a "sweet" day...

{1st treat ;} {curt's treat}

{and....tummy ache...}

today i worked in the salon, and daddy worked on a project for mommy.

travis was so sweet and patient and just played by himself

until we were done.

he came out and visited with me and my last client,

and actually said "excuse me mommy"

{instead of interrupting. i love when they randomly use manners in front of people,

it makes me look like such a good mom ;}

so for a special treat, for the sweet boy, i took him to his favorite place!

the coffee shop!

he gets the biggest cookie, and then "reminds" curt {the owner}

"weemember u gave me oweeo's {oreos} wast time!? dat was so cool..."

how can you say no to that sweet hint of a hint.

so he gets his bag of "oweeo's", talk for a bit and then head home.

i wuv my widdle trav!

{he is such a sweet boy}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

p.s. the coffee shop is not only super cool, super yummy, annnnd they were on cupcake wars, AND won ;} but they are in our hood, so we get to walk down there everyday!

yes i'm bragging...so if your a local and haven't been there yet, get your butts down there.

1st makeover deal!

so i already found an awesome deal for my bedroom!

i went to homegoods and got these pillows for $14.99

compared to the west elm pillow at $59 each,

i saved $88!!!

bedroom makeover...step#1

my bedroom has been the same for 4 years!

that is the longest any room of mine has ever been the same...

it's time for a change...and some color!

i just sold my entire bedroom set, so i am literally starting from scratch.

{as soon as i am finished i will have before and after pictures ;}

my color scheme inspiration...

{thanks to me sweet friend cassidy, who got me this vase for my birthday. it's from anthropologie} i love this pillow from west elm, but it's a bit out of my price range... i have a headboard similar to this that i just got...

it's much older, so my plan is to re-vamp it ;}

{read about it here} i love the throw in this picture! {especially since it's fuchsia, this will be added to the color scheme} these were the best that i could find so far in my price range... {please let me know which one you like best, #1,#1,#3 or #4??}

well...wish me luck!!

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

together again...

{previous before and after photo}

i finally finished.

my two previously old, dingy, orange, velvet chairs
are together again.

they are white, and new, and clean!

the foam is new, the buttons and cushions are new, all of the dirt and cat hair

found in the cracks, is no longer there.

{that is the worst part of re-upholstering...you never know what your going to find in the deep,

30 year old cracks of a chair or couch}

i did find a quarter though...

my next project is this beauty

"tuft luck"

so far, it sucks.

wish me luck ;}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

kids being kids

maybe it's because our mom let us play with an old water barrel, taking

turns getting inside and rolling each other down a hill in our old back yard...

or letting us jump off the patio roof onto our trampoline

{that's when they first came out...before all of the reported broken bones and such}

or sliding down our old stairs in sleeping bags, slamming into the wall at the bottom to stop ourselves, and laughing hysterically...

or building a fort in the rafters of our 100 degree, garage attic in the middle of the summer...

or perhaps it was because there weren't "DSI's" and "video games"

and big flat screen tv's in our own personal, in home movie theatres

{or maybe it was because we were poor and we just didn't know it}

either way! my point is...

i love seeing my kids and their cousins play...like, REAL play.

outside.

with boxes and a hose.

and buckets on their heads!

{the bag was a little iffy...we took that off ;}

last night my sister and i laughed as we watched our children rummage through

our neighbors bulk trash to build a "tree tee-pee" out of all of their tree clippings!

{it was actually pretty awesome...i would have gotten in but i was too big}

it was sweet, and awesome.

kids need to be outside.

they need to use their imagination.

so hide the video games, limit the tv watching,

or pretend like your poor ;} and let our kids be kids!

{at least until summer, if you live in AZ}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

baby poll!

ok, I officially started my 6th month.

everyone seems to "know" what i am having.

