Mimi Bella Boo

more furniture in the household...

2010-06-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

in the midst of all this chaos over the last two months, my husband treated me to a massage on mother's day weekend. It was a Saturday appointment and I was more than happy to go, but strategically, I left a bit early so that I could just happen upon a garage sale or two. I managed to make it to one. it was 930 and the woman was already clearing out and packing up. there was this gorgeous and antique in-need-of-some-love dresser at the end of her driveway waiting for someone to make a last purchase before she closed up shop. i mentally told myself, "ok, no more than $25. " I asked and the most beautiful price came out her mouth. FFFFFFRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE! "take it" she said! i somehow managed to squeeze that dresser in my sequoia with one stroller and three car seats. my car is a boat but that was still pretty impressive.

I didn't take before pictures because...well, i don't know why. i start a project and just want to get it finished so i was too lazy to get the camera. it was a wood - no paint - just the original wood color. i sanded off the edges to add some age and didn't bother to fill in the loopy parts with paint. i am sure glad i am not in the furniture business because as you can tell, i know nothing about the vocabulary of furniture -- patina, or is it pantina? cherry vs. oak - i don't know so i won't pretend to know!

i used a gray-ish white "oops" can of paint and a tad of turquoise paint to the fancy parts of the dresser. i love the outcome. so much that we rearranged my entire living room that evening and i got rid of a couch that i've been wanting to get rid of but was hanging on to just for some place to sit -- this dresser booted that couch on out and it's now in my neighbor's garage playroom.

so here's the new dresser....and i still can't believe with all of my stuff, the drawers are still empty even after being inside for almost a month now! shocker if you know how much i truly like "STUFF." i'm lovin' it!...almost as much as that framed picture of all three of my baby girls' piggy toes! that's a keeper!

Time just flies on by....

2010-06-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

with or without me!

what has happened in the last month?
i don't even know what to blame for my absence of blogging...
and as you read on, i am NOT complaining, rather venting with a smile on my face because its "all just temporary..."

maybe i've been a bit busy with...

the girls finished their last month of preschool...
izzy now pronounces NO quite well and quite loudly...making any task with her a bit more challenging now...
maddie fell out of bed in the middle of a night tremor putting us in ER to get 7 stitches in her eyebrow at 1AM
mia got bit in the face by a neighbor's dog, a german shepard of all dogs - small bite but enough to make us all panic when the dog jumps her fence and appears out of nowhere...
the lakers have made it to the finals and lakers hold a lot of priority in this household
the dishwashwer broke a month ago and i've been handwashing dishes every day, 5 times a day, - ok, i may sound like a big brat, but wow is that a time consuming task with 5 people using dishes.
the washing machine broke and flooded the lower level of the house - dehumidifiers and fans are all that i seem to hear in my house at the moment,
we had a neighborhood garage sale and about an hour into the sale, i wrote EVERYTHING'S FREE on the chalkboard and watched people hound the stuff like it was a child's first Easter egg hunt...i was literallly too tired to count money and bargain with customers. just take it please.
what else?
my mom had foot surgery today and my dad has knee surgery on friday - and i live gazillion miles away and can't be of any help
a neighbor who foreclosed on their home let their two pet pythons loose in the neighborhood on their move-out day -- apparently we innocent neighbors had something to do with their foreclosure? one was found and captured, the other, well, we are all waiting to see who is the lucky one to encounter him!
i finally cleaned out that hazardous garage of mine thanks to my neighbor Kim who saves the day for me quite often - 5 years i have been wanting to clean that out -- we did an awesome clean out, created a toy room and craft area.
that clean garage is now worse than what it was before we cleaned it because everything that was in it was taken out or scooted around due to the water damage. good intentions.

so i do miss my blog. preschool ended today and the house should be getting back in order early next week, i pray, so hopefully a wee bit of time will open up for me soon to return to my blogging habit - i haven't been a writer or a reader lately. i will be back....

take time to be silly...

