A Capricious Perspective

Insta Friday

2012-01-26T18:34:00.001-08:00

HELLLLLO FRIDAY!

Hello party weekend!
Saturday Tangled friend party.
Sunday family party.
Monday cupcakes for school party.

That crazy little Girlfriend is loved.

Self portrait for the week.

Girlfriend managed to get her tinted chap stick...all over her face...
all over her new clothes...all over the van...

Last week Girlfriend drew ALL over our couch with an ink pen while I was making those yummy cake batter rice krispie treats.

She cannot be trusted.

So we got a new couch and love seat.
New furniture was long overdue...Abby just made sure it happened sooner rather than later.
Thanks Abby. It kinda worked out great.

Andy took the kids to Sam's Club for baby formula.
And they came home with this.
Great.
34 quarts.
Of bright red Tropical Punch non the less.

He also picked up these lovely little sugar balls of evil for breakfast.
He leaves me with 34 quarts of Kool-Aid, doughnut holes and two already hyper active children when he goes to work.
All I can say is...
Paybacks are hell, Honey. Hell.

One of my most favorite people in the entire world came by for a visit this week!
It was so refreshing to see her again.
And.her.children.are.the.most.adorable.kids.I've.ever.seen!
I love it when you see someone you haven't seen in years, and you pick up like it was just yesterday that you were getting your belly button pierced in college at some seedy tattoo parlor.
Ha! Those were they days.
Now we both drive mini-vans and cherish chasing our kids around all day.
I love ya' Dooner.

Birthday party preparations have continued throughout the week.

I made a yummy chicken gnocchi soup this week.

And AJ lost a tooth!
I love how proud and excited he is in this picture.

Let the wild rumpus begin!

Rice Cereal

2012-01-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

I love this milestone.
It truly is one of my most favorite parts of raising my bambinos.

It is kinda bittersweet though.
My little guy isn't a newborn anymore.

He's really taking the world in now.

Starting to get a little opinionated.

And starting to voice that opinion.

His little personality is starting to really shine through.

And I'm trying to soak in him being a baby before I blink and
he's climbing ladders like Abby or building Lego sets like AJ.

Because raising kids does funny things to time...

sometimes time travels at warp speed like when register your first born for kindergarten, yet it just feels like yesterday that you were bringing him home from the hospital...

other times three minutes can feel like eternity like when your two year old is throwing a tantrum at the grocery store or when you're sitting in the waiting room of the emergency room with a toddler that just ingested toxic flower seeds...

and
other times it simply stands still, transcending chronological time where a fleeting moment makes you feel the deepest inner peace and harmony as you take in the perfection of your blessings. Like when you kiss your kiddos goodnight and pause to just listen to their breathing...or when one spontaneously holds the other one's hand walking into preschool...or when one thanks God for their siblings before they curl up under the covers...or when they crinkle their nose and smile with all their might as you greet them over the side of their crib first thing in the morning. Times when you feel like you have done something right.
It is simply magical.

Insta Friday

2012-01-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

Here we are again.

What a week.

I'm always looking for yummy, easy dinner recipes.
And this week I found a new one!
I.could.eat.the.entire.pan.myself.
Not kidding.

I whipped up a little shirt for my nephew, Vincent,
who is turning one in February! One. Where did that year go?!

We ventured out to the museum this week.
As we were walking in Abby promised me she would not climb on any dinosaurs.
Ok. Good. Let's stay off the dinosaurs you little crazy.

As we were walking out AJ said his favorite part was eating lunch there, and
Abby said her favorite part of riding the elevator.
Really children?!
We could do those things at Ikea, and I just paid $65 for a membership to the museum.

Sopaipillas at The Rio.
A.m.a.z.i.n.g.

I made homemade foaming soap this week!
So easy. So cheap.
I just peeled off the sticker on a Bath & Body Works foaming soap container...
put one tablespoon of liquid hand soap in the container...
& filled it the rest of the way up with water, leaving a little space at the top for the foaming action.

One tablespoon of liquid soap! & they charge $5.50 per bottle!
rip.off.

Girlfriend and I painted our nails...

But my nails didn't fair so well after I had the whole drive the van into the side of the garage...
then buff the paint from the house off the van situation.
Apparently I don't need to gun it up an icy driveway to drive the van into the side of house...
just a little depth perception problem does the trick.
Nice.
So if you're a neighbor and were wondering why I was washing the van in freeze your butt off weather...now you know.
It was a great day.

Girlfriend's party preparations have begun!

AJ requested homemade lasagna for the dinner the other night...
this is what he got:

I resigned.
I am no longer a teacher taking one year off.
I am officially a stay-at-home mama.
I am officially not a teacher.
The paperwork has been submitted.
In celebration I made cake batter rice krispie treats.

We are on our third power cord.
At $85 a pop, that is $255 in power cords.
Seriously children?!
What do you do to these things?!
I'm going to guard this one with my life.

We got a very basic elliptical off craig's list for $90.
It is kicking my butt.

Brody is still as happy as can be.

And that's enough excitement for one week.
At least for me.

A Couple Of Cowpokes

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously.
This is what it is like to live with Abby.
Just so full of life and excitement.

Love those blue eyes...

and freckles!

Four Months

2012-01-17T15:58:00.001-08:00

Prints

2012-01-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

My wonderful lil sistah made me some fabulous prints for Christmas.
I love her.
I love prints.
I love that she makes me prints.

I decided to try the cute fabric in the embroidery hoop thing with this one.
Love.it.
Embroidery hoops are like $1.50 to $2 at Michael's, and we all know my love for fabric.
Those little hoops might start appearing everywhere in my house.

This one might be my favorite one.

Ha! This one greets you when you walk in the door.
It's like a little disclaimer.

And this one is perfect in my sewing room.

Thanks soul sistah.

You're pretty cool.
You must have had an excellent role model growing up.
Ha!

Happy Insta Friday Y'all!

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

I swear time goes by three times faster with three children.
Didn't I just post Insta Friday?! Like yesterday?

I've had this overwhelming need to do house projects lately.
Which means a wee trip to Ikea was inevitable.

Before:

Seriously, what the heck is the purpose of those upper windows?
They.are.a.pain.in.the.butt.

After:

Take that upper windows.

I am in love with the wire cable look.

In the middle of the curtain project Abby joyfully boasts, "Look mom! I'm up high."
I glance over to see Crazy herself at the top of the ten foot ladder, holding on with one hand, and waving at me with the other hand.
Dear Lord. That child scares the crap out of her mother on a daily basis.

Did I mention I'm in love with the wire cable look?

Lemon Creme Raspberry Cheesecake
You had me at lemon.

Girlfriend said her "girls" needed some new shoes.
Of course they did.

Have I mentioned that I h.a.t.e snow?
And that it snows like everyday here?
Seriously. The van slides back down the driveway when it snows.
I have to "gun" it and pray not to slide into the right side of the house...or into all the crap on the left side of the garage. Not my favorite part of living in this state.

I usually have to buy some liquid courage from the local drive thru Starbucks before
"gunning" it up the said driveway.

Goodness. This is the happiest baby in the world.
I have hundreds of pictures of that smile.
How could I not?!

Have a great weekend!
Whatcha' up to?

I think I'll read some paranormal romance...
maybe play some board games with the kids...
maybe sew or quilt a little...
maybe watch a movie...
maybe paint Girlfriend's nails...

Snow Boots

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

Out in Colorado, I swear it snows ten months out of the year.

So ya need a cute pair of snow boots.

The kind that look fun with skinny jeans...

have pom poms on the laces...

and little snow flake charms.

Sugar Cookies With Royal Icing

2012-01-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Andy dropped the kids off at preschool one day
and signed me up to make cookies for Abby's cowpoke lunch.

Mind you, when I dropped them off I signed up to bring spray butter for AJ's cowpoke lunch...
because well...one will take all day to make with three children, as well as destroy the kitchen
and the other...you can just run into the store and grab.

Thanks Andy.

So, I decided go big or go home.
Let's make sugar cookies from scratch and decorate them with royal icing.
I could add little stitching details and put each kid's initials on their cookie.
This will be fun.
People will be so impressed.

um-hum.

