I got mine.....did you get yours?

Looking forward to one of my favorite times of the year.

I don't know if it's the costumes or the sweet treats or the decorations or the silliness of it all but.....

I LOVE IT!

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails

So there's this man I know.  I met him 18 years ago.  I liked him the minute i set my eyes on his face.  In fact, I felt these strong feelings of love for him.  Crazy huh, having just met him and all.
  I thought he was the most gorgeous thing i had ever seen.  He didn't have a lot of hair but had the most beautiful blue eyes.   When I first saw him I was pretty tired but when I heard his beautiful voice this surge of energy came over me and I knew I just had to have him around me.  
Over the next few years we spent a lot of time together and really got to know each other better.  Sometimes he would do things that wore me out but mostly he made me laugh.  He had this energy that just wouldn't quit.  I loved him dearly and I looked forward to the little breaks that we would have from each other, but I was always anxious to get back to him. 

                                                                           

As time went on I grew to love him even more.  I loved watching him try new things.  He had this desire to try it all.   My pride grew with every new sport he tried or every new  musical instrument he got his hands on.  He could do it all and he could do it well.  Not only did I love him but I thought he was pretty darn cool.  He could make me laugh like no other.  There were times this man would make me cry and I would worry about him on occassion as well.  I think it's just because I loved him so and wanted the best for him.  
Pretty soon this awesome guy will leave me for a bit.  It's okay.  I knew this day would come.  He's on to  bigger and better things.  I want this for him.  I have loved every minute of this past 18 years and I wouldn't change a thing.  I won't even mind if he finds some other girl that he want's to hang around with more then me. 
 ( something tells me that might have already happened ).  

                             Happy 18th Birthday Ryan!

                      I love you and I'm lucky to be your mom!

                                                      

                                                       

                                                                  xoxo

                                                     

Lazy 101

 Today I don't feel like doin anything,

I just wanna lay in my bed,

don't feel like pickin' up the phone,

 so leave a message at the tone,

'cause today I don't feel like doin' anything,

nothin' at all.

                          -Bruno Mars

 Do you ever have days like this?  It is now 5 pm and besides picking up downstairs....I've done NOTHING.  No makeup, no "real" clothes and  I haven't  even brushed my teeth.  Nasty.

                                                                            

 And you know what?  I don't feel so guilty about it.  That is some serious improvement.  I am the queen of guilt.  Hubby has a  work meeting tonight and won't be home till late, so dinner will consist of something microwavable.  Yay me.  
Right now I'm sitting outside with my laptop watching my daughter swim in the pool.  That's good enough for me. 

                                                                              
                                                                    xoxo

AWKWARD AND AWESOME THURSDAY

Awkward


- Driving through the drive through and ordering a chocolate shake for the hubby and when the voice over the speaker comes back and asks "would you like whip cream on that?"  all I can "hear" is "sour cream". We then go back and forth for like 10 seconds about wether or not I would like sour cream on my shake...all the while my daughter is busting up and rolling her eyes as I have yet another granny moment.
- Driving my little one to school, waiting in the drive-thru drop off, waving to people and realizing when I    get back home that my hair is sticking up like a crazy woman.
- Having a crazy sharp edge on my big toe nail that keeps catching on the sheets but being too tired to get up and clip it.
- waving back to someone who's not waving to you.
- Getting another letter in the mail from the school about your son's tardiness. 
- falling back to sleep after you send all the kids off to school and waking up just in time to pick them up.


Awesome


- The trash being taken out without you having to ask someone to do it. (rare people..really rare)
- Friends who call you to share some of their good news.
- Realizing it's Friday when you thought it was Thursday all day.
- Buying a new pair of jeans with just the right amount of stretch in them.
- Falling back to sleep after you send all the kids off to school and waking up just in time to pick them up.  :)

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awkward:

- Getting to the step class at the gym late and having to go to the only empty spot in the room.  Right smack dab up front.  Don't mind me as I carry my step and riser thingys and set it all up in front of you.
- deciding halfway through the step class that you shouldn't have gotten the riser thingys.
- Only one tube of chapstick in the whole house. (not really awkward...just awful)
- Seeing someone driving the same car you own and thinking for a split second that someone has stolen your  car.  While.you're.driving.your.car.
- Calling the wrong number.  3 times in a row. Sorry lady. 


Awesome:

- When dinner is made and all but the dishes on the table are cleaned up and you're just waiting for everyone to get home to enjoy.
- Getting a new nail polish and discovering that it exactly matches the new shoes you bought.  I must love this color.
- extra cheese
- Knowing you don't have to leave the house all day.
- Clean socks.  Already put away in your sock drawer.

Guest blogger time!

Ladies and Gentlemen,  (well...ladies)  let me introduce my daughter Jordan.  She makes me giggle, chortle laugh and gafaw.  You should see her latin step instructor impression.  I die.

Livin the Vida Loca

Here is how my day started out:

Mom: "Jord, wake up. do you want to go do a Step Class at the gym with me?"

Me: "Yeah, totally."

(time elapses)

Mom: "JORDAN! are you not awake? we have to leave."

