Back From a Break

Hello Internets.I'm back. I hadn't intended on taking a break from blogging, but the end of the school year is always excessively busy. And I volunteered to help too many people. Yikes, I hate it when I do that. When I get too busy, the wheels come off in a big way.

It all snowballs, and then I start avoiding everything altogether.
Does anyone else have this problem?

How has your summer been so far?

Green Your Blog to Support Free and Fair Elections in Iran

I've been neglecting my blog a little lately because my kids are getting out of school in 2 days and it's been a bit busy.

But I'm tuning back in briefly to do this: (to borrow the words of LeeDumond.com) "I’ve temporarily changed the background of my blog to green to express solidarity with those who yearn for freedom in Iran. If you have a blog or website of your own, won't you please consider doing the same? . . .

If you live in the USA or any free country; where you are allowed to say what you want, do what you want, elect the leaders you want, read the blogs you want, and march in the streets if you want, then take a couple of minutes and show your support for these brave men and women who want nothing more or less than to enjoy the same freedoms you and I take for granted every single day.

It won’t take much. Put a green background on your blog or website for a week. It’s a small gesture, but it would mean a lot.

Just do it. And be thankful that you can."

To find out more, go to LeeDumond.com.

Stand With Free Iran

Beautiful Life Friday and 6 Unimportant Faves

Melissa at The Inspired Room is hosting Beautiful Life Friday, where we share a post about how we found beauty where we are this week. "Whether we simply noticed beauty or created it, it is a good reminder each week to focus on what we are blessed with. A beautiful life is the one we have right in front of us!" Stop by her blog to see everyone's link.

This afternoon, I just grabbed my camera and shot off a few photos of things that I am blessed with here at my home.

Well, the first one doesn't have a photo to go with it. I have been really sick this week, especially yesterday, and today I don't feel deathly ill. It's a wonderful thing. Kinda like when you have a newborn and you get 4 hours of sleep in a row and you are thrilled. I'm thrilled to not be as sick today. Being sick was a blessing in a way, though, because I had to stop all the busyness and just sit on the couch, watch tv and play with Photoshop. That's a blessing.
I love Friday afternoons, because we don't have anywhere to go or anything to do. We just kick back and do what we want. That means the kids get a little extra "electronic" time. I'm blessed to have these afternoons with my little people. They will be over soon enough.

Mr. Jones replaced two of my outside lights. Bye bye ugly, cheap, dirty builder brass! Hello gorgeous, clearance aisle lanterns. Oh, yeah, my honey is good. He picked a beautiful light and got a good deal. That's a beautiful thing.

Here is the most beautiful thing ... my little man got off the bus today with a bouquet of hand-made flowers just for me. A mom should be so lucky.

My bouquet looked just right in my "perfect" blue mason jar that I got at the thrift store the other day. A blue jar and an old metal lid. These little things make me so happy.

And that Mr. Jones is always trying to make me happy. Always. This is what he surprised me with on Mother's Day. I am too blessed. Not just because of the computer, but because I have a husband who loves me so much. I don't deserve him.

This is the view through the back window of my Momtruck. Princess wants to revamp her closet with a dressing table. I've been looking for a 2nd hand desk acceptable for this project for a long, long time. The desk made its appearance at the thrift store this week. $10. Score.

My garden has reappeared after a long, cold winter. After growing up in California, where annuals are like perennials, I am so excited every year to see my garden come alive all at once.

My beautiful friend, Laura, pulled these lambs ears out of her garden just for me.

I love them. They are so soft and fuzzy. They're growing all over my flower bed.

And best of all, they remind me of what a good friend Laura is.

I was walking through the kitchen, and this is what I saw on the counters. It's a good thing I see the world through a viewfinder sometimes, because the next picture is a more accurate depiction of the state of my entire kitchen ...

Just keepin' it real. My house is not perfect, clean or staged. But I do see beauty in this photo. My whole house could look like this. I could tell my husband that I sat on my butt all day while he worked. And he would genuinely say "I'm glad you got to rest."

This is my mailbox post. Somewhere in there. Superplant had completely 100% died back for the winter, and 4 weeks after Spring started, he looked like this. In another four weeks, he may eat the mailman.

Here is a little drawer thingy I found at the thrift store this week that holds the mail and cell phone chargers, and the silver fleur-de-lis compote (a thrift store find from a while back) for my keys. I love it when the everyday things you use are beautiful. They don't have to be expensive, though.

I was also tagged recently by Katie's Nesting Spot to list my Unimportant Favorite Things. Thanks, Katie! She has an adorable blog and is one crafty little mama. Check her out.

Here are the three simple rules: Mention the person who tagged you, list six unimportant things that make you happy, and tag six more blogs! So here goes ...