Andy found some western themed cookie cutters for only $0.76 each!
And I found a fabulous blog with a sugar cookie recipe
and step-by-step directions with pictures on how to decorate cookies with royal icing.
This was going to be great!

And so begins my grand cookie adventure.
This is the part where you no longer ask things like, "How do you do it all? Three kids and you still sew and make cute cookies?"

Because you will soon get a sense of the craziness I call reality.

10:30am...Brody has been fed...twice, I am dressed in clothes that could count as pajamas, and the kids have had yogurt and cereal for breakfast.

Time to start gathering ingredients.

With the kids caught up in a new Lego set, I went unnoticed for about ten minutes.
Then my helpers descended upon me.

At first, the damage to the kitchen was minimal.

Dough ready to chill in the fridge by 1:30pm.
Not too bad.

Then all hell broke loose.

The kids started fighting and suddenly developed a sassy attitude towards their dear mother.
To which I realized...oh we haven't eaten lunch yet.
Damn cookies.
Here, I had a brilliant idea...let's just load up in the van, swing by daddy's work to grab the cookie cutters he bought over his lunch hour, and the best part...eat lunch at Sonic!

We finally make it back home about 4:15 in the afternoon.

The cookies are still in the form a giant dough ball in the fridge.
I should start thinking about dinner...but they just ate lunch at like 3...so we should be good for awhile.

Cookies cooling by 6:00 when Andy gets home and asks, "What's for dinner?"
Ha! Wrong thing to ask.
So, we had a "fend for yourself" dinner night.
I'm not even sure what they ate.

7:30pm all the cookies are out of the oven, Andy takes the kids to get ready for bed, and I begin phase one of frosting with royal icing.

9:30pm and I have 36 iced sugar cookies for Abby's cowpoke lunch!
No stitching detail or initials.
Just 36 plain cookies with royal icing.

11:00pm the kitchen has been repaired back to its normal state.
11:15 I make it to bed.

And I still need to run to the store and grab AJ's spray butter tomorrow.

January 10, 2005

2012-01-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

I vividly remember a phone conversation January 10^th 7 years ago today.
It is a conversation that I hold in my heart everyday of my life.

I was sitting on the couch, and my brother, James, called. I remember making small talk and laughing. My brother mentioned that he was looking for a change and wondered if I might be able to talk Andy about getting him a job. This is the moment, I will forever own and forever wish I could take back.

I hesitated.

My brother was a passionate person. He was a restless spirit.

He had almost too much passion and adventure caged in one person.
I was not sure how to handle how this could unfold.

In one selfish instant, the damage was done.

My brother sensed the hesitation and awkwardly ended the conversation with a quick, “I love you, and will talk to ya later Chance.”

He later told my mom he was sorry for putting me in that position.

What position? The position to open my arms, and let someone I love know it?

The thing is, I let my brother down that day, and we never really know what someone is going through on the inside.

I held back, and it was stupid. I will never know how my brother being in Colorado would have unfolded.

It could have been the best thing for both of us.

It could have flopped miserably.

The thing is, I didn’t even give it a chance.

If I could take back one split second in my life, this would be the one. My split second of hesitation when someone I loved reached out.

Things may have still unfolded as they ultimately did, but at least I would always know that my brother knew in his darkest moments that I loved every single part of him unconditionally.

You see a little over a month later, on President’s Day, I found out my brother took his own life.

And I know people will say that I should not own his death, but as a sister I will always own a piece of it. Someone I loved and grew up trick-or-treating with was in a dark enough place to take his own life. I should have let him know what he meant to me, and without hesitation said, “YES! Come out here! We can go hiking in the mountains! It will be fun!”

If I can blast any message, it would be don’t hesitate.

Open your arms fully to those you love and embrace all that comes with it. You just never know if it will be your last opportunity.

I love my brother dearly with my whole heart and soul. I try to cherish and remember the things I don’t want time to let slip away.

His laugh. How his bony collarbone felt when I hugged him. How he used listen to his music so crazy loud when he drove with all the windows down. How he took in the world around him with such intensity. How he got a thrill out of getting my mom all worked up or scaring my little sister and me. How he took me out for steak and eggs when I graduated. How he used to put his hands in his pockets so his shoulders were slightly raised when he was around people.

How he was always up for a new adventure.

How he never hesitated.

The world lost a truly amazing person that day.

My little world was rocked to the core and my frame of reference was forever changed.

Songs, smells, the similarity of someone’s jaw line to my brother’s jaw line bring back fleeting memories nearly every day, and there is a sting in my heart.

Life is short and unpredictable.

Please don’t hesitate to love unconditionally.

Insta Friday

2012-01-06T06:47:00.001-08:00

We are settling back into the normal swing of things.
Thank Goodness.
This mama needs some routine to rein these wild ones in.

With a couple warm afternoons,
we were able to get out and let Girlfriend try out that new scooter from Nana and Papa.
Brody was snuggled up in the Moby and AJ and Abby let out some of that pent up energy.
It was lovely.

Until Abby decided she was done and just rode off on that scooter.
You always think they will only go so far and come back...
then you run like hell to catch up with them when they don't.
That's a different kind of lovely.

We celebrated New Years with the wildest people I know.
But they were in bed by 8pm.

So I read into the new year.
It was the good kind of lovely.

Seriously?
Rock hunting.
At this rate the entire perimeter of my back yard will be in AJ's room by Valentine's Day.
Who knew the builders blessed us with lava and space rocks
when they landscaped our back yard?

OPI's Muppet's Line: Divine Swine
It's quite divine indeed.

And this boy's smile makes everything in the universe right.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Real Or Not Real?

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

Some books are to be tasted,
others to be swallowed,
and some few to be chewed and digested.
~Francis Bacon

…something is significantly wrong with a creature
that sacrifices its children’s lives to settle its differences.
~ Katniss Everdeen, p. 377 Mockingjay

"Real."

Words For 2012

2012-01-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

Some people pick one word on the dawn of a new year.
A word to inspire them.
Guide them.
A word that encompasses how they want to live their life over the next 365 days.

A catalyst for ambitions going into a new year.
An invisible, abstract idea that drives their actions,
grounds them,
helps them focus, re-focus, meditate and reflect as they go through the year.

I tried.

But one word is not enough to truly encompass how I
want to take hold and start living my life
as a better mom,
a better wife,
a better friend,
a better sister,
a better neighbor,
a better person.

I actually came up with a crazy long post paragraphs long.
Too long in fact.
I edited, revised, totally rewrote, and in the end deleted that post.

It was too...
well too wordy.

My little sister, one of my closest friends that knows me better than anyone in the world
sent me this one time,

and said if I had a manifesto
this would be it:

There is so much truth in those simple black words.
They are the kind of obvious truths that you know are lingering in the background
of your fast paced life...
that slowly sneak up on you, then slap you in the face.

Or at least that happened to me last January when I was stressed to the max
and looked down to find a positive pregnancy test...
and decided to take the leap of faith I was always afraid to take
and become a stay-at-home mom.

So in the end, with this manifesto in the back of my mind
and all its truth in my heart...
I came up with a list of my words for 2012.

Simplify
Prioritize
Filter out
Commit
Reconnect
Accept
Embrace
Grow
Discover
Honor
Authentic
Balance

Christmas Family Pic Fail

2011-12-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

Why is it so hard to get a family picture?

Seriously children?

Last Insta Friday of 2011

2011-12-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

Buckle your seat belts folks...
because our post Christmas recovery has been really exciting.

I mean brace yourself.
This is some crazy stuff...
edge of your seats, take your breath away insta content here.

I went through all the toys in the basement...
and filtered out toys the kids haven't touched in months.

Does it get any more colossal than that?!
You need to know these things about my life.
Keep reading.

It was a covert mission.
I'm not kidding.
We waited till the kids were asleep
then loaded the boxes into the back of Andy's car in the dark for an unannounced late night
Good Will drop off.

Because
AJ would freak out...
dramatically declare his devout love for,
weep excessively over,
and desperately beg to
keep.every.stupid.little.toy.in.those.boxes.

And I just don't do well with
unnecessary dramatic flare.