2010-05-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

i've been sidetracked from my HAPPINESS PROJECT efforts. Well, to be honest, i lost the book for a bit. while i was away in Illinois, my husband found it necessary to clean off the bathroom vanity and stashed my pile of magazines /books that i leave by the bathtub, under my bathroom sink. i can't blame him for cleaning, but who knew to look under there for my pile. so just this week, i found my stash and there was the happy book. my last chapter of reading was in march. catch up time for chapters "april" and "may."

love this book. i have to say - it's just such a great read!

so "may" is to focus on PLAY! may - play. easy enough to remember, right?

with the focus on playing is the goal to TAKE TIME TO BE SILLY:

which brings me to this picture:

i posted this photo on my facebook, reluctantly, because it's "just not me." i'm not the silly mom. i am the mom who is usually taking the pictures, or the one who scrolls through the pictures and deletes the pictures of me before they can even be uploaded to the computer, because i either have black circles under my eyes, or i pushed my neck out too far to show elephant rolls in my neck, or my hair hasn't been washed in three days -- there is ALWAYS something that i find to beat myself up with. anyone relate? ridiculous, i know. i hate this about me. i grew up getting so frustrated with my mom for never wanting her picture taken or refusing to have her picture taken until she could put some lipstick on. i've become my mother!! not the lipstick part, but just not feeling worthy enough for a picture! enough already!

But I DO LOVE THIS PICTURE!

there were two comments on facebook under this picture:
1. from a high school friend --
Love the Krispy Kreme pics. Adorable. I'm sure you're a really fun mommy.
2. from my sister-in-law
!!!!! I LOVE THIS!! This will be used in her wedding someday! Can't you just see this in a slideshow?! Classic!

I smiled when i read those comments because I want to be the fun mom, the silly mom, the embarrassing mom and i am happy that someone else saw that in me in this photo. i am that mom in private, behind our own doors, when no one can see me or judge me for being too silly, but i want to be the confident mom who is happy and silly no matter who is watching. I looked through a few more pictures that i posted on facebook that same day, a small album of mother’s day pictures that were taken before attending the mother’s day tea at mia and maddie’s preschool:

and I like what I see. I am silly with my daughters. I am the fun mom. the girls’ silliness is contagious and I’ve caught it more than I realize. the girls insist on being called giggle box and goofball, two names that my mom, their nana, lovingly gave them...and quite fitting, wouldn't you agree?

and with all that silliness, i got a really good picture that i truly love - no elephant wrinkles in the neck, hair is washed, concealer covers the dark circles, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, i am happy and smiling and honored to be a mommy at the mother's day tea.

it had to be all that goofing off in the morning that created such a great picture!

( and yes, mia on the left cut her own bangs...5 months ago...let's speed up the growing back process please!)

...

now i know my ABC's...

2010-05-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

It was headed for the trash - but I really did treasure this piece. It was originally a very colorful artsy piece from IKEA that my mom bought for me the week my father-in-law passed away back in 2003. It was a colorful splash of colors, looking a bit floral, but a bit more like just a pile of colors -- regardless of what it was really supposed to be, it reminded me of the vibrant colors in the movie of "what dreams may come...," the movie with Robin Williams that portrayed both heaven and hell. This picture matched their scences of heaven just perfectly. But somewhere over the past few years, I decided to paint it and well, I botched it up. I couldn't let of the canvas however. So, the ABC's are a big part of our lives right now with the twins learning their alphabet throughout the last two years of preschool. A little paint and some whimsical freehand alphabet letters, and this is what I ended up with. Thank goodness for my little proofreader Maddie who repeatedly questioned me "where's the K?" as she sang the song over and over out loud. She was right - I left out the K.

You gotta be smarter than your preschooler, but sometimes, it's just the other way around!

Sharing with:

A few less flowers...

