spring window shopping...

just a few awesome picks i wish would magically appear in my closet this spring...

Woven Skirt adorable!!

Blue and White Striped Boat Neck Dress with Black Skirt Bottom

Sweet Temptations Bow Sandals

Leaf Bag in Mustard

Rosy Cheeks Skirt

Morning Glory Cardi

Jagged Ikat Peplum Tunic

Lurex Stripe Scarf

Floral Ribbed Tank

Tiered Ruffle Tank

Linen Tie Front Skirt

Ruffled Chiffon Sundress

Ruffled Faux Leather Sandal

This outfit and This outfit are way too cute

Adorable! not for MY body.... but i like it

Bella Flower Peep Toe Flats

Metallic Floral Strap Sandal

Magenta Flower Ring

Dangling Charm Bracelet

Stamped Disk Earrings

i can't seem to create a post lately...

so i thought i'd share one that at least has something to do with me. lol

enjoy

On Being Outnumbered: Let's Get Weird: "Last night, a good friend and I went to the Kosala Buddhist Center. I went for two reasons, I needed to write a paper for a class that I'm t..."

and so here we are…another new year

 

2011…thinking I’m ready for some changes. new things…

i’ve started out so far by de-cluttering, isn’t that one on everybody’s list of to-do’s?

honestly, it’s been going well so far. i usually loose steam in big projects pretty quickly, but i’ve stuck with it and it feels good!

on my other list of to-do’s is to finish up my project life kit from 2010. i am awaiting a final batch of photos and i’ll be ready to get it done.

i have loved, loved, loved this project…i know it will be something of great value years to come. capturing a year of your life, the constant changes of kids and daily life…remarkable. i would love to do it again.

i’ve had my eye on the new 2011 turquoise kit from becky higgins. the first batch has sold out, and a new shipment should be in by the end of jan. not in the budget…but i can still drool over it. *sigh*

i’m also spending time while digging deep into my scrap room to pull out all the kids keepsakes from school and hope to begin on their school kit albums. another great offer from becky higgins and rumor has it she’ll be making a new school kit this year. will have to get my hands on that for miss C!!

planning a yard sale for spring. way over do!

my goal this year….2011…. is simply to simplify my life.

 

should be simple, right?

 

stay tuned…

and yet again....time escapes me!

so looks as though my 17 weeks has dwindled down to nothing and the official countdown to christmas has begun!

one thing i can say for myself this year that i haven't been able to say in the past is... i am actually finished with my shopping. shwew! it feels good!

december holds some fun activities for us. looking forward to the holidays and the kids being home.

i have spent way too many nights in the cold, until midnight or so putting up our griswold display...but i do love coming home to a lit house all month long.

no promises, as it is the busiest time of year...but i will try to post more often. :)
and with some fun random pics...b.c a visual blog is much more exciting than what i have to blab about!! ;)

flashback to march…

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yes. my bra is showing
yes. i am holding cupcakes on my boobs
yes. i am totally drunk in most pics
(and for those of you that know my extended family...you know why!)

yes. chelsea passed out an hour into the reception and my loving hubby held her all night so i could have fun

yes. tyler looks JUST like me
(and is growing up way too fast)

yes. nathan had more fun in the sand than in the wedding
yes. he came home with more chocolate on his clothes than what made it in his mouth
(who doesn't love a chocolate fountain)

it’s the most wonderful time of the year…

the other day i realized that there’s only 17 weeks until christmas. and i laughed, for many reasons… but the main being that i still have a wreath and some misc totes in my dinning room that never got put away.

really?

once again i feel as though i have blinked and practically a whole year has gone by.

and then i get excited to think that C will be thrilled to see our holiday light display!! :)

just a sneak peek!!!

first we have to get rid of this ridiculous heat and move on to the cool, crisp days of fall…crunchy leaves…fresh air…pumpkins, halloween, turkey day…i’m excited!!

we’ve already been enjoying preseason f’ball!!! YAY!

this is truly my fav time of year.

sept. through feb. i love it!!! ;)

N gets to start up soccer soon and we’re hoping to be teamed up with his BFF Ev.

lots of good times ahead… pumpkin spice lattes… i’m ready for fall!

(working on a project life update, i have pics from K’s wedding to share (yes, from march…i know, i’m a tad behind!) and some other stuff!)

adventures in DC

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bad blogger…

yes, i know!!

it’s been a roller coaster of events since i have last blogged.