So without further ado...

here is the play room after the big toy overhaul.
They still have a lot of crap if you ask me.

Here is my self-portrait of the week.
Pocahontas much?

We haven't bought a bench to solve the lack of enough chairs at the table scenario yet...
so the huge dinosaur of a high chair came up from the basement
during my eliminate excessive toy rampage.
Man, that's a cute lil' fella in that monster of a high chair if I do say so myself.

I have aided in putting together over a thousand Legos over the last three days,
and I have to say the space shuttle is the coolest set yet.

And I know I kinda made fun of the little grown man that works at the Lego store...
because he is an adult obsessed with little plastic toys,
but I think I kinda get the Lego obsession now...just a little bit.
Okay, so...
don't be surprised if you see me working at the Lego store part time on the weekends one day soon.

Do you see that little Brody mohawk?
I know the bug eyes are a little distracting at first, but look again...
it's there.

Seriously, I do enough laundry that if we could just convert the energy it takes to fold and put it all away into a renewable energy source, we could solve any and all future world energy crises.
Can I get an Amen from all the moms out there?

And I may have consumed an entire box of $18 truffles in one sitting over the first 50 pages of
The Hunger Games last night.

It's hard for me to buy a 99 cent bag of m&m's without a coupon, but
all bets are off when it comes to Godiva's fine, gourmet chocolate indulgences.

Have a fabulous New Years.
Resolve to start Insta Friday's.

3 Months

2011-12-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

Insta Christmasgram

2011-12-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Between 3 kids and Christmas,
I lost my groove.
There is no routine.
No order.
Just a whole lot of the Christmas aftermath going on around here.

AJ was gifted with an Angry Birds hat, a couple stuffed Angry Birds and t-shirt that says,
"I'm the bomb."

As if the child needed a bigger head.
He now announces loudly everywhere we go, "I'm the bomb!"...
or just oinks at random strangers.

Thanks Aunt Missy, Uncle Wayne, and Taylor
for making our lives that much more exciting.
AJ l.o.v.e.s. you.

We've been through the 3o minutes of getting snow gear on to play 5 minutes in the snow, track snow all through the house, and have hot chocolate routine
about a million times over the last week.
Thank you Mother Nature.

Brody has been rockin' his festive green sparkly hat like nobody's business.
Because how often can you get away with that hat other than Christmas time?

I've been drinking a lot of creamer with a little bit of coffee.

Every year I make my mother-in-law a family album for Christmas...

which really means that I get away with locking myself in my sewing room playing with scrapbooking embellishments and looking at pictures for many many kidfree hours during the busiest time of year.
Thank you Nana Ann.

I had grand plans...
but this was the extent of my holiday baking this year.
Thank you Pillsbury.

I finished all my pot holders to go with my cupcake kits.

Girlfriend loved her princess dress and has worn it for 3 straight days.
Good girl.

She loves her Rapunzel hair.
What.were.we.thinking?

Santa pulled through with AJ's 783 piece Lego Police City...

resulting in many many hours of Lego building.
Again.what.were.we.thinking?

I got a new pair of jeans from The Buckle...
(Check that bootie bling.)

some fun sparkly nail polish...

a canning set...a bread maker...a colander I can't melt...a quilting table for my sewing machine...some fabulous prints...

the list goes on and on for this spoiled rotten chick...

BUT my favorite gift this year is Brody's binkie from "Uncle Map".

His vampire name is Brutal.

Good times.

Now if anyone wants to swing by and pack up my Christmas decorations,
I'm taking names.

I pay in Dr. Pepper, Twizzlers, and chocolate.

A Donkey And A Mouse

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

There is something so pure about children singing.

So healing.

So innocent.

So sincere.

So passionate.

So magical.

Decorating Us A Gingerbread House

2011-12-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

Insta Getting Ready for Christmas Monday

2011-12-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

Yeah...Insta Friday was not happening...or
Insta Saturday...or Insta Sunday either.

I am running around like a freakin' chicken with its head cut off trying to get ready
for Christmas.

And then
AJ told me yesterday that we needed decorations for Jesus' birthday...and a cake...and balloons.

I tried explaining that the lights on the house, the Christmas tree, the stockings...
all of these were the decorations.

He said, "No. We need more."
I said, "I think it's nap time. Go away."

Punk.

We have been wrapping gifts, eating Christmas cookies from neighbors, and reading lots of Christmas books around these parts.

I went to a fabric exchange last week with my quilting group and saw some of my favorite people.
We are warming up for our next quilting project...& you know what that means.
I get to buy more fabulous fabric!
Although, I still need to finish my last project.
Crap.
Anyway, here are my two fat quarters for the fabric exchange. I secretly wanted to pick my own gift and keep my fabric, but I guess that is against the rules.

Frisbee, our creepy little elf, has been up to no good lately.
But he's about to really get into some trouble.
I need a winning entry before midnight on the 20th to take the Inappropriate Elf Contest.
Send me your best ideas. Fast people. I don't have much time left.

I finished my fave sistah's Christmas present.

I started a new take the kid's picture by the stocking tradition.

My BFF and I exchanged gifts.
I love her.
Seriously.love.her.
She got me this rad BFF necklace charm.
Because all BFF's need a BFF necklace...even if you are in your 30's.

Girlfriend rocked her Christmas hair bows, hot pink sparkly leg warmers, new pink tutu, and pillowcase dress last week.
Dude, if you don't have yourself a girl, you need to get one.
They are fun.
Sassy, but fun.

This baby boy smiles and coos more than any of my babies...
(after he got the reflux meds that is...thank you Jesus, Mary and Joseph.)

I could just converse with him all day.

I made a couple cupcake pot holders...only six more to go.
6 more!
Who needs sleep?
I mean really?!
Sleep is for wimps.
Sissies.
Light weights.
Ha!

Mmmmm
Cherry coke from Sonic.
It's like crack in a straw, with crushed ice, in a nifty styrofoam cup.
With a real cherry!
It can make you forget all you have to get done in 6 days.
6 days!
I need to get off this computer!

I quilted, made binding, and bound that quilt I started the week before last.
Just in time for it to make it to California before Christmas.
Whew.

I got to visit my beautiful sister, brother-in-law, and niece at the airport during their layover.
I love them.
Good people, I tell ya.
Good people.

Abby and AJ gifted us with their Christmas presents they made in school.
I tried to get AJ to wait until Christmas for us to open them, but he wasn't having it.
I love kid art.
Check out Girlfriend's stink face. It's her favorite expression.
I think it's awesome that it will forever be preserved on her preschool angel.

I ended the week with a breakfast sundae and manicure with my BFF.

My cup runneth over.

And now I have some pot holders to make.

Merry And Sprite

2011-12-14T05:43:00.001-08:00

We went in on a class gift card for each kiddo's teacher this Christmas,

BUT do you really think I could let a holiday go by without a punny little treat?!

Stockings: Check!

2011-12-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

so non-traditional.
so bright, funky, fun.
so us.

InStA FrIdAy

2011-12-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

Wow. I don't even know where this week went.

Startin' the appreciation for the stache early.

We bundled up and ventured up to the mountains for the
traditional family tree cutting.

Brody and I stayed in the nice warm car visiting with Aunt Mary and Grandma Jody.
It was dandy.

Andy and AJ selected a gigantic beast of a tree...

that I had an allergic reaction to and wanted to claw my skin off.

We set the train up around the tree.
Which has entertained AJ for hours and hours.

Andy has banned Abby and I from going to Target together...
because we buy things like pink tutus, sparkly leg warmers, nail polish...

& eventually leave...$95 later.

I don't know what the big deal is.

sheesh.

I Feel Like A Zombie Coming Back To Life

2011-12-07T10:25:00.001-08:00

We were hit, totally taken down, and rendered utterly useless by a nasty, nasty stomach bug this weekend. Dear God it was awful.

Evil, evil little bug spared no one....and really messed with my Christmas preparations.

Instead of making my 5 homemade family stockings I was...well let's not talk about that part.

I am on the mend now...spending some quality time with these guys:

AND ready to conquer the world in turbofreakoutChristmasisonly18daysaway mode.
Watch out.