I then proceed to jump up and change. I brush my teeth. pull up my hair

and grab a piece of bread to eat. We are on our way.

Now, it's time for the Step class.

Just our luck. It has already started. The room is full of people and they all know what to do. Mother and I walk over to the corner and grab our steps and the (pardon my un-technical term) thingys to make the step thing higher. We then look to see where to go. Of course there is no room in the back. This is when I hear:

(insert your best Latin accent) "LADIES, LADIES. you can go anywhere. Come up here to the front." The instructor very loudly motions us to the front of the room. Let me explain this instructor. He is a latin man, probably in his mid forties. He has a microphone headset. (Britney Spears style)

and he sorta looks like this.

Okay, I kid. I kid. But by the way he was actin and groovin he might as well have been.

anywho..

I thought this was a step class. yeah. there was a step involved but this had to have been a Zumba Step class. The moves were all latin related. The people know: I have no rhythm. I just dont. There is a reason that I have been successful in avoiding the Zumba phase for so long. It is because i know i will look a fool if it is attempted.

Well, lemme tell ya. I couldn't keep up. Cha Cha? yeah. not a chance. I can barely cha cha normally peeps. add a step in front of me and it is just beggin for problems.

well bless his little heart but my instructor found me to be his little project.

He would move his step right in front of mine to try and help. and at one point we were sharing a step so that i could follow his moves. This was in a full room of people. ayeee

(Insert accent again): "5, 6, 7, 8 Lift your knee.. Yes or No?"

"Basic step. Yes or No?"

the man had a very sing-song sort of way of talking. add an accent and bam. I wish i could include audio. After almost every time he said something he would say, "Yes or No?"

ayyeee.. Well here comes the sad part.

Because of my only one piece of bread in my tummy, I started to get a little dizzy. My eyes started to black out and I knew it was cuz i was workin so hard and hadnt eaten.

Well, I said goodbye to momma and left that place.

The step is probably still sittin there.. sad and lonely. Wishin that its owner had more rhythm and a little more sugar in their blood. maybe i will go back to visit my step.. "Yes or No?"

                                                                           xoxo

Bieber fever turned cold

So what?

I've been a very naughty blogger.  Where have I been you ask?
Let me answer that question with a little ditty.  Once there was a girl.  This girl had a beautiful family and liked to take pictures of them.  Over the years she collected many, many photos. These photos ended up in a big box.  We're talking big box. Often the girl would attempt to "scrap book" said photos.  She would sit there with other ladies chatting and "scrap booking" for a couple hours and end up with one page done.  Who has that kind of time and patience?  This lovely girl decided that each page didn't need to be embellished with stickers and cut outs and such. She would let the pictures speak for themselves.  She decided to buy some nice leather photo albums.  10 in fact.  She would just slide the photos inside the waiting slots.  But...first she would have to organize the pictures that she had taken over the years in chronological order.  Sigh.


I've been around.  I've done stuff.  I've had a good time.  But I'm going to resist back tracking and just start anew.  I've got that big box to worry about and stuff.  That's enough for me.

Made with love and suckers!

Valentines for 25 1st graders.  Check!
 

(sorry about the poor picture quality)

Got the idea from HERE

xoxo

The renovation begins!

So My 40th Birthday is coming up.

 

 

In 51/2 weeks to be exact.

How did this happen?

Although thankfully a little wiser, I feel like that same girl at 17.  

Where did the time go?

All the other birthdays easily passed without any problems.  30 was a breeze.  I've never been one to care enough about my age to lie or worry about getting wrinkles early.

Why does this one feel different?  It seems that the closer it gets the more obsessed about it I get.  

Have I done everything I wanted to do "in my 30's"?  I know life doesn't end at 40 and I know that I've got maybe 1 or 2 (tee hee hee) good years left on this earth, but am I who I wanted to be yet? 

Am I on the path? 

I know I don't want to be fat and 40. 

(no offense to all my pleasantly plump and happy about it sistas)

I dreamed of being a "fit" young mom at 40.  Well "fit" I aint.  Fit left me at about 34.  Can I get it back?  Is there still time?  

What can I do with 5 1/2 weeks?

Well today was the first day of my  

"40 and fabulous" renovation. 

I'm exercising.

I'm eating well.

I'm reading.

I'm creating.

I'm trying to serve others.

I'm laughing.

I'm organizing.

I'm cleaning.

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

By the way.....big blowout bash or quiet get together with those I'm closest to?  Whatdaya think?

xoxo

Love all around!

So what does one do with a 2x6 piece of wood?  I'll tell ya!

This!

and this

Besides a 2x6 board that I got at Lowes, here were my supplies:


Sandpaper
paint
mod podge
fabric
ribbon
wooden letters
hot glue
distressing ink

 

I first cut the wood to the desired length depending on how big your wooden letters or your pictures are.

I sanded the wood down a bit to get rid of any jagged edges.

For the "xo" blocks:

I painted the blocks red and the letters white and used some of the distressing ink on the edges.

I slightly sanded the painted blocks.

I cut some fabric a little smaller and mod podged it onto the front of the block.

When it was dry, I glued the letters onto the blocks with hot glue.