2010-05-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

I'm on the bloggers MIA list once again. I have to admit - I've just been worn out. I am constantly on that endless search of figuring out how to balance it all. Having a husband who commutes over an hour a day has really changed our schedule over the past year. Jason has been blessed with becoming a State Farm Agent about 15 months ago, but his office is an hour away from where we live. So we've had a lot of time with Daddy out of the house - BUT when he is here, he is an incredible dad and husband. It's all a process of just learning how to make it all work. The talk of moving has been in the works for over a year but that too is stressful just thinking about it. Ok, I know I am preaching to the choir in terms of being a MOM who is tired, but just wanted to vent.. I went outside the other afternoon to find a few of my flowering plants ...flowerless....

and instead my flowers were scattered on the driveway...
But before I let loose into my speech of how not to pick the living flowers, let them bloom..blah blah...
I saw more of the scene...

Who needs flowers on their plants when you can have a Princess Wedding with two 5 year old princesses?

I'll choose a princess wedding any ol' day over flowering plants. I saw the meaning behind this - "take time to scatter the flowers" -ok, or smell the flowers, but point being, I need to slow down, put the stress aside and soak in these little things that add beauty to my life each and every day.

a little (a lot) laundry, a late-to-arrive-home husband, a broken dishwasher? Who cares! I'd rather be the wedding photographer!

OOOOOOh, do I love those girls!

lovin' the handmade...

2010-05-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Handmade Gifts are Priceless.

My talented neighbor Chamonix made this hat for Izzy's 1st Birthday.

Could it be any cuter?

let's lighten it up in here...

2010-05-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

i've made the leap onto the ruffle bandwagon. ruffles are everywhere it seems. and little did i know that my limited sewing skills allowed me to create these ruffles. inspired by many blogs and by this shower curtain shown above from the influential Anthropologie magazine, i knew i wanted this look in my own home.

although in love with the curtain, the $98 price tag and i weren't so much in love.

solution - Grandma's Linen Closet.

once again.

using her old white sheets and white tablecloths, i created these curtains for my living room. it is amazing how much it lightened up the room.

my favorite part is how some of the ruffles are yellowed - this was from the yellowed stains on the tablecloth. i loved the mixture of the off-white and white together.

no measuring, no perfect lines - just cutting the tablecloth in strips, creating the ruffles and then sewing on the strips to the sheet. i used a king size sheet and cut it in two and hemmed the edges.

i think grandma would be proud.

Why do they do it?

2010-04-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie. It's still a big problem with one of my 5 year olds. It's to the point that even she doesn't even know she is doing it. I have told her numerous times to stop, that it's ugly and it's full of germs, and well, JUST DON'T DO IT! I've even delivered the news that my mom used to tell me...

"I'm going to put it on a piece of bread and make you eat it."

But really, no matter how bad it gets,

I don't even think I could stomach doing that to her.

and see....she has been up to this for a few years now...

(photos taken in july of 2006)

not just one time during this photo shoot but two times...

and three times...

and yep, let's go for a fourth pick...

and this one is complete with the smile that she knows she is funny and has our attention

and that yes, we are all giggling right along with her.

even the 4th of July favorite that I used for a family card included her little pick...

but without that little finger up her nose, she really was a precious little baby...

and still is at 5 today.

BUT I am curious as to whether or not she has been working with Izzy on learning a few tricks...

It all started with "where's your head?" and "where are your eyes?" and "where's your nose?" and BAM! The finger found the nostril and that was it! I laughed and the more I said don't do that, the more she did it and on came the giggles! What is it with kids and nose picking? In my few seconds of online research, I realize I've tried almost all that they suggest -- carrying tissues, band-aid on the finger, explaining about germs, demanding hand-washing, blah blah blah -- but I am going to go with the last suggestion on their list.

Ignore it.