T finished up elementary school and is officially growing up WAY TO FAST for my liking! she had a great end of the year party…had a slumber party with her girlfriends to wish a farewell to a close friend moving away.

we’ve had many trips to the pool!! rightfully so, seeing as yesterday was a whooping 102’!!

C turned ONE! seriously not sure where a whole year went? i’m not a fan of time passing so quickly! of course, she’s walking…well running! cute as can be, extremely affectionate and the most mischievous by far!! (she loves trash cans for some reason!)

we celebrated with an owl party! my dad sent down the cutest owl cookies from his bakery…i made her an owl cake…and tons of decorations. it was great fun!

N has been busy making some new friends! very excited to begin his new adventures in kindergarten!!

we have loads of shopping to do to prepare for school. T is planning her birthday party…we are finalizing our plans for a last minute family trip before this very short summer comes to an end.

T was invited to the coast for a week with a friend and has been having a blast at camp!

will update with some photos soon!

Souvenir Giveaway

Souvenir Giveaway: OK......seriously!!! just stumbled upon this site while searching out owl themed party ideas for C's first birthday! WAY EXCITED i found this site!!! YAHOO! as anyone who knows me knows that i HEART owls!!!! can't believe i never knew about it...

check out this way cool site and their amazing giveaways! you could even enter to win too...you know....and give it to me! ;)

sharing some pics…

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thought i’d share some pics from our mini vacay to Myrtle Beach back in April.

schwooooo!

too much going on!

still always amazed how much time has passed by the time i even think to check in! i've never considered myself a great "blogger". pretty boring and random everyday stuff. but i at least would like to try and post twice a month, at the minimum. haven't been good about that....huh?

for most reasons it seems, even though i run around like a chicken with my head cut off and most days don't know up from down (let alone what the actually day IS!), i feel as though i don't have anything really worthy of writing about. at least not in the world of "blogging".

i mean let's face it, "blogging" is nothing more than an on-line diary, a place to bitch, whine and moan about your life...share stupid stories, keep in touch with family and share photos...brag about cool happenings or new things. the list goes on.

right now about all i can think up is how badly my garbage disposal stinks! mainly b.c i'm perched here at the kitchen bar stools and that's all i can smell! ICK! thing is, it's on the "honey-do" list for J....only god knows when that will be addressed!!!
like I know anything about a garbage disposal!.... MY solution, have margarita's tonight so i can shove the used limes in there in hopes of making it smell better.
win-win situation! :)

oh....
check out The BIG Photography Giveaway!! heather was featured on 5-13, you have your chance all month long to win a family photography session in your hometown, or close by at least...by select photographers in each state giving away a free session! how cool is that!! just scroll over the calendar for a quick way to see what states were posted on what days, and leave a comment to win. it's the whole month of may...so check it out!

happy days...

you want to do WHAT???

so the most shocking event of the month for me was when my daughter came to me asking if she get her hair cut.

doesn't seem to be a very "shocking" thing to ask... most people do this often as a regular thing.

not my daughter!

usually things go a bit like this:

Mom: i think we need to go get a trim

T: NO....i'm NOT cutting my hair SHORT!

Mom: i didn't say CUT it SHORT...i said it needs a TRIM

T: NO!

Mom: you have to at least trim the ends to keep it healthy looking

T: (hanging her head and mumbling) i know... i know

literally... fighting it every step of the way...just for a TRIM!

so i was utterly and completely shocked when she randomly came to me asking to chop all her hair off. hair that she has been adamant about NOT cutting for years!! there was no friend who had recently cut their hair, no celebrity with short hair, no boy to try and impress (thank god!)...i was digging for anything to find out WHY!

her reply: i just want short hair... i feel like a change!

change is good. :)

and she LOVES her hair! (i admit, i feared her leaving the hair salon with tears... i know how much i adored and loved my own long, long hair growing up....)

she was giddy...the biggest smile i've seen on her face...

and so here is a before

and the after!

busy bee....collecting pollen!

seriously....felt like i didn't even participate in March and i blinked and it's almost May!!!

what the heck?

still awaiting an upload from miss Aimes to get the pics from Kathy's wedding (trip to FL in March) to share...

really, just feel like i've been running circles.will come up with clever post and updates later this week... just returning from a mini-get-a-way and need to unpack, re-stock the fridge and get some laundry done (which would go faster if we hadn't returned to a broken dryer!)

although it's quite the blustery day here... i would line dry if... HA HA HA, okay let's be honest, i wouldn't line dry even if i had a clothes line... i need my dryer back!