6 Unimportant Things that Make Me Happy:

1. Newly vacuumed carpet. Even better ... new carpet.

2. Putting my clothes on right out of the dryer. Soooo warm.

3. Peach fuzz baby heads that smell like Baby Magic, and little clothes that smell like Dreft.

4. Sleeping with the ceiling fan on high and big down comforter.

5. Summer rain storms with the windows open.

6. Sitting on a newly mowed lawn at dusk with the neighbors.

Since I'm feeling lazy because I'm sick, I'm just going to tag anyone who wants to join in.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Cake Anyone?

For the last day of teacher appreciation week, we were supposed to make or bring in a small gift for the teachers.

I made a few of these and stuffed them with candy. Since this cake-making stuff is new to me, I learned last night that if you use thin paper instead of thicker card stock, the cake doesn't hold it's shape as well when you stuff it with candy. It still turned out ok, though. If I tied a ribbon around the side instead of putting the flower on top, it would have kept it together quite nicely.

I also made a clipboard for QTPa2T and Handsome's homeroom teachers. In the past I used ModgePodge for clipboards, but this time all I had was Crafter's Pick Decoupage & Collage Gel, and I think I like it a whole lot better. When it dried, the paper still felt like paper (MP has an elmer's glue-like coating), and the big deal was that there was not a single bubble. Not one. It dried perfectly flat. Then I just blasted it with 2 coats of varnish spray.

So here's my small world blogger story . . .

Handsome's teacher just left on maternity leave for the rest of the year. A few days after the new teacher started, we were talking in the hall because I substitute at the school part-time. She told me that she is a secret admirer of mine. Huh?

I didn't quite get it. She explained that she got to thinking the night before, that my name is Heather and she knew Handsome's last name was Jones ... so she wondered if I might be the blogger Mrs. Jones (in case you're wondering, she didn't recognize me outright when she saw me because my hair looks a bit different than the photos I have of myself on the blog).

Wow! Turns out, she has been reading my blog for a while. That completely made my day. When you start a blog, you think only your family friends will look at it. Then when other people show up, it's a nice surprise. Then someone in real life actually recognizes you, it is a great surprise and an awesome compliment.

Anyway, if you're reading this Mrs. R, you're awesome and I'm glad I've gotten to know you.

I Was Featured

I was featured on Skip to my Lou's Teacher Appreciation post. Woohooo! Thanks, Cindy!

Go check it out here, along with lots of cool ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Apples of Gold

I've been cleaning up my blog today, and I didn't realize that you can re-label your old posts without updating the whole entire post. I was about halfway through the project when I figured it out. So it probably looks like all my posts are new if you have bloglines or something like that. But it's just me being a slow learner. Sorry.

Anyway, I get these e-mails from a blog called "Apples of Gold." A guy named Doug Apple, who works for a Christian radio station, writes about living as a Christian and lessons from the Bible. I love these e-mails, and they always make me think about how I am supposed to live as a Christian. You can either go directly to the blog, or send an e-mail to dougapple@wave94.com asking to subscribe to Apples of Gold.

The kids and I just got back from our trip to San Diego.
We had a blast.

Especially here.

I got down on my stomach to take some of the pictures.

I think it was worth the sandy front-side I got.

And when I got back, I finally discovered Bloglines. Yes, I'm that slow. It's amazing I even know what a blog is. But Annie left a sweet comment that she was subscribing to my blog (thanks girlfriend). What? Subscribing? I had to Google that, and I found Bloglines. Seriously, I'm such a dork. You all have probably been using Bloglines since day one. But I'm with the program now. No more checking each blog one at a time to see if it is updated. Bloglines tells me what's new. What other wonderful things am I missing?

New Blog Background

I really loved the background I had before, but it was off center and I had no idea how to fix it. So I found The Cutest Blog on the Block this morning and got this FREE background. Yes, they have all kinds of cute backgrounds and they are free. And really easy to use. You have to use Blogger ... if you do, go to Edit Blog, change your blog format to Minima, add a page element (to HTML) and just plug in their HTML. I've probably missed something her, but it is basically that easy and they have instructions right on the blog.

New blog format

I've changed my blog format yet again, after visiting Dana's blog These are my two joys and seeing the gorgeous beach pictures of her two boys. Why on earth I didn't think of using my beach pictures for my blog, I have no idea!! But I like it ... thanks for the inspiration Dana!

I got the Underblogger Award! Wooohoooo!!

My good friend Martha tagged me with this, most special award the other day.

Isn't it lovely! I'm touched. No, really I am. Martha gave this to me for being a loyal reader, but how couldn't I be?!! She is so funny, I actually laugh out loud when I read her blog. And she gives really cool house tours, which I love because my favorite thing to do is to look inside people's homes.