Cracks Me Up Every Year

2011-12-02T22:19:00.001-08:00

Longest Insta Friday Ever

2011-12-02T11:27:00.001-08:00

Let's get this party started.

It's a long one.

I've been a busy little bee.

I quilted the front of our new family stockings!
Can't wait to assemble these lovely guys this weekend!

We take dessert seriously around this house.

Finished a cute lil' gift this week.
It may have been so stinkin' cute, I may have ordered myself one too.
I have no will power.
None.

Abby found my secret stash of sprinkles...
making for a rough landing for these guys.

I'm not gonna lie.
I'm so glad I got a girl.
So I can play with her hair and dress her up.

I am so in love with this Brody fella.
Like head over heels.
In love.

I don't mind washing bottles and paying for formula,
if it means I don't have to breastfeed and Brody sleeps through the night.

This fun little ditty is ready and waiting to be quilted.
Soon little friend.

Oh Girlfriend.
That's a pineapple slicer, not a gun.
And that's mommy's sewing machine bag, not a hiding place for you to jump out of and scare the crap out of mommy while she's trying to sew.

I love cupcakes.
I love sewing.
I love making things for great people.
You can only imagine my excitement when I spotted this fun little pattern.
Delighted.
Thrilled.
Jovial in fact.

I love late mornings reading in bed and snuggle lovin' cute kids.
I have the best job in the world.

The countdown is on.
23 days!

This poor dog.

Look who showed up at our house yesterday delivering all our Christmas books...
Frisbee, my little elf friend, to help me keep these wild children in line.
I love that creepy little elf.

Look at her.
Drawing and soothing her little brother.
Such a good big sister and multi-tasker.
She even gave him his own pencil.

It's all fun and games folks,
until someone looses an eye.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here,
and I can hardly contain myself!

That man in yellow tights and I have big plans tonight...
that involve a big 'ol tub of peppermint ice cream.
Get your mind out of the gutter.

And I have to confess...
the latest song I purchased on iTunes was Grace Potter's
Something That I Want.
And it was for me, not Abby.
How can you not jump up, clap along, and bust a move to that song?!
Especially at the end of such a happy ending.

She's a girl with the best intentions
He's a man of his own invention
She looked out of the window
He walked out the door
But she followed him
And he said, "What'cha lookin' for?"

Good stuff right there.
Good. stuff.

Photo Challenge Day One: Self Portrait

2011-12-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold outside.

Maybe just a half a drink more.

Happy December!

2011-12-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

We have one happy baby boy...

and lots of snow!

We are bundling up...

catching snowflakes on our tongue...

drinking hot cocoa with lots of mini marshmallows...

and trying to tame that sewing itch!

Happy December!
I'm off to quilt some stockings!
xoxoxo

I Love This Song!

2011-12-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Priorities

2011-11-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

I have dishes and laundry to do...
groceries to buy...
floors to vacuum, sweep, & mop...

but those things will always be there I've decided.

So, I think I'll turn up Pandora and sew instead.
Because that's how I roll.

Insta Monday

2011-11-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving set me back a couple days in Blogland, but
I'm back in the game!

And I have a lot to share!
Such a full week.

With the cooler weather over the last week, my fave yellow coat made its first debut this season.
That fabulous green scarf is hiding the fact that I cannot currently button my fave yellow coat. Damn junk food.
At least the yellow/green combo is cute.

Girlfriend rockin' a style all her own.
Rainbows
Monkeys
Tutus
Rain boots
I love that chick.

Some people get upset if their children play with their food.
Other people teach their children how to play with their food.
Guess which one I would be?

Kraft mac n' cheese...ha!
Andy laughs in your face...

and makes $36 mac n' cheese.
The couponer in me cringed in pain and tried to repress that total.

Princess dress done!
I am in love. For a couple seconds I thought maybe I could make her a princess dress every year.
Next time I start talking like that, just slap me. I'm not kidding. Slap the crap out of me.

Skinny jeans oh how I love you...
and have looked at you in envy for so long...wondering can I rock that?
Thanks to my BFF and a little bit of hemming, I attempted to be cool this week.
Anything that you can wear that says skinny in the name has to make ya feel good about yourself...right?!
Make It and Love It helped me out with a great keeping the original hem tutorial. Check it out. If you are short like me, it will change your life.

Best part of the week was that my fave sistah, Jess, came to visit.
And I'm not gonna lie, there are parts of my house that it takes company coming to get my butt in gear and clean up. Such as my sewing room. I love that room, but somehow it becomes the catch all room of the house...always hidden under mountains of clutter...victim to the remains of random crafting projects...toys...coupons...junk mail...etc...etc.

I fit a couple banners in this week.
I'm never going to sell these things...I keep giving them away.

We went to Andy's aunt and uncle's beautiful home for Thanksgiving...
I love holiday food.

We...as in Andy...pulled out all the Christmas boxes.
I need change this year.
If you want a rustic, country themed tree...email me...the ornaments are all yours.
First come, first serve.

I'm going with a red and white tree this year:

Jess and I went shopping while she was here...
can't wait to share my new hallway...after it's all put together.

I moustache you a question, but I'm shaving it for later.
HA! I love stache humor!

The kiddos put up their trees over the weekend...
and they both slept in their own rooms all night!
The magic of the Christmas tree night light.
We may have to leave them up all year long.

My house recovered nicely from hurricane AJ and tornado Abby over the weekend...
but look fast...it doesn't last long.

Girlfriend took a header...literally...on the patio over the weekend...
landing us in the Trauma department of Urgent Care.
I can now update the
Things We Find Ourselves Doing With Abby That We Never Had To Do With AJ list:

Get her forehead glued back together.
Seriously child, you give your mother high blood pressure.

And we are EXHAUSTED!

But ready for another fun filled week.

Gratitude

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

I am truly blessed...rather spoiled really.
I have so much to be thankful for.

And I'm not a crazy religious person, but how profound is it to think about..

What if what you are thankful for simply disappeared when you didn't show your gratitude?

There are too many good people and things in my life for me not to express my love, appreciation, and gratitude.

I am thankful for...

1. My wonderful family...dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins...
2. My amazing husband. I love laughing and sharing my life with you.
3. My beautiful children. Miracles. Crazy, loud, little miracles.
4. My health.
5. My husband's health.
6. My children's health.
7. My fabulous friends. I am blessed with the most splendid people in my life.
8. That Andy has a great job that allows me to stay home with the kids. This is my dream job.
9. My children's teachers. Such gifts in Abby and AJ's lives.
10. My in-laws. Such loving support.
11. A nice, dependable car. With automatic doors...& a cooler...& a backup camera...
seriously you haven't lived till you drive a mini-van.
12. Marvelous neighbors.
13. Brody's gas drops and acid reflux meds...let's just say modern medicine in general.
14. My computer...my iphone...blogs...pretty much technology.
15. My sewing machine and fun fabric.
16. Dr. Pepper. Some people drink or do drugs...I just consume a lot of the pepper juice.
17. Soy Formula. I am a liberated woman!
18. My weekly Kate Dates. They truly keep me balanced.
19. Music. Pandora you. are. rad.
20. Pictures. I could look at pictures all day...and night.
21. Books. Especially of the haut paranormal romance variety.
22. Our house...if only it came with a house keeper.
23. Chocolate. Good food. I love good food
24. Good health insurance.
25. Craigslist. You rock. Abby's Christmas dress for $15. Are you kidding me?!
26. Pinterest. You keep me inspired.
27. Starbucks. My sanity some days.
28. Good movies. Love a good movie. If you haven't see Bridesmaids yet...go now...stream it...rent it...just get it and laugh your bum off. A fight club shower. Ha! Funny stuff.
29. Swaddlers, binkies, & baby swings.
30. Coupons. I know. Make fun of me. But they save you so much money that you can spend on romance novels...Dr. Pepper...fabric...
31. I know there are not 31 days in November. But my dry cleaning man is a miracle worker. I am thankful for him. He can get anything out. I could just hug him.

Sometimes I feel like I am really getting away with something here...

Two Months!

2011-11-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

How is this possible?!