I don't really want to know how or why you think i am having one or the other,

especially if it's followed by:

real person comment: "your totally having a girl!"

me: "oh ya? how can you tell?"

real person comment: "well because with girls you usually get wider in your back side"

me: {a little confused since i was barely 2 months prego at the time with my

second. how could she freakin tell already!?} "huh....interesting..."

i had a boy that pregnancy.

so much for that theory!

any whoo.

take a guess ;}

{poll is off to the right side bar, above "followers"...oh and while your there, get on my followers list too ;}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

marlee and me

if only there was a way to install a mini video camera into my eyeballs, so that i might capture life's wonderful moments. in fact i'm pretty sure that if there was such an invention, we would have a lot better quality of "reality tv shows" to choose from, that were ACTUALLY reality.

on that note,

today would be a great season premiere into my very own reality...

for starters, it's spring break and travis my second has been sick with a stomach virus, which includes, stomach pains, diarrhea, headache, and lots and lots of whining...so bright and early this morning i woke up to crying coming from the bathroom {my bathroom, that had been freshly cleaned just the day before, might i add} i stumble in to see travis, sad, on the toilet. he had pooped in his pants and was upset...poor guy...but he had also missed, and pooped on the clean floor and toilet seat...awesome. we clean him up and get him clean clothes.

next, we go to the community pool.

it was all fun and splashing {travis not so much} after all it is spring break, so i try to do something fun...after about...i think...350 "mommy...mommy...mommy...mommy" 's at the pool which eventually turned to complaining it was "too cold", we pack up and leave. that was fun...

back to the house. nothing to eat. i have an idea! chick-fil-a! they can eat, they can play, they can get tired ;} so off we go.

we get to chick-fil-a, order, get seated, and bam! marlee smacks her lip and starts screaming AT the top of her tiny little lungs, in a chick-fil-a full of people, staring right at me {i hate that...} i know she is a little tired, so it was hurt/tired tears at this point. i finally get her settled down. we start to eat, i take one bite of my sandwich {which now i am sooooo hungry i'm shaking, because of the little baby in my tummy} when all of the sudden marlee throws up allll over. well isn't this nice...i manage to clean her up incognito {just a little trick us moms pick up along the way, aren't we so cool and lucky}. i finally, shaking still from hunger, get to take another bite of my glorious sandwich, when marlee {because now she is mad she is in only diapers} throws her cup of water, which spills all over MY food...it took a lot...i mean a lot...of will power to not start screaming and crying and throwing everything off the table in front of me out of frustration...........i salvage what's left of my soggy sandwich and try to eat, regardless of the fact that i still had a little throw up on my finger, because i am sooooo hungry, i don't even care...i got one more bite in when marlee made it impossible to keep the "starers" from staring...we packed up our lunch and left.

..she fell asleep in the car about 30 seconds later

{poor baby... i wasn't mad anymore...just hungry}

when we get home i manage to get everyone down for a nap. hallelujah! i'm pretty sure the boys went down, because they truly felt sorry for me.

i work.

{on my other job, that i do from home}

two hours later they are up.

marlee....sweet little marlee, poops. it looks like a doosey. because i'm so tired i decide to change her right on the coffee table in front of me {you know, to "save" time, plus i have never used a changing table in my whole motherly life, but the coffee table was the first;} as soon as i lay her down, SPLAT! it comes out from all angles! frothy, yellow, watery, poop...i busted up into a crazy laugh...we all started laughing, and gagging, and laughing, and gagging, marlee crying...which i don't blame her, it had smooshed clear up her back and into her hair. i get her to the bathroom, without dripping any on the floor

{another fun trick, up my sleeve}

get her cleaned up {still gagging}...so much for "saving time"

i couldn't be mad. she was so sweet. she let me clean her up without a fight, and after that she sweetly talked to her "my little ponies" in the bath, and taught them to "swim" {just like we did earlier today with marlee in the pool} "kick, kick pony!...swim! good dob!" {in marlee's words ;}

i hope the mommy universe is better to me tomorrow, then again my husband will be home to help...you see he works 3/24 hour shifts a week, and today was one of them...these days usually suck ;}

tonight i will watch them sleep peacefully, and forget about how hard today was.

and that's a wrap! "the REAL desperate housewife/mommy that works two jobs from home at 30+ hours a week, and is literally with her kids every waking moment" will be back ;}

have a fun weekend!