Ok, so it is my understanding that this award goes to bloggers who deserve a little recognition for their blogs, even though they may not have a ton of traffic yet. Or maybe loyal, wonderful readers who faithfully read on a regular basis.

So here are my tags:

1. Martha, of course ... right back at ya' babe! I think Martha and I started blogging about the same time, and clicked right away. She has been reading the bologna I've been writing since the start, and that definitely deserves an award. Thanks girlfriend!

2. I know Martha already tagged her, but I've got to add her to the list. Linda is always stopping by to say "hi" and always has the most amazing design pictures on her blog. Always inspirational!

3. Liz at Mabel's House is deserving of this award. You need to see her cute dog (who happens to be in one of the most adorable banners I've seen) and her adorable house. This girl's got great style.

4. Penny, amazing Triathlon woman and loyal commenter. She has some great Thursday Thirteen posts you should check out. (Oh, and Penny, your new banner looks awesome!)

5. Trish at Harmony Hill Music, another loyal reader and just about the sweetest person I know!

6. Dawn at The Feathered Nest is a sweetheart who visits me. She always says the nicest things, like you've known her your whole life. And you're going to drool over her blog, folks.

7. Elzie all the way over there in Sweden, who has an adorable blog, and got me hooked on Swedish blogs. There are all kinds of fun things over there!

8. I also have to give this award to every single person who reads or has posted on this blog. It gives me great joy to know that you have stopped by, and if I haven't made it back to your blog to say "hi", please forgive me. I have the best of intentions, but my kids keep me so busy, my head is spinning, miscellaneous words come out of my mouth when I think I'm speaking clearly, and, well, I completely forgot that last thing I was going to write. Well, anyway, consider yourselves tagged because you are all awesome.

A couple people have asked me questions this week, and I will try to post on Friday to answer them. Also, I have to share this with you now but I will post a picture tomorrow: I have wanted a natural fiber rug for my living room for quite a while now. On my budget of $20, I haven't found one yet ... until now. Oh, yes, I pulled up to the thrift store today, and rolled up, folded up, sitting in the drizzle was a lonely pottery barn bound sisal rug (7' x 9') just waiting to go home with someone for the price of $15. Oh, yes, I snatched that baby up and paid for it without even unrolling it and looking at it. It is hands-down, the best thrifting find *ever* in my life!

Creative Blogs

Creative Blogs

Awwwwww shucks . . . me? . . . really? . . . featured on Creative Blogs? . . . yep, that made my day! I just *love* Kim's blog, and stop by every day to see what cool new blog she has featured. So to say that I feel special today is an understatement. And wow, I think I was actually blushing after reading her post. Thanks Kim!

So, since I love to have a picture with every post, I thought I would share Rascal and his Halloween costume I made at the last minute. Because my dogs have 2 inch legs, I had to do a little cropping on the necktie. You know, when I see dogs who actually have legs, it almost looks weird to me. Anyway, more on where I got the idea for the necktie later in the week when I post pix of the kiddos in their costumes.
Have a great day everyone!

(oh, and p.s., can anyone hear the music on my blog? My music player is on there, but it isn't playing music when I view the blog. Thanks)

I'm a Storage Star! Wooooohoooo!

I woke up to such a nice surprise today! I received an e-mail from Laura at the blog I'm an Organizing Junkie, saying that she has given me her "Storage Star" award for this post. I'm so honored! Thanks Laura!

Check out her blog, because she has lots of great information on organizing your home. She also highlights organizing products, and has started a new blog for her product reviews. My newest favorite is the Back Pack Rack. It hooks onto a door and has clips for bags and backpacks. You can slide the hooks up and down, so each Jones kid has clips at his/her level. The company didn't even charge me for shipping!

She is also having an Organizational Challenge starting November 1, which I will be getting in on. There are lots of messy spots lurking in the Jones Home that need an overhaul.

If you have internet problems, Firefox might help . . .

First I must say, that I have been so busy this week, I haven't had time to say "hi" to any of my blog friends. My sincerest apologies! You would think with kids being in school all day, I would have gotten a million things done in 1 week. Wrong! I am getting some things done though, and that is good.

Anyway, I did feel compelled to post about a huge revelation I had yesterday. I have had problems with my computer for a couple of years now. When I am on the internet, everything freezes up. Sometimes I have to hit the power button the computer just to get it working again. Also, when I'm surfing the net, the program will just turn off and I have to start over again. We hired an expert to come in and clear everything out of our computer and load all the software up again. A month later the same problems started happening again. I had no clue why.