(click on pics to make larger)

I love this boy so much I think my heart could explode some days!

When he crinkles up that little nose and smiles at me with all his might
and his little arms and legs just go flying around...
I just can't hardly handle it.

Just have to scoop him up in a big 'ol snuggle hug.

Man, this one is a charmer.

Insta Insta Friday!

2011-11-18T16:10:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's Friday already.
Where did this week go?!

Get in on this Insta action by clicking this cute button below
and posting your own snap shots.

You know you want to...
everybody's doing it.
(I'm giving myself flashbacks to my D.A.R.E. handbook in fifth grade.)

I have been working feverishly on Girlfriend's princess dress this week.
And let me say...
She better love it...
wear it everyday...
pass it down to her children.
You get the idea.
$15 for a princess dress at Target is a good deal.

I finally sewed the patches on AJ's flight jacket this week.
Let's not talk about how I tried to iron the first one on and had to
sew the American flag on off centered to cover the hole.
You live and learn folks. You live and learn.

I went to a fall crafting party with fabulous, crafty people I adore.
I learned how to make the cutest felt flowers ever.
They are SO easy! I am so smitten.
I will post a tutorial soon. I promise because I love you.

Girlfriend decided to catch herself a sinus infection this week...
landing me in the pharmacy with three children for 35 long, painstaking minutes.
No toys, no books, no diaper bag.
Just me to entertain them and keep them quiet in a room full of sick people.
It was the longest 35 minutes of my life.

Abby is so good at sharing with her baby brother.

My niece is one of the kindest, most splendid, beautiful people I know.
And she had a 9 lb. 12 oz. baby girl yesterday.
9 lb 12 oz!
Wow! Just wow!
She deserves a medal or a trophy or a badge to sew on a sash
or a baby quilt made out of this lovely fabric!

French toast with caramelized bananas!
I love my husband!
I love that my husband understands the greatness of greeting me with
a delicious breakfast every weekend!

She was suppose to be taking a nap...
I caught her climbing up the shelves in her room to get her train conductor hat...

But she did go to sleep...
eventually...

Adorable, screaming, colic stricken baby with acid reflux...
requires that I hold him and read my book
a lot...
oh darn.

These kids can bake a mean pumpkin snickerdoodle.

When he is not crying from his reflux,
he is truly my little Prince Charming.

Man, I love that boy!

And there you have it.
A glimpse into my crazy little world.
Always something exciting going on around here.
Always.

Turkey Treats

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we spent the afternoon crafting with friends.

The kids made rice krispy turkeys...
that look kinda like the picture...
in a slightly abstract kinda way.

They had fun...

and ate a lot of candy corn.

Us mommas laughed...
a lot.

It was a win-win all the way around.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
recipe from Baked Perfection

makes approximately 4 dozen

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon for rolling in a shallow bowl. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball, roll the ball in the sugar mixture, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 5 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Make Your Own Photo Canvas!

2011-11-14T09:46:00.001-08:00

I love photo canvases, but they are just so darn expensive.

I was super excited, yet a bit skeptical when I saw a tutorial on making your own...

But I am here to tell ya
it works!

You just need an 8 x 10 canvas (2 for $6.00 at Michael's...I got mine for $3 with a coupon)...
a foam brush (20 for $1.00 at Michael's last week)...
regular, white tissue paper (20 sheets for $2)
Mod Podge (small bottle $3.50)

Jump on over to Little Bit Funky by clicking on the red link for directions.

I learned a few things after biffing one canvas...

1. You can recover your biffed canvas with warm water and patient, soft wiping with a tea towel. So don't throw your canvas away if you mess up or it is not perfect the first time.

2. Print your photo on the non-glossy, matte side of the tissue paper.

3. Don't put Mod Podge all over the canvas before you set your tissue paper photo on your canvas. Just do a strip down the middle, place your photo down, lightly press the wrinkles out, fold your photo over, paint another strip of Mod Podge, and continue repeating until you are to the edge.

4. Because your tissue paper photo is the size of a standard sheet of paper in order to go into your printer, it will not wrap around the entire side of the canvas. I just glued a ribbon around the edges to give it a finished look.

5. Due to pits in the tissue paper, you will have small spots where the ink does not print. I think it just makes it look more vintage and gives it personality.

AND now you have a photo canvas for less than $10...way less if you consider how many pics you can print on all that tissue paper and how many canvases you can make with that handy bottle of Mod Podge!

Whoop! Whoop!

This is one of my favorite DIY projects yet!

Pumpkin Dip

2011-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Need a super easy, delicious snack for a gathering?!

I tried this pumpkin dip this weekend and it was a hit all the way around!

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Directions:
Mix instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.
Fold in thawed whipped topping.
Chill in fridge until serving.

Serve with graham crackers and ginger snaps!

Insta Friday Round These Parts

2011-11-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Friday!

Hello fall party tonight with great peeps.
Hello quality time with the hubs.
Hello crafting with my BFF.

Hello weekend!
Oh how I love thee.

Road trippin' it requires a new vampire romance novel on the Nook and
some green apple bubble gum courtesy of the kids' Halloween bags. It's a good life.

Check that double bubble.
I still got it.

I love when the red cups come out!
Talk about makin' this chick's day.

I love scarf weather!
Au naturale waves...
means...I'm too tired to fix my hair...
it's been wavy a lot lately.

I want a new Christmas tree theme.
I'm tired of the rustic country theme I've had for the last 7 years...
but I can't decide...
go classic red and white...
or
totally funky?!

Speaking of Christmas...
I've been grabbing a couple things here and there for AJ...
but it's inevitable
I'm sure it will blind-side me again this year...
because up all night wrapping gifts Christmas Eve is how I roll.

Sometimes I pretend the dishes will just go away, but they never do.
It's rather disappointing really.

Mmmmm....this makes it a little better....

Brody is 8 weeks old, and one day soon I might get his announcements out...
maybe.

I love food. Especially this food:

Shout out to my favorite sibling and his wife for taking care of me with those boiled peanuts.
I love you.
love. you.

And here it is.
The trouble Girlfriend has been up to this week portion of Insta Friday:

1. She just had to dump all 5,000 lincoln logs out. Only to walk away and play with her baby doll. 2. It's never good when you wake up to a strong smell of pumpkin and Abby saying, "I got lotion mom! Lotion!" Yes. Yes, you did. Just a little bit. 3. She swore she did not get in the junk drawer, but the yellow yard sale sticker on her forehead told a different story.

Oh Abby.

Fabric Flower Necklace

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I am demonstrating a craft at a party this Friday,
so I've been experimenting with a few different ideas.

Wednesday afternoon I tried a tutorial from Little Miss Momma.

It was totally fun to make, and I love, love, love the end result!
They would make fabulous gifts for any girl in your life.
I want one in every color!

Gather your supplies:
one page of felt
about 1/4ish a yard of a solid color of cotton fabric (I always over buy fabric...)
glue and glue gun
scissors
chain
jewelry closure

Cut as many 1.5 inch felt circles as you want flowers.

Use your felt circles as a pattern to cut out a TON of cotton fabric circles...
it really depends on how full you want your flowers to end up...
I used about 13 or so cotton circles for each felt circle...

You can always go back and cut more circles like I did...

Fold each circle up about 3 times...

Starting in the center of your felt circle, glue the folded cotton circle down...

Keep gluing until your flowers are full...

Make all your flowers...

Arrange them on your left over felt, but DO NOT glue them down yet...

Start with gluing your center flower down, but do not glue your end flowers down yet...

Glue your chain down with your end flowers about one inch...I used 16 inches of chain.

Stand back and admire your work...

Trim off the extra felt...

Add your jewelry closure to the middle of your chain...

Impress your friends with your awesome, handmade flower necklace...

Leaf Garland

2011-11-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a super easy and inexpensive fall craft.

You just need some yarn, scissors, a big needle, and felt.

Cut out a bunch of leaves...

Thread your yarn through each leaf and knot the ends...

Enjoy!

City 4: Lebanon

2011-11-08T13:34:00.001-08:00

Saturday we headed south to Missouri for the big par-tay!

We ate, looked at pictures, took lots of pictures, played with cousins, and laughed a lot.