:)

February....month in review

Many, many days like these.... (check out Ty flipping in the background, that's a daily thing at the house too!)

Several hours transferring photos from 2 cameras and my phone via bluetooth cause my attachments won't open if I email them? Several more hours getting them on snapfish and trying to decide which ones I want to use from my Project Life kit!

Chelsea learned how to use a sippy cup... didn't take long, she loves those handles! Funny thing was to help her learn to lean the cup up, I had to push her elbows up for her. B/c if I held the cup up she would let go...thinking I was just going to do it for her! Hee hee!

Busted this little chicken dozens of times playing with the door stopper.... just one of many obsessions! Others including but not limited to the blinds, the bathroom door (open, close, open close) the heat vents, Nathans growing train collection in Dad's office since we told him he can't keep them in the living room, and the bag or potatoes in the bottom of the pantry!

Doing our daily work-out (I've obviously taught her well, by example of course... smirk!)

Many Turkey sandwiches, Peppercorn Ranch Sun Chips, and Root Beers/Cream Soda lunches with Nathan...he likes it when we "match"!

Super Bowl Sunday (still crying b/c football season is over) Great game!!! Good food, family and friends... and crafty decorations...all made by Tyler!!

Wouldn't be complete without some face painting! Amy just had to get Saints....

And Aaron's craft re-do after the game... those Colts decorations sure did come in handy for this...

Only about a gazillion shopping trips with this bunch:
Mrs. Latte

Mr. Orange Kitty

Mr. Schmoozer

and Miss Inchworm

All ending up like this: (which might be why I'm low on groceries and other funds, hum?)

:) Super Silly Orange Face Smiles! :)

Dish DETERGENT.....Dish SOAP..... what's the difference?? oops....THAT'S the difference!!

Hand made Valentine's....gotta love making holiday crafty goodies, especially when sweets are involved!!

Super fun, Super easy Valentine decorations made with love by the whole family!
(reality: bored on a weekend, tried to get the kids to do something artsy, they helped for 1.3 seconds. Mom was stuck finishing all the work, burnt the shit out of all ten of my fingers using hot glue (that didn't even work) all for them to eventually be pushed aside cause nobody could see the TV during dinner! REALLY???)

A trip to the doctor's to get an xray for Tyler's foot. Turns out she has Sever's Condition and we've been spending time with a Sportsmed and hoping to get it better.

Although her foot has been killing her, she wanted to stick it out for her meet... and her team took home 1st place! She also scored fantastic....she got 2nd on Bars and Floor, 5th on Beam and 7th All-Around (lowered b/c she couldn't participate in Vault)

Hoping she can make it to her last 2 meets!!!

Go Tyler!!!!

Bought Chelsea her first pair of shoes! I've chased down socks every single shopping trip of my life (Nathan is even on official "sock patrol") and thought the shoes would be my answer to this problem....spent an extra 45 min. in Target the other day looking for one of the damn shoes! Ugh!

Service of the month:
Peanut Butter Bird Seed Pine Cones!

Although most of them went to these little thieves... (guess they need food too)

We did enjoy seeing some birds!

Put pink highlights in my hair....just b/c! I've always wanted to do it, love Rachel McAdams hair when she did it here.

and last but not least.... I've been told I acted a bit like THIS
Princess Chaos was born! Not a shining moment for me... No barfing...(thank goodness) but apparently I was quite the trash talker!!! LMAO (we saw a hooker wearing a pink Snuggie with a black belt around it...some people just invite trash talk! She flipped me the bird apparently! ROF) Hey, everyone needs a night like that every once and a while... and for me... it had been quite a while!!! Aimes birthday was the best, turns out you would have thought it was MY birthday... but we all had a blast! (thanks again to you Ma!!)

Well that about sums it up for the month of February. We'll see what March brings.... should be equally entertaining!!! :)

has it really been 7 days already?

wow....time escapes me once again!
i've been trying to be good about posting more frequently than i have in the past...not working for me lately.

busy, busy, busy

i've been doing pretty good on my project life documentation. taking pics, journaling everyday in a notebook to refer to later when i actually scrap everything. keeping little things like receipts, tags and grocery lists. uploaded all my jan. pics to snapfish and have them printed and ready to go. just need to find the time to sit and scrap them now. excited to get working on it.

