A long (but lucky) night

I feel like I relive those hours every time I tell the story and I'm not sure I have the strength to type it all out again. The short story is that I woke up to the smoke alarm just after midnight Thursday morning ... our deck was almost engulfed in flames. After many hours with the fire department and trying to get some sleep through the worry, this is what the back of our house looks like.

We are very lucky! The fire only damaged one wall of our home so we are still able to live here without any major hazards. Everyone is still a little on edge after the incident. And A is still worried about her toys that were on the deck that are now gone. 

She is worried that her 5th birthday party that we are having on Sunday is ruined. I don't know how to make her fears go away, but I do know how lucky we are. I've heard too many stories of families losing everything, including their loved ones, that I know we are lucky. We are going to be ok. The deck can be rebuilt, the wall can be rebuilt and our insurance will cover the costs. 

I keep thinking "damn I've been unlucky lately! first my car now my house", but then I realize that both situations could've been MUCH worse. I feel lucky. I still have my family. I still have my house. We are going to be ok.

Weekend through my camera

Pier 1 window shopping -- glass jars with chalkboard paint *swoon*

More Pier 1 browsing -- love this family rules sign for the kitchen

Little girls in a pool, what could be better!

How I chose to spend my Sunday afternoon

Be sure to follow me on Instagram -- @amazingmommy

OHP ... kids edition!

This week's Oh How Pinteresting link-up is all about the kids! I'm always looking for fun new things to keep them busy. Here's some of what's on our to-do list ...

Tie-dye ideas

Glow-in-the-dark bubbles

Finger knitting

Bubble painting

Sponge balls

Any other fun ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Diva Dash ... check!

I ran in the Diva Dash on Saturday morning. It was a little warm which slowed me down a bit, so I didn't make my goal time. I'm still happy that I accomplished it, now to figure out which race to run next!

Weekly wrap-up ... Instagram style

Last Friday we went to the drive-in ... it's our favorite!

I bought new running shoes for the Diva Dash 

A had her yearly allergy testing ... hoping for good results this year!

I took the kids to the zoo since I took the day off work. 
We were soo close to the zebra!

Linking up with Life Rearranged

Cheerios Bars

Dana over at MADE did her version of Rice Krispie treats and I was inspired to do the same! We decided to make ours less sugary and used Cheerios instead. Needless to say they were a hit!

6 cups Cheerios

8 cups mini marshmallows



1/4 cup of butter, melted

Melt the marshmallows into the butter. Fold in the Cheerios. Lay out in a greased pan to cool. Then enjoy!

My stirring helper

Ta-da! All finished and cooling off for eating time!

Linking up with 30 Handmade Days, The Answer is Chocolate and I Heart Nap Time

Campfire Cones

When we went camping I decided to bring the fixin's for Campfire Cones. Of course I found them on Pinterest and they seemed easy enough.

Here's what you need:
Waffle cones (or sugar cones)
Mini marshmallows
Small pieces of chocolate
Bananas, strawberries or any other fruit diced up
Aluminum foil

Take your cone fill it with all the goodies you want and wrap it in foil. Lay over the fire (not in direct flame or it will burn the cone, trust me on this one!) for a few minutes. Pull it out and eat like an ice cream cone.

These campfire cones got 2 big thumbs up from each kid!

Linking up with 30 Handmade Days, The Answer is Chocolate and I Heart Nap Time

I'm a slacker and a Bambi killer

I've been a major blogger slacker lately! There's been so much going on that I can hardly keep the days straight. To prove my point I rushed my DH and both kids to the other end of town last Friday so I could pick up my race packet and info before the handout time was up. I get there and walk in to find out that the race is this weekend and I'm a week early. DH was not pleased with me. My excuse for that one is that I was still all flustered from the day before when I hit a deer on my way to work. Oh and did I mention I was driving carpool that day. So not only did I strand myself from getting to work (which is 50 minutes away from my house) but I stranded 3 other people. Here's a lovely shot of my busted up car.

And yes that radiator fluid leaking all over the ground. Initial estimate is $3,300 worth of damage. Luckily I've got some killer auto insurance and I don't have to pay a penny to get it fixed! Needless to say I've heard more Bambi jokes in the past few days than I care to repeat. I'm taking the day of work tomorrow so maybe I can blog while the girls are napping. I've got a lot of catching up to do.