Here is my nephew, Kallin, looking quite dapper.

Lots of running around time with the cousins...

Aunt Recca getting in some snuggle lovin'.

My big sis Missy.

Here we are in birth order.

Naturally, Abby was the only child to sustain an injury the entire trip.

Jenna looking quite stunning in her sunglasses.

Missy and Jon

Abby climbing a tree post injury.
Not much slows Girlfriend down.

Jess and I

Very excited children ready for birthday cake...
moments before they smashed the lid down declaring which section of cake was theirs.

10 out of the 15 grandkids

JL trying to get some rest.

Me, my dad, and Jess

Me and Missy again

Me and Recca

Taylor and I

1,851 miles later we returned home with full hearts
and plans for a return trip already in the making.

mahaha...

City 3: A-Town

2011-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Friday morning we left Aunt Jess' house to visit our old college town,
Atchison, Kansas.

We had lunch at our favorite little Bakery and Cafe.

After lunch we went to the college and met up with a couple friends for a short visit.

More stinkin' cute kids!

It's crazy that we all drive mini-vans and have 3 kids now.

4 Cities In 4 Days: Part 1

2011-11-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago one of my sisters started throwing around the idea of a surprise birthday party for my dad.

Couple back story details:
I have seven brothers and sisters.
My dad lives in Missouri.
I live in Colorado.
I get to see my fam about once a year.

I briefly mentioned the surprise party to Andy, never imagining that we would go. I about fell out of my chair when Andy said, "why not?"

So the wheels were set in motion.
My lil' sis and I started planning a surprise within a surprise.
We pulled it off. No one knew we were coming until we got there.
It was totally rad.

Last Wednesday a blizzard hit Denver, and we loaded up the swagger wagon and pulled out.
Andy had some biznas to do in Wichita.
City 1.
Many DVD's and fast food later, we arrived...at 2:30am.
The kids and I relaxed in the hotel Thursday.
We all met up when he was finished and explored a near by science museum.

There were lots of hands on puzzles for the kiddos.

I mastered the cube puzzle like a pro.
Who said all those hours of Tetris as a kid wouldn't pay off?
I rocked it and have a picture to prove it.

Andy and the kids went nuts over all the aeronautical stuff.

I took pictures.

Best part of city 1:
Meeting up with my college roommate!
Man, I miss that girl!
We had some good times back in the day.

Look at all these stinkin' cute kids!

From Wichita we traveled on to City 2: Kansas City...
arriving about 1:00am.

Insta Fri...er...Monday

2011-11-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

I know. I know.

I am so behind on blogging.

But there is a good reason...
which will unfold in future posts over the next couple days.

Let's start with Insta-Monday

My little friend likes to be involved in all the action...
even if it is just folding laundry.

Toaster Strudels require a certain level of artistic talent around our house.
And not to brag or anything, but I have some mad skills with that little bag of frosting and
a hot pastry.

Love peaceful afternoons of Pandora and photo editing...

but they never seem to last long...

Dear Pampers,
You suck.

A lovely little blizzard decided to visit us last Wednesday...
thus giving the kids a Snow Day...
Snow Days not as exciting when you are a parent instead of a teacher...
I had a lot to get done that day.
Thank you Mother Nature.

Dude. This turkey will not end up as Thanksgiving dinner.

I indulged in a much needed break with my BFF.
We may have drooled over the teen Twilight magazine for...a little while before we moved on to crafting books. So excited for this movie! This is the one they finally get it on in. It's about damn time. It only took four freakin' long books.

Girlfriend inherited her mother's pendulum of mood swings.
The teenage years should be interesting.

The next Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart...except not playing lovers...that would be wrong...very wrong.

And I could do an entire Insta-Monday of the trouble Girlfriend gets into.
I.kid.you.not.

1. Girlfriend "cleaning up" her spill. 2. A before and after of the kids' bookshelf...when Abby was suppose to be taking a nap. 3. Abby trying to put rain boots on Latte. 4. We need to hide the scissors better.

Brody Is Wondering...

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

what in the world he got himself into...

More Monkeys!

2011-11-01T15:36:00.001-07:00

A friend does a free Halloween photo shoot every year,
and
I think it is absolutely and totally awesome.

I love her!

Check her out
here
and
here
and don't miss out next year!

Fabulous Giveaway!

2011-11-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

Dear Lizzy has a super fabulous giveaway going on.

Just click the red link above to get in on the fun!

HaLLoWeEn 2011

2011-11-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

The kiddos were monkeys for Halloween this year.
I was the doctor yelling, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Pretty much sums up my life.

The festivities began at their school and continued afterward
at Krispy Kreme for free Halloween doughnuts.

We were not going to miss out on that!

We wrapped up the night with trick or treating.

And my cute little over tired, sugar overdosed monkeys
turned into cranky monsters by bedtime.

Hello November.
Hello 53 days till Christmas.
Bring it on.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2011-10-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

A wonderful friend brought us a homemade super tasty lunch the other day...

and we baked and visited all afternoon!
Now that's my way to spend a day!
I felt so renewed and refreshed afterward.

We made Pampered Chef's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

And wow.
They.are.amazing.

I was lazy and didn't type out the recipe.
You should be able to click on the picture below to make it larger.
If you still can't see it very well, email me and I'll send it to you.

Seriously, if you're looking for a new, fun fall recipe...
this one is it!
I'm adding it to my make every year list.

T. G. I. I. F.

2011-10-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

I love Fridays.

Because I love the weekends.
And I love Insta-Fridays.

Last Friday night
(Katy Perry's song is now stuck in my head...so nothing like my last Friday night...
& this mom from the burbs is cool with that)
I went out with a couple friends for frozen yogurt.
Yummy...I mean crazy yummy frozen yogurt, inexpensive...as in only $2.15 inexpensive and good conversation. A perfect way to kick off a fabulous weekend.
And the beginning of a new tradition.

Sunday was brunch with my BFF and a trip to Joann's.
More fabulous food and good conversation.
Therapy for the soul.
And one step closer to actually making that princess dress for Girlfriend.

One day mid week I taught AJ how to hand crochet with yarn.
So bringing back old school memories of hand crocheting miles of yarn
with my little sister as kids.
Seriously. It would entertain us for hours.

Lots of bonding time with this lil' man...

Lunch with Andy and a trip to the cupcake shop.
Already daydreaming about a return trip to that amazing little place.

If Abby were a cupcake, she would absolutely be the birthday cupcake
with pink frosting and sprinkles...
AJ went for the seasonal candy corn...
I went for the chocolatly chocolate covered cherry...and shared a little with Andy.

I love this picture AJ drew of me holding Brody.
There is something so pure and sweet about a child's drawing.
He said Brody is all wrapped up in a swaddle. Indeed he is.

Lovin' this lil' monkey up in his hip lil' hat.

And here it is Friday of fall break and
we have yet to start AJ's school project he was suppose to work on this week.
He needs to disguise this turkey so the farmer will not make turkey dinner out of him.
AJ decided to make him a pirate turkey.
I'm down with that.
Part of me wants to go to Michael's and get all kinds of crafty stuff and pimp this pirate turkey out, but I know I have to let AJ make his own pirate turkey...

I'll just help...a little.

Tangled Pumpkins!

2011-10-27T11:01:00.001-07:00

Inspired by Lil C, we made a little fall craft this week.

Abby, the messiest child I know, was freaked out by the stickiness of the glue.

So cute!
Love them!

Today

2011-10-26T17:56:00.001-07:00

I wore fuzzy socks, yoga pants, and a sweat shirt...

because it was a snowy, stay in all day kind of day.

I drank hot coffee and ate pumpkin muffins.

I decluttered the kids' rooms...

Did dishes, cleaned the oven, swept, mopped the floor...

fed and snuggled loved an adorable baby while the other two played in the snow...
and washed, folded, and put away a TON of laundry.
whew...
I'm exhausted.

On The First Day Of Hunting Season...

2011-10-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Andy took our children on a hike in the forest.

nice...

He didn't mention that it was the first day of hunting season until they got home...

because I might have flipped out.

Insta Friday! Whoop! Whoop!