This week all of a sudden I couldn't download anything, play any videos, or see some pages I have seen before. Couldn't figure out why. Ready to throw the computer into the street and smash it into tiny bits.

Then I remembered seeing Mozilla Firefox on my dad's computer, and a few weeks later reading an article about how it is a superior web browser. With my very limited computer knowledge, I thought "maybe getting a different browser will at least solve some of my problems." I went to Mozilla's website and did just that.

Now I'm going to shout this for the entire world to hear: FIREFOX SOLVED ALL OF MY PROBLEMS!!!!! Yes, every single annoying thing that my computer does while I'm on the internet does not happen anymore. I had no idea that my problems were all because of Microsoft Explorer. GGGGGGRRRRRRRRR.

Even little things like:

It would never remember my login information, even if I checked the little box that said "remember this every time I login." I had to type my e-mail login EVERY STINKIN' TIME! Now I don't.

I could not figure out how to alphabetize my bookmarks. I'm sure there is a way, but I wasn't about to spend hours figuring out how to do some stupid little thing that should happen automatically. Firefox imported my bookmarks from Explorer and instantaneously alphabetized them without me asking. Love that.

It's faster.

It has less buttons and stuff that take up time and space.

Easier to use.

I don't need to say any more. If you are frustrated with browsing, give Firefox a try. Very easy to install. It imports everything for you.

Next item to tackle . . . replacing Google Blogger which absolutely drives me nuts!

Pondering a Name Change

I have been thinking about changing the blog name to Mrs. Jones (old name was Heather J). In honor of this dilemma, I have added the song "Me and Mrs. Jones" to my playlist (I didn't already have this on my playlist because the content of the song is something I really approve of, but I'll include for today.)

What do you think ... change the name or keep it the same?

**Update: 1 vote was all I needed to go ahead and change it. Thanks Martha!

I've been tagged!

One of the sweetest ladies in the universe, Rhoda from Southern Hospitality, has tagged me to list 8 random things about myself, so here we go .....

1. I love my tv shows, and my 2 favorite shows that are airing right now are So You Think You Can Dance and Ice Road Truckers. I'm enjoying SYTYCD so much more than Dancing With The Stars because the dancers are *awesome* from day 1. I want to learn how to West Coast Swing now, but haven't been able to talk Mr. Jones into it yet. If you haven't seen Ice Road truckers, check it out. These guys drive big rigs over frozen lakes in Canada and sometimes they fall in!!!

2. I am very picky about hair cuts. I don't get babed out every day, and my hair is in a housewife ponytail or french twist a lot, but I want my hair cuts to be technically cut well. When the cut is great, you can do anything with your hair. And if I try a new stylist and she asks me how she should cut my hair, I run as fast as I can.

3. I love to be by water. The beach, a lake, the pool, whatever. I try to take my kids to the pool at least 4 or 5 times a week, and I even get in and swim with them. I can't justify spending the money, but have always wanted to have my own pool.

4. I love cake. I could live on cake alone.

5. I hate cats (although I have learned to love my neighbor's cat. She keeps my property pest-free, and she's a cool cat.)

6. I love guinea pigs. My daughter has 2, which I was strongly opposed to. They are sooooo cute, and they make the funniest little sounds. They also do things like popping up mid-air (there is actually a name for this .... it's called "popcorning"), and they speed around their cages (this is called "motorboating"). This is one of our pigs after a bath.


7. Blue is my favorite color, hands down.

8. I love, love, love Mexican food. The most perfect food ever is a fresh, hand-made tortilla.

Self Portrait Challenge

Ok, I got a lot of work done yesterday, but I did goof around with the camera a little bit too. It took me about 65 shots to get my self-portrait because I am not a talented photographer. The one I chose was like the next-to-last pic too. It is funny how it looks like I am smelling the flowers, because in reality I wasn't as close to them as I look and I was moving my head around while the camera shot so I would look blurry while the flowers were the focused subject. Only took about 15 minutes too. Sooooo, I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this blog (except loyal reader Martha), but I will challenge you to take a creative self-portrait of yourself. Even if you aren't a blogger, it would make a great photo for a journal or scrapbook about yourself. Give it a try. Post a link to your blog so we can see.

As for me, today I am painting the dining room and the desk. Yesterday I taped off all the molding and baseboards in the living room. My honey is going to paint the woodwork today. The transformation is almost complete, but I don't want to show you until it is done.

I'm a little overwhelmed about paint colors for the desk. I am not good at picking out colors AT ALL. I went in to the store today to get a green and cream to paint the little desk, and there were so many choices that I couldn't pick anything. Does anyone have an regular paint they use for this? I need a little help. Thanks!

Hasta luego!