SB sunday was a blast!! great game... saints sure did show some moves!!!
sad to see football season go... what to do now? lol

v-day is around the corner, working on making up some yummy treats, helping T make some goodies to share with her friends and putting up some cute decorations around the house... great ideas here!

hopefully i can get some pics up for you soon.
have a outlet mall trip planned this week and my big sis is coming to visit!!! :)

your words are bigger than you think...

everywhere i turn, everything i read lately is all about kindness, love, your words and what they mean. dare i say it...getting "older" i realize that there is much more to life than simply pushing your way through it. and words have a greater power than i think we all realize. there's much truth in the statement; think before you speak!

words are carried around with people, you may not always be able to see their immediate affect, but they stick.

just a couple of blog postings i ran across, good reads to make you think....

here
here
and here

winter finally shows up...

life stories...

i've always liked the idea of a 365 project; a photo a day concept to document a year in your life...or every year in your life, however long you wanted to keep going with it i suppose.

it's not that i couldn't commit to doing so...it's more so that fact that i'm forgetful. i never take my camera with me when i go about my average daily day. i'm good about snapping random photos of everyday stuff, but just like most people....my photos mostly consist of "events".

i've been drawn to ali edwards take on scrapbooking for this reason alone. she celebrates everyday life. living in the now and how to document your life story. i feel it's important. scrapbooking started out as a fun hobby, something to enjoy with friends, a stress reliever, exploring creativity. but the older i get and the bigger my family gets...i realize that it's more than that. i want to be able to have a history to pass on. i want my children to be able to look back into their childhood and have more than just dusty boxes of photos. while it's great to have those, and most photos speak for themselves and your mind will offer all the memories of the moment, some moments just need to have their stories told in way that they can never be forgotten.

today, in the now...we think to ourselves that we'll never forget. whether it's special moments with your spouse, silly words or phrases that your child says or having a laugh with a friend. these little things that are priceless to us, they need to be documented in order to leave behind the story of you!

okay, so to get to the point, i broke down and purchased the project life kit from becky higgins. it's a scrapbook based on the 365 (photo a day) project. it has all the spaces available to have a week at a glance, allowing for 7 photos and journaling to go with it. i'm very excited about this concept...and i figured what better year to start than 2010!

it will be an experience, and it will end up being treasured.

i hope to stick with it, an i hope share some with you soon!

recipe to share...

i could live off of broccoli slaw lately, not sure why, but i make it just for me (T and J will eat it, but not just because!)... and so i eat all of it by myself!!

so just to share:

broccoli slaw

1 package broccoli slaw (found with bagged salads)
1 bunch chopped green onion (optional)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 package ramen noodles (beef or oriental) (i use oriental)
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 - 1/2 cup oil (i have used both veg. oil and olive oil, both seem fine)

in a bowl combine: broccoli slaw and onion.
in small sauce pan, saute in butter: sunflower seeds, sliced almonds and crumbled (bite size pieces) ramen noodles (add no water or season packet)
about 5 min.

add to broccoli slaw
in small bowl combine: sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and season pack from noodles
mix well and add to broccoli slaw. stir well.

it does get soggy overtime, if using for party i suggest pouring sauce on right before eating. refrigerate, should keep for 2 days. i prefer it cold, so after making it, i let it chill for 2 hours or so.

yum!

f a m i l y

yesterday we had our family photos taken again, this time we had a bigger family! and the great thing, the photos were even more special....because the photographer is family too!! my wonderful, super talented big sis took our family photos for the second time, and they are FABULOUS! i just love, love, love her work!!! and not just saying so cause she's my sis either!!

we had our challenges, as i'm assuming most families do. we were running late (what's new!) and we struggled with clothes, we struggled with tantrums, falling, being scared (pics on the stone in waterfall) we struggled with parking (lmao!!! you had to be there!! hee hee)
but overcoming all that....we had a great day, a great time and now we have the perfect family photos!!! all thanks to heather! C=

so here's a sneak peek...
can not believe that C is almost 7 months old already!!

considering N didn't have a nap (he sooooo still needs them) and C has been teething, meanwhile i have had 4 nights in row of being up til 3-4 in the morning... we all cleaned up pretty well!! C=

can't wait to do it again....
you rock heather!!!!!!!!!!!! love ya!!