2011-10-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's Friday again!
The days are long, but the weeks seem to be flying by with three bambinos.

Get in on some insta action with:

So, here goes...
The real day-to-day life of this SAHM:

Purple toes and comfy pumpkin pj's make me happy.
You have no idea. Pure contentment.

A neighbor and friend with the biggest heart I know surprised us with
this lovely little combo this week. And I love her. Love her.
And I have to say.
Genius! Seriously genius! Pizza AND chocolate chip cookies in one box!
Someone at DiGiorno truly gets my family.

EEEE! Do you feel the excitement?!
That, my friends, is my new phone!
My old phone had barely survived Abby and AJ.
It had issues. Serious issues.
It's white! You may not know the power of a white phone after two black phones...
It's not just a color people. It's so much more.
I told the kids only grown ups are allowed to touch white phones.
It's fabulous.
I don't have to fight my children just to see who texted me...or search for my phone for ten minutes calling myself...or clean GoGurt off my touch screen so it senses my finger.
White...ahhh.

Miraculously, we made it out of the house with everyone in pressed, clean clothes and orderly hair for family pictures up in the mountains.

My children do not cooperate for pictures.

They did...for about 5 minutes....then we start the endless bribes and threats..."smile or no yogurt...listen and you get a sucker."...while you're pitting out, plastering a huge, fake smile on your own face and silently in your head thinking "smile normal or I'm gonna knock you out."
I'm sure you've been there...or you will be one day.
I'm just saying. It's hell.

It will be amazing if we end up with any picture where I am not shooting death daggers out of my eyes at my sweet, precious bundles of pain in the ass...or where AJ is not sticking out his tongue or Abby has one eye shut making her pirate face.
Thank you children.

I feel really, really bad for our photographers.
I am sorry. I truly am.
There's not a big enough Starbucks thank you card.

On to a much lighter note, I got my hair cut and colored this week!
Such a treat!

Signs of the season.
Cranberry Sierra Mist only comes out in the fall and winter.
I get so giddy when I see it on the shelf and proceed to fill my cart up...ya' know for my stockpile.

And drinking hot drinks again means super cute coffee cuff.
It's the little things in life.

I also cleaned the microwave, caught up the kids' laundry, and cleaned out the fridge this week.
They felt like big events around here, so I had to mention them.

Love you!

One Month

2011-10-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

(click on pic to make it larger)

For The Shop Or Not

2011-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

I threw together this jolly little banner this week for our Christmas card photo shoot this weekend...

And was wondering...

if it might be worth making a few for a grand re-opening of my etsy shop...

Whatcha' think?

Insta Friday

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Get in on the Insta fun by heading over to Life Rearranged by clicking her button:

Gotta love the spastic excitement of a movie night in PJ's.

It snowed here last weekend! Seriously.
Making for a perfect day to sip hot tea and
snuggle in bed on Pinterest until lunch time...

Pumpkin Spice pancakes! Heavenly!
Truly, simply divine!

Fixins for a crock pot roast...
mmmm...

Running late for preschool drop-off stresses me out and
results in a post drop-off trip to Starbucks...
for a drink...
and maybe a piece of banana chocolate chip coffee cake.
(not the week to start tracking calories)

Festive pom-pom trim happiness.
I have big plans for these little guys...big plans.

And this is what my house looks like when I am taking care of Baby Brody
and the two older children are left to entertain themselves...

I love the knot hat.
And the little boy in the knot hat.

Pumpkin Bars

2011-10-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Little Bit Funky a couple years ago and make it every year now.

So yummy and so perfectly fall!

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cups flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) cold butter or margarine

1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)

a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions:
HEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; grease foil. Mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.

RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, pumpkin and spice with mixer until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips (if desired).

BAKE 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Enjoy!

Holy Pictures Batman!

2011-10-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

I know more pictures.
Are you tired of seeing my family yet?

But I had to share my maternity pictures I just got in the mail!
They are my most favorite pictures e.v.e.r!

I love them!
love. them.

So after you check them out,
go over to Acacia Louise Photography by clicking the red link
and schedule your next family pics with her!

She is fun to work with and has a hip, modern style!

Insta Friday!

2011-10-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

This little guy is already starting to change and look different to me...
I swear time speeds up with each kid.

We made our own cider at Cider Days!

AJ participated in his first pie eating contest.

Our tree out front is a beautiful fall yellow!

In between feedings I cut 150 one and a half inch fabric squares for AJ's Jr. K class...
so curious to see what they are going to do with them!

Suckers

2011-10-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

At the hospital Andy told the photographer,
"Sure you can take his picture, but we aren't going to buy any."

right...

I mean, seriously.
How could we turn these down?!

Total Blog Crush

2011-10-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Not gonna lie.
Ben Does Life is one of my most favorite blogs...ever.

I'm such a creeper...
I stole this pic off his blog.

Random, Random Happy Things

2011-10-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

So not going to happen before Halloween...
Maybe Girlfriend will find a princess dress under the Christmas tree...maybe.

Thank you storage bins for decreasing the
lego embedded in the bottom of my foot hazard.

Behold...

the power of a good swaddle...

mmmm...
mmmmmmmm...

I went in for a new shirt to wear for family pictures...
and this hat came home with me.

Lace, beads, sequins, rhinestones...
l.o.v.e. it!

Happy kids happily playing together...
outside so the baby can sleep...
makes happy mama.

We had Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst for dinner last night...
and you can't have Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst without chanting the Go Meat Commercial...
at least not at my house you can't.

Lately...

2011-10-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Things going through my head lately...

15 pounds down...30 to go...
I want to run a 5K one day...
I want to own cute workout clothes to run a 5K in one day...
I love flats...why didn't I give up on heels long ago...
I want to buy every scarf I see lately...it's a problem...
Why the heck is it still so hot out...
I love singing Bob Marley's 3 Little Birds to Brody...
I want a new and exciting hair do...but where do you go after two colors...
I want to make this soon:

(pumpkin pie oatmeal!)
The Gracious Pantry

I want Andy to make these this weekend:

(pumpkin spice pancakes!)
Annie's Eats

I need to make these soon:

(cherry Dr. Pepper cupcakes)
sweetenyourday.com

Insta Friday

2011-09-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Life Rearranged, I decided to start participating in...

I am a bit attached to my phone and usually have it with me...
so I have lots of pics from our every day life.

Sometimes Girlfriend helps herself to breakfast...it's...very helpful.

Baby Brody just chillin'.

This is huge folks!
Instead of sporting her usual mullet,
we recently discovered Girlfriend has enough hair for pig tails!

Here is Brody ready for his first walk to the park.
Thanks to youtube,
I was eventually able to figure out how a never ending piece of fabric can become a baby carrier...thirty minutes and a days worth of deodorant later...

And this my friends appears to be a maternity pic,
however it was taken when I got home like 5 days after having Brody...
I left the hospital weighing one pound more than when I went in and looking 5 months pg...
seriously?! It sucked...still sucks.

Legos have invaded my house as AJ's newest obsession. This scene appears to be a tragic accident at the police station. I really feel for the guy in the bottom of the pic stuck in the downward dog.

Baby Brody relaxing. So sweet and pure. I love that boy up!

More legos...

My little soccer star practicing between practices.

I know...another Baby Brody pic...I just can't get enough of this boy!

This just cracks me up...
not sure who was more confused with why the telescope was not working.

My new ride. I will never drive another vehicle with children again.
I'm getting better at parking it...but still look for 3 open spaces so I can pull into the middle one...

I am in love with these boots, and need to own them one day...when I can fit back into
non-maternity clothes...skinny jeans and I are not friends right now.

Check out that belly. When I went in to have him at 39 weeks,
I was measuring 43 weeks pregnant...fabulous.

& lastly Latte is adjusting well to new baby...
not sure he even notices after 3 additions have joined us over the last 5 years.

Fall Decorations!

2011-09-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

I love decorating for fall and Halloween every year!
I would do it in August if Andy let me.

I did get away with decorating at the beginning of September,
before Baby Brody arrived...
knowing things might get pretty busy once he was here.

AND this year we had jack-o-lantern pumpkins and
mini pumpkins from our garden!

