Since he really thinks he is a superhero we were all just joining him in his pretend world for a night.

Our house was filled with all shapes and sizes of cute little superheros.

Small ones

Big/Daddy ones

Sad ones

Happy ones

and Girly ones

We wanted the superheros to feel at home so we added some superhero fun around the house

we served superhero soups in breadbowls

to help them get into character they had a cape of their choice

the boys begged me to leave the comics up even after the party they loved looking at them

mom and I (let's be honest mostly mom) made the cake

kase thought were were the coolest parents because we had on superhero shirts, so we have worn them everyday since :)

we even made time to embrace the camera

traditions

Disney then straight into Christmas has sent me into a christmas music, red & green, sugar overload!
(But of course I would do it all again!)

I love Christmas traditions that our families started with us, and finding new ones to start with our kids. Of course we also have the traditional ones that we love as well.

setting our reindeer food and finding Santa treats to leave out.

Making a gingerbread house

and then hiding to eat it hoping that I wouldn't catch them

(a week later might I add, disgusting)

Attending Jesus's birthday party

We have also started the tradition of giving the boys 3 presents on Christmas morning. We chose 3 becuase we have been studying the Christmas story with them each night. If you ask kase you will learn that Jesus was brought golden myrh and frankenstein. Well we didn't get the boys golden myrh and frankenstein but they did recieve 3 presents. (well this year they may have gotten a few more than 3, I forgot that I had bought some along the way)

My mom used to wrap our presents in different wrapping paper. We didn't have tags we just knew by the paper. I started this with my boys this year. Reindeer for Kase and Santas for Knox. Knox would dig under the tree yelling "clause" making sure he got all of his.

We have also started the new tradition of no double dipping. Which means we try not to hit more than one house or family each day. We spread our Christmas out where we can spend time with each part of our families without running ragged and leaving a kid behind in the chaos.

So with both boys in check we have had a long wonderful Christmas. Cherishing each moment with all sides of our families.
snapshots from Christmas

The thing I enjoyed the most this Christmas is not a tradition, although I wish it were. I loved going to Church with my family on Christmas morning. Worshipping in one service with our church family was a wonderful Christmas gift. Yes it made Christmas morning a little hectic and we didn't get to my grandparents til later & there was no nursery for Knox (yikes). But those things are not @ all what Christmas is about and hearing Kase belt out Gloria during the song service melted my heart. It made Christmas really feel like Christmas!