We'll see what happens as this is definitely not one I've used thus far.

a sentimental PB knock-off

2010-04-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's summer - well, almost; fair to say that we all have summer fever at least. so with that, it means new pillow covers in the Smith household - or its a good excuse for fulfilling that need to make yet another round of pillow covers. A store called Tall Mouse carries fabulous quilting fabric and had a 50% off sale of their usual $9.99 a yard fabrics. So I stocked up a bit for pillows in our front room, pillows on the girls' beds and for a few dresses for the baby. I tackled the pillows first, using the purchased fabric and a few sentimental things I picked up from both my grandmother and great grandmother.

the blue and gold prints are fabric I bought; the pink "blanket" is a vintage tablecloth that I found in my grandma's linen closet. I love the whimsical and girly look of it. No one knows that it's a tablecloth unless I tell them, right?

the brown and orange on the left and right sides are bought fabrics, and the middle pillow was one of a pair I picked up at a garage sale for 25 cents each.

Although I have yet to actually sew these into throw pillow covers, I just love the yellow and white pillow cases that, again, were in my Grandma's closet. I remember choosing these pillowcases for my pillows when I stayed all night with my grandparents when I was a child. All the more reason to bring them home with me! And the fun flower one? Another half off fabric - the choices were endless at the sale!

Now on to my favorite pillow of the selection presently in my home: Here are the ones shown in Pottery Barn - the vintage flower pillows:

...and here are mine that I made using vintage fabric that I acquired after my great grandmother died in 2002.

I've held on to it and finally found it justified to cut it up and create pillow throws - after all, if it's in Pottery Barn, it's justified, right? Who doesn't love their look? And I think I like "free" quite a lot better than PB's ~~over~~prices. Now as I look at these photos of the pillows, I think I will break out the iron for a few obvious reasons...

Happy Day!

for the love of coral...

2010-04-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

i wish i could be a blogger who had something profound to say each day, something meaningful to leave you pondering and thinking about the topic a few days later -- two blogs that inspire me daily and leave me in deep thought are The Goat and the Kid, blogged by nancy and Lucky Number 13, blogged by amy. if these two gals ever wrote self-help books, I'd be the first in line at the bookstore to buy the books! Such inspiration - and wonderful photojournalism to boot! Check them out!

but, I'm not that kind of blogger or writer. I just like to show you my frugal finds, obsess over my redecorating habit, and occasionally share with you some enlightening moments with my children. I guess if all blogs were the same it wouldn't be that fun.

So no deep thoughts, but I have a mantel to share with you - Inspiring ? ? ?
Thanks to those that complimented my blog header, and yes, those photos are from my mantel. I have to admit this mantel might overdo it's stay this summer because I am loving it myself!

My inspiration?

This...

which i "borrowed" from this gorgeous Hawaiian beach...

i had coral stuffed in shoes, in baby clothes, in my husband's shirts, in my make-up bag- wherever i could think to put it in my suitcase so that they wouldn't take it out of my luggage - it was the one and only souvenier i brought back from our trip, so i was begging "please don't take my coral!"

it all came home with me. smile.

back to the mantel...

now here's the pictures that i really enjoyed creating...

those of you that are interested in, or should i rephrase that and say, addicted to, decorating, and redecorating, do you find yourself doing this annoying habit? -- Sitting back and mentally itemizing each item in your house, recollecting where it came from and what you paid for it? I CAN'T STOP! Not that I have any time to sit back in this house with three little busy bodies to chase, but when i do actually sit and relax a bit after they've all gone to sleep, i visually move from piece to piece taking pride in how little i paid to decorate my home and how pleased i am with the outcome. here is the summer mantel i created and i'll be happy to break it down for ya -- not sure i have even $50 wrapped into this mantel....

not too shabby!

Linking to the stories of A to Z Vignette Party

Addicted to Garage Sales...

2010-04-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Isn't it nice to be missed? Thank you for the sweet comments welcoming me back yesterday! Is it possible to miss your blogging friends even though you've never even met them? Yes. It is.

It was a fabulous Saturday of GARAGE SALE-ING. A very nice area near our home here in Orange County had their community sale this weekend. We got an early start and although it was throughout their whole town, we never made it out of one particular wealthy neighborhood - It was like shopping at TJMaxx Home Goods. I went with the idea that I was only going to purchase things that had an immediate purpose and location once I brought it home - No more storing things in my horrendous garage. With that in mind, I focused on the exterior of the home. Hawaii has me rearing to go for summer!