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

crazy hair day

after cooking breakfast this morning and sending ryder off to school,
i had a minute to myself while the other two kids watched a tv show...
right before getting into my shower, my quick 5 minute, all to myself shower,
my kids came running in
{thanks to my freakishly loud pipes in our walls that are a dead give away to running water in my bathroom}
"we wanna take a bath!"
"bubble bath, bubble bath!!!"
urggggg
they get in the bath.
after the fun "splashing game" i washed them up, dried them off, cleaned up all the water, and got them ready. then i got ready {sort of}
after spending 5 minutes alone, trying to cover the giant zit on my jaw line
{that has been there for a few weeks now, so fun}
i stopped when i heard nothing...
when it's quiet, and there are kids in the house, it's usually not a good sign.
when i came out to see what they were up to, i found a puddle of water on the floor,
my nice hardwood floor.
so i cleaned it up, i was annoyed, but what-ever. what's a little water gunna hurt right?
then....i thought....where did the water come from??
i saw marlee standing by the couch, with a really sweet and kind of odd look
on her face. almost like 'if i smile really extra sweet at my mom, then she won't be too mad' kind of look...
as i got closer to her, i saw on the table behind her my laptop.
my laptop sitting in a puddle of water!!
i opened it
{well first i screamed}
then i opened it...she had also poured water all over the keyboard, then closed it
and finished off the water on the top.
it was a lot of water...as i frantically tried to dry it off as good as i could, marlee screaming in the background because of my crazy scream that scared her,
i realized it was almost time for my other son to go to pre-school! crap!
and then he reminded me it was "crazy hair" day! crap!
blasted school spirit week.
whenever i picture myself really mad {like finding my laptop in a puddle of water} i picture my hair. i picture it standing straight up in every direction, with a little bit of smoke
sizzling off from the ends of it...is that weird? well i do...
so we go out to the salon and i make travis's hair "crazy"
and rushed him to school...
when your day starts off this way, the rest of the day seams to follow along with it.
today was one of those days...
tonight i will lay in bed thinking of ways to be more patient, and calm when it comes to life's little misfortunes......

{i also realized that earlier this morning marlee was upset at me because i had my laptop on my lap and wouldn't let her sit next to me because she kept pushing buttons. so i guess this was her revenge...what a sneaky little thing...}

xoxo
*buffalo gal*

spring hair tips

spring is near,
but have no fear,
i have some tips for you my dear,
{yeah...that was nerdy...}
but seriously tho.
read below!
{heeeey i didn't even mean to rhyme that time ;}

{click on the pic...sorry it's so tiny}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

20 down 20 to go

and marlee's "baby" *}

i'm half way done.

it's so bitter sweet.

"sweet" because of the obvious reasons,

the sweet baby kick in my belly for the last time,

hearing the super fast heartbeat,

thinking of names and getting excited about not finding out what we are having

{first time}

the fact that it's my last baby,

last stay in the hospital

{which i actually do love, i love the quiiiet time alone, the food, the room service/nurses ;}

and of course all of the chivalry,

people offering there seat when there aren't any left, holding the door open...

wait.

chivalry is dead, that never happens

{well to me anyways}

and that leads me to the "bitter"

i will be glad to be rid of the 4 zits that have been camping out on my chin since day 1,

the stretch marks to come

{which i did not get with my first pregnancy for all those who think they are in the clear ;}

the "you look like your about to pop!" comment when you have 2 months left to go

eating for two, which i am sorry to say is really not an excuse,

us women would loooove to think so, but you really shouldn't eat more than a couple hundred

calories more than usual...bummer

with that being said, today i ate

a 20 oz. jar of tapioca pudding,

1 egg salad sandwich,

2 homemade waffles

{with butter, syrup, and powdered sugar}

6 hot wing chicken wings,

3 suckers

4 dove chocolates

"5 GOLDEN RINGS"

{oh wait...i'm getting sidetracked}

which reminds me!

the memory loss...won't miss that...what...what?

the swollen feet, the heartburn, and yet to come the feeling that i have been

riding a horse for a week straight...

now that i have terrified any one who hasn't had kids yet...

{it truly is wonderful ;}

wish me luck on my second half!

xoxo

*bufflao gal*

"love it will never betray you...it will set you free"

i just have to give another shout out to this band.

they are awesome.

first off:

*how many bands do you know that can make all of those instruments look that cool!?

*how hot are their voices...?

*and i'm pretty sure the keyboarder is beating the base drum at the same time...

this song gives me goosebumps every time i hear it.

although very cool...the video does not do it justice!

you have to get the cd and turn it up...very loud!