I have a thing for banners.

Adjusting to 3: PART 2 Coming Home And Our New Normal

2011-09-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

I came home from the hospital knowing I was moving a little slower with this recovery due to having so much scar tissue from two previous c-sections, losing a lot of blood during surgery, and some massive bruising across my tummy.

But I thought I’ve got this…third kid…I know what I’m doing…

c-section recovery and all.

But this time was different.

My reality check quickly set in by day two, taking me down a couple notches…

I realized as your heart grows with love, so do your concerns…

new kid = new worries.

We are blessed with an insurance company that sends a home health nurse to our house one to two days after we go home. The nurse checks on both mom and baby, as well as answers any questions. It has always been a comforting visit, reassuring me that every thing is going okay.

This time our visit sent this tired mama into freak out mode. Baby Brody’s jaundice had gone up, he hadn’t gained any weight in two days, and the knot he was born with on his fore head gathered yet more attention from yet another medical professional. She scheduled a follow-up return visit to the house in a day. I spent a day in tears, frantically breastfeeding him every two hours round the clock.

The home health nurse returned and this time Brody’s jaundice had gone down as by day 5 his liver decided to wake up and start doing it’s job and he gained more weight than expected. Relief flowed through me. And as I knew our little guy was going to be okay the lyrics Mama said there’d be days like this, there’ll be days like this Mama said…started blaring on repeat in my head.

After the two-week check-up, his weight continues to go up as the jaundice continues to go down. The knot is just bone overgrowth on his skull. Apparently harmless and finding a surgeon to remove it for cosmetic reasons on a lil baby would be virtually impossible.

Abby loves to hold her new brother and AJ is coming around.

There are legos, laundry, and abandoned snack bags all over the house. It’s a continuous game of Bop-The-Mole. I just get one kid settled and someone else needs something else…help with a lego kit…a potty practice…the dog needs out or back in…it’s time to breastfeed again.

Through my exhaustion the other day, I sighed to Andy and said,

“I just want things to be back to normal.”

To which he replied, ”This may be our new normal.”

And he is right.

As I type this with one hand and a baby in the other,

I realize this is our new normal,

and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

All I can say when you visit us is…

It gets kinda crazy around here.

Adjusting to 3: PART 1 The Back Story To Songs In My Head

2011-09-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Mama Said There’d Be Day Like This

I make strong associations during major events in my life. I remember smells or clothes I wore on certain days. Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea will forever remind me of High School. I remember the outfit I wore when Andy proposed and the outfit I wore the last time I hugged my mom.

Another association I make is getting songs stuck in my head. For example when my mom passed away six years ago, I knew I had to find the strength to let go of someone I had basically been a caregiver for since high school. I had many mixed emotions grieving someone I loved, but who never let me in as she fought for her independence that was slipping away. The song that was blaring in my head like sirens that never faded or became softer from getting further away the entire time we went through the steps of making preparations for the funeral through attending the funeral and burial was Shedaisy’s Don’t Worry ‘Bout A Thing….

Life is funny, life's a mess

Sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing

Don't worry 'bout a thing, don't worry 'bout it

Life gets sticky, life can bruise

Sometimes you win sometimes your losing

No matter what it brings

Don't worry 'bout a thing...

Every time I hear that song, strong memories flood my mind and emotions rain down.

Last week as I floundered with adjusting to having three children, a differenct line from a different song echoed in my head.

The line

Mama said there’d be days like this, there’ll be days like this Mama said…

played on repeat in my head. Which is ironic since my own mama was never able to give me advice about being a mom. At the age of 26 I lost having a mother to share being a mom with.

I blog to live life in retrospect, savoring our fleeting moments as a family and so my kids can always look back, never having to wonder how their mom viewed the world or what she loved about life. I wonder so many things about my mom that will forever go unanswered. For this second reason I keep the tone on here pretty light hearted. I have gone back and forth on posting some things…ultimately deciding that life isn’t all unicorns and pixy dust. And I want my kids to have a mama that teaches them how to bounce back on the rough days when the lyrics… Mama said there’d be days like this, there’ll be days like this Mama said…are stuck in their heads.

Simply Perfect

2011-09-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

2011-09-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we dropped AJ and Abby off at Nana and Papa's.
Thursday we anxiously ventured to the hospital for our third c-section.

Andy says we should just put a zipper in at this point...
thanks honey.

Broderick Allen was born at 2:20pm
weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces
19 inches long

Healthy as can be.

We enjoyed our time just getting to know this little guy.

And I must say I was happy to indulge in small treats like...
the most amazing chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake ever...

Beautiful fall flowers from my fabulous in-laws...

a mid afternoon tea party...

chai tea...

mini sandwiches...cookies and all...

and lots of snuggle lovin' with our newest bambino.

We checked in Thursday at 11:30am, had a baby,
and were on our way home not even 52 hours later.
The entire thing simply amazes me every time.

AJ loves to sing to his new brother.

Abby wants to hold him all the time.

And Andy and I are adjusting to having three kids.

Today

2011-09-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

I go to the hospital to get another beautiful blessing...
to snuggle
to nurture
to laugh with
to play imaginary games with
to fill my heart

When You Never Get Around To...

2011-09-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Making that super cute chalkboard you have in your head...
just frame some pattern paper instead.

Then you don't have to deal with the chalk dust.

When The Temperature Drops...

2011-09-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

My mind starts swirling with all things fall...
pumpkin cookies
pumpkin lotion
caramel apples
Halloween

I can't help it.
If I feel a chill in the air,
the orange and black comes out.

I love when a mess like this...

starts taking shape...

and becomes something fabulous like this:

Let the decorating begin!

Pee Wee Soccer

2011-09-12T09:44:00.001-07:00

That's right...
got myself a mini-van and registered the boy in soccer.

Andy calls me a soccer mom from the burbs...ha!
That makes me laugh.

Last week AJ informed me that I forgot to pack a drink in his lunch...oops.
& I may have sent him to school in his nice new fall jacket...with the store tags still attached...nice.
I'll get the hang of this.

So...the little "Snow Leopards" had one practice before their first game last Saturday.

It was quite entertaining.
AJ was into the game...
although he doesn't really know the logistics of how to actually play the game.

He has mastered a dramatic slide and fall after making any contact with the ball.
I think he thinks it makes him look tough.
It kinda does...I guess.
It definitely looks intense...
like he knows what he is doing and is putting everything he's got into the game

There were some moments of hesitation
as they pondered what they were suppose to do with the ball when it got too close and
no one else was around.

There was a head bonk...
at which point this soccer mom realized AJ just played half the game
with his shoes on the wrong feet...
(soccer mom...ha!)

There was some deep discussion...not of game strategy...I'm pretty sure it had something to
do with a Phineas and Ferb episode.

And a devoted fan on the sidelines...
waiting for the game to end so she could partake in the after game snacks.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Strawberry Detangler And Crazy Socks

2011-09-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Girlfriend was so crazy excited to go to school this morning like her brother.
As she sat on her knees with her little feet tucked under her at my vanity and I tamed her bed head she said, "Learn my letters?! Sing songs?!" with pure enthusiasm and elated curiosity only children possess.

"Yes sweetheart, you will get to learn your letters and sing songs," I said
as my heart warmed and I smiled.

She was so stinkin' proud to have a backpack, lunchbox, and water bottle all her own.
It was big folks.
She felt official.

She just radiated her abundant joy for life in true Abby style.
She climbed in the van smelling of strawberry detangler ready to take on the world.

AJ was so big and responsible.
He picked out his own clothes...choosing to model his current obsession of Phineas and Ferb for the world to see...and his "crazy" socks.

This was old hat for him, and he was feeling confident as his sister looked up to him.

And off they went.
AJ so independent unpacking his stuff, a bit nervous with all the new faces and
Abby eager for any challenge her teacher had to offer...
the only two and a half year old in her class not crying.

I, on the other hand, bawled like a baby once I got back to the van...
having left my heart in that preschool building.

The flood gates opened.

I bawled through my free Chick-Fil-A breakfast and
my fabulous decaf pumpkin spice latte.

Being a parent is hard.
On so many different levels.