Although I can't seem to keep a plant or flower alive for the life of me, I found this plant stand for $7

If this turquoise color ever becomes repulsively out of style - I am doomed!

And if anyone has some suggestions for plants/flowers for someone with a black thumb rather than green, pass on some advice please!

"No, I'm not getting a bird" was my response to my husband when he questioned this purchase

- Husbands just don't see the creativity in pieces all the time, right?

It is a real bird cage and I plan to doctor it up with a fake bird at some point but for the time being, I had to change the color and find a place in the front entry way.

Green - Gone.Yes to Colonial Red.

(this black chest is actually an old toolbox that I bought at a garage sale almost ten years ago.)

At an earlier sale in March, this little guy came home with me for my girls - The guy bought it at ZGallery and gave it to me for $2

as did this "thing" which I love. I don't know if I should use it as a planter or what?

any ideas? front porch, back patio?

Useful treasures. Well, at least pretty ones as I see it.

My husband might debate me on that one!

Happy Day Everyone!

welcome back to me...

2010-04-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hello! Long time no bloggin'! I am hoping my readers are still around and have missed me just a wee bit. If not, I've at least missed being the author of a blog! I'm in that "needing a vacation after a vacation" mode since we just successfully survived our FIRST family vacation to Hawaii. It was GORGEOUS, and even a bit relaxing. Traveling with three kids --w o a h!!! But all in all, it was wonderful, much needed, and will be probably our most memorable trip with it being our first family trip.

So, with suitcases unpacked and laundry all washed, I am back to the real world of momhood. Cooking for my cooking group (which I just succeeded in convincing my husband to chop up the onions for me as I think my eyeballs truly did fall out while attempting to chop them myself,) working on getting Izzy to sleep in her crib rather than my arms as she has for the past year, and painting both the kitchen and girls' bedroom, I am back to tackling the TO DO list.
-- back to the onions but wanted to say I AM STILL HERE!

On our way once again...

2010-04-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

My long lost friend - MY BLOG! I've been a bit preoccupied with leaving my parents house in Illinois, coming back to California, unpacking and tackling laundry, only to repack again as we leave tomorrow for HAWAII! So in the four days that we have been home, I haven't spent much time with friends, rather I've been hanging out in my bathroom with these friends:

I've always been the sun goddess in the past, roasting myself to the perfect color of brown, but in the last few years, being a mother of little ones who will want me around for their lives, I've decided to trade in the sun for these little tubes of fake n' bake. I am getting used to the coppery metal smell and have collected 5 or 6 different brands to discover the perfect one without the smell, but it's a trial and error process. But a bit of copper smell on me is worth the trade in for this pasty white self of mine!

so Aloha, Adios, Hula - whatever the word - I am outta here and we are on our way bright and early Monday morning! I am overdue for some R n' R! I'll "talk" to you when we return in ten days!

Time To Say Goodbye..or Just See You Later...

2010-04-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

It's our last day in Decatur, Illinois. We are headed back to California tomorrow. The girls are always sad when this arrives and asked this morning "why can't we stay for 20 more weeks?" well, girls that would most likely make your Nana a bit loony. It was a visit that was much longer than we had originally planned but so worth every minute that we spent here.

I will even miss the scenery.

Wishing I could load up one of these barns and plant it in my backyard.

Guess I'd be called the loony one then.

Full or Half price?

2010-03-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am not the only one with a frugal mind...

Our local popcorn shop which is well known and delicious sells popcorn bunnies for Easter...

Cost: $5 each and well worth the price

BUT if you aren't worried about appearance and a few broken pieces, and plan to

just devour them as soon as you leave the store, maybe you'll like this deal a little better...

Isn't that great? We stocked up and left with 6 road kill purchases...

and enjoyed every last bite of it!

Happy Easter Snacking!

Mom