{mumford and sons-sigh no more}

enjoy!

{i love how the Cello player looks like he is yelling really loud on the quiet part}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

dog days are over....

another reason why me and my sister's are meant to be ;}

we like the same weird music...

i love this song...and so does she {steph} apparently

luv it.

{Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (2010 Version)}

enjoy!

{marlee would be terrified of this video}

xoxo

buffalo gal

{and sista!}

i love you because...

husband

i love you because,

*you still write me love notes

*you tell me i'm beautiful and kiss me every morning

{bed head, morning breath and all ;}

*you pray for our family every night

*you always put me first

*you have the most handsome, refreshing smile

*you don't mind 'honey do' lists

*you always give me good advise

*you love to thrift store shop just as much as me

*you skateboard, play baseball, dollhouse, thomas the train, army guys,

play music, swim, ride bikes, play soccer, read books, paint, build things,

sing, go on flashlight walks, camp out in the back yard,

pray, do homework, with

our children...

and so so much more!

*you gave me 3 beautiful children and one more to come

{well technically i gave them to you ;}

*you go on late night in-n-out burger runs for me, and never complain

*you always read my mind

*your tall

*you clean without me asking

{alllll the time ;}

*your are an awesome cook

*you write me love songs

*you call me "mamma"

*you trim my hair

*you finish my unfinished projects

*your honest

*your loyal

*you make me feel beautiful, even at my worst

*you hold my hand, in the car, on the couch, at the movies, when we walk,

across the table, while we pray, even at the store.

{i'm not kidding...and i love it}

*you encourage me

*you are always the first to help

*you never get mad at me ;}

*and i know how much you love me!

i could go on and on,

but i think you get what i'm sayin

i love you because, you are all of those things and so much more.

you are the most amazing husband and father.

"god only knows what i'd be without you"

happy valentines day Hans.

xoxoxoxoxo

*your "beautiful, wonderful wife"*

eye candy

to all my eclectic friends who aren't afraid to funk-tify their homes,
and build your nest around your own personal style.
***

decorating your house is like picking out an outfit...
you can either buy straight off the manikin, and go out wearing the same thing as the girl sitting next to you,
or you can buy what you like, pull old and new together
and create a unique outfit, that you know no one else will be wearing.
{my sister found this awesome website}

{click on title}

happy birthday tooooooo meeeee!

i'm 31.

not the most exciting birthday in the world.

not to mention, it happened to land on super bowl sunday...

and my husband had to work...

i'm not too bummed, because again, i'm 31.

{not much to celebrate}

my husband did make up for the fact that he would be working on my actual

birthday though.

yesterday he made me breakfast in bed,

then we rushed off to sun city

{and hour drive}

to snatch up an amazing headboard, that i have been dreaming of for months!

i say "snatched" because,

a. only $75

b. i called and the guy told me someone else was coming to see it,

so i pouted and pouted enough that my husband

snuck out, called him back, and convinced him to sell it to us

instead because it was my birthday,

and i HAD to have it ;}

so after my yummy breakfast, off we went to get my dream bed

{pictures to come}

i opened my gifts in the car

*3 decor magazines to choose subscriptions to

{i will subscribe to all 3: dwell, elle decor, & habitus}

*the "mumford and sons" cd

{sooooo good}

*and thrift store shopping till my hearts content!

i found a lot or RAD stuff

{pictures to come ;}

my husband then cleaned the house,

and cooked me a delicious clam fettuccine dish,

yummmmmy.

it was a wonderful "pre-birthday" birthday.

hans had hoped i got everything i wanted on my birthday,

but honestly

i already had it...

{here comes the cheesy part}

i am so blessed with my wonderful, sweet, smart, funny, children

and another little person on the way.

i have a beautiful home,

an awesome neighborhood,

i live right next door to my sisters!!

a wonderful family that's loyal, and so thoughtful,

i have amazing friends, who i love so much,

and last but absolutely not least

i have the BEST, most handsome, helpful, funny, talented, kind hearted,

hard working, loving, affectionate, sweet, amazing

husband in the world

{i'm sure we all feel that way about our honey's}

but mine....is seriously,

the best ;}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

{and as i type all three of my kids are piled on the chair i'm sitting on, massaging my back ;}

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

finished product

i got this chair, actually i got two of them, for $50 last year
and i finally took up that upholstery class i have been talking about taking
for the last 7 years.
so far i have completed one of them
and the second one is almost done.
here is the finished product:

so for $25 a chair

and $30 in fabric per chair

$55 per chair!