I tied a sweet bow and hot glued that onto the top of the block.

For the picture block:

I painted the block a layer of green paint and then a layer of black.  (I like the affect of the green showing through a little when I sand the blocks after painting)

I slightly sand the painted block.

I mod podged my picture of choice onto the block and added a layer of mod podge around the whole block.

When it was dry, I added a decorative handle and tied a ribbon on one side of the handle.

Cuteness right?

The picture of Christ I used was a photo that I had taken of a print I have from artist Liz Lemon Swindle

but you could use any picture you like.  I think I'll do a family photo next.

         I linked up HERE   

                

 

           XOXO

Valentine Topiaries

Saw THIS and decided to get some felt of my own and make these.

 

 Puts me in the mood for romance crafting!

Crumbs and the like

Ya know when you start cleaning and then you see dust and grime everywhere and you just cant stop?

 Yeah. Me too.  I'm stuck in a horrible grimey bubble and I can't seem to clean my way out.  I think I might be going crazy. 

I want some organization in this home.  I NEED IT!  Badly.  

It all started with the "cleaning out" of the pantry. I oh so innocently went to grab my store bought bread crumbs and couldn't find the darn things.  Look, I'm all for making my own but...why?  I knew I had them.  I looked on every shelf, behind every half open bag of chocolate chips and outdated bottle of dressing.  Something had to be done.  Darn it. I was gonna have to take every last item out and clean and then...put...everything.....back.  Ick. 

Here's the mess before I began.

It doesn't help that everything in the kitchen winds up in the pantry.  With 2 teenage boys constantly rummaging through there it's bound to be a mess.  Right?

Let me add that I just realized that a girl's pantry is pretty personal.  You can tell a lot about of family by their food stuffs.  Take for instance my pantry.   Someone might be trying to drop a few pounds by the look of all the slimfast products.  You might notice that we enjoy cuddling up by a fire with all the hot cocoa around.  The canned items might suggest that convenience is important to me.  All the cereal might tell you there are kids in the vicinity.  Hmmm.....interesting no?

Finished.  All Tidy. 

....For now.

 

What does your pantry say about you?

p.s.  Here is what I'm working on next.

Oh no you di 'nt!

xoxo

Here's to lots more!!

21 years ago today was a good day.

I married my best friend.

I liked him from the first moment I met him.

He made me laugh.  He made me happy.

We spent a lot of time together.

He went away for 2 years to do some very important work.  

This made me love him even more.

He came home and we decided to get married.

We've had a lot of adventures over the years. 

   We stuck together through those early 90'.  Fads, hair and all.

 

We learned new things and grew together.

We made a beautiful family.

I think he's pretty darn cool.

I love him more than words can express.  I would be lost without him.

So glad he's mine!

That poor old man

It's raining, it's pouring............you know the rest. 

I also don't think it's kind to make fun of that poor old man. So he snores a little.  Maybe he has a cold and because it's raining he can't get to the store to purchase the needed medications.  Maybe he doesn't have any breathe right strips.  He's old. Maybe he got his licensed revoked because of his age and he needs one of his adult kids to come and drive him to rite aid and they are just too busy with their own lives to care.  I mean he went to bed and bumped his head.  I don't want to even think about why he couldn't get up in the morning.  Let's just pretend that his alarm clock didn't go off. 

ANYWAY.........

It's raining and we've been hibernating in our nice dry warm home. 

The girls and I were getting a little stir crazy and needed something to do.  Perhaps something to make.  This "something to make" needed to involve supplies that we already had.....'cause I ain't going out in that weather. 

We decided to make Inspiration journals.  At least that's what I'm calling mine. 

All it took was some composition books, some decorative paper, some spray adhesive, some ribbon and a little hot glue and

VIOLA!

Now......

On to the Inspiration!!!

New again

We have a dining room.  We have a dining room table.  If we actually eat in the dining room we have to lug 2 more chairs in there so we can all fit around the table.  ugh! This room does not inspire me.  I don't sit in there and glory in my surroundings.  We don't often eat in the dining room.

That is until now!

I decided that  waiting around for a new table and chairs was not the route I wanted to go anymore.  I'm aging here people....I got dinners to make and people to feed.  I would take this matter into my own hands and re-do what I already had.

I got my inspiration HERE

It seemed simple enough.

I forgot to take a picture of the whole set before...but here is the table as I began the sanding process.

I only sanded the top of the table.

I just made sure to sand off anything "shiny".

Painting the chairs was the hardest part.  All those legs and rounded edges.  After letting the first coat dry, I actually went back 2 more times and touched up all the areas I missed.  It's amazing what one can miss.  I think those glorious paint fumes were starting to get to me.

After all the painting was done I roughed up the edges with my trusty medium grade block sander.

I then applied an oil based polyurethane to the top of the table only. More delicious fumes for my brain.

Here is the finished project.

I went with the hubby to JoAnn's and after looking and looking and changing my mind and then changing my mind again right before the cutting table I chose some fabric to re-cover the chairs.

My sweet hubs also made me a bench.  Yea! More seating.

I also painted the side table.

Now I need a beatiful centerpiece for my "new" table.

Any ideas?