{the class was $225, but soooo worth it}

next project is my beautiful tufted couch that my kids destroyed...

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

Ombre

i love it when a hair style

(that i unintentionally have, due to the lack of time, and my growing laziness when it comes to the maintenance of my hair)

starts to become trendy.

now if only

*rats nests

*3 day old pony tails

*and split ends

would only become trendy!

xoxo

*buffalo gal*

grease be gone!

don't let this happen to you

{don't be the girl who people think"is her hair wet, or greasy"}

it's a fact that your hair will be happier if you don't wash it every day.

the natural oils your hair gets from your scalp, keep it shiny and healthy.

although for some people, it's not always easy to get away with the luxury of not washing it every day.

you complain that your hair "just gets greasy so fast!"

and i still can't believe when i get a client that doesn't know the solution to the problem.

hair powder

otherwise known as "dry shampoo"

has been around since the beginning of time ladies! how do we all not know this already?

{okay, maybe not the beginning of time...but for a looong time}

and why/how does Brittany not know?

thanks to our ancestors, who used flours and fine grains to sprinkle into their hair,

we have perfected our little beauty secret, and mainstreamed it into some of our top product lines. bumble and bumble's is amazing because it comes tinted to match your color,

and has a nice scent to it.

of course now we have to pay a pretty penny for it.

gone are the days when you could sprinkle a little flour in your hair while baking some cookies

{well you could i guess}

but if your penny is pinched, like most people these days, and sprinkling flour in your hair

makes you feel like a peasant,

then you can do what i do and grab some baby powder!

sprinkle it in the palm of your hands and run it through the roots of your hair.

it not only takes the grease away, but adds a little volume.

now, don't get carried away ladies.

i know this can be exciting and i know what your thinking

"dry shampoo! now i can go weeks without washing!"

but don't let the "shampoo" part fool you...although it will mask the grease, and kill the odor

{i know, sick word, but true}

a good scrub with some good ol' fashioned soap and water is a must!

in fact if you do try to sneak by a week or so, use a good clarifying shampoo to give it a fresh start.

now this is not for everyone.

if you are an avid gym goer, your hair probably gets more than enough "natural oils"

so you will want to wash your hair.

or if your simply disgusted by that fact that we are even discussing this topic,

than you too may just want to stick with washing your hair everyday.

but just remember, if you do choose to try this

{if you already haven't}

as a rule of thumb

if you turn your head really fast, and you get a whiff of scalp mixed with powder...

it's time to wash it.

the real way.

the end

{sheesh that was long}

xo

*b.gal*

pre-bump, baby lump

is this for real!?

i hate that stage in pregnancy when your "showing" but not really "showing" and most people who don't know your pregnant may just think you've gained a little pooch from the holidays. or even better, when they do know your pregnant and say "aww i see the pooch!" and then rub it...!

ok....first of all, no pregnant woman wants to hear the word "pooch" nor do they want you to rub their pre-mature, bump, flab, that technically isn't "baby" yet since it's the size of a walnut!

and there is no "second of all"

that pretty much summed it up.

i do love being pregnant though. i love feeling the baby kick and punch inside my tummy. and i love having a good excuse for love handles. but mostly i love to eat, and i'm not the type to "eat for two" {because i do that anyways} but i will have an extra piece of fudge...or two...or three.

also, it is my fourth. so for now i will love my lump, because it will be

my last.

xoxo

*b.gal*

2011....

well, i could pretty much cut and paste my new years resolution from last year for this year, since everything {give or take a few} never happened.

i did however start to run...then i got pregnant.

and yes, i know you can still run when you are pregnant, but my body is just not built that way.

i did take up upholstery, and i love it!

everything else...was a no go. but i will give it another try this year {years go by really fast when your older}

also i've decided to try and "revamp" my blog, and get back on track with my hair tips...and other stuff.

xoxo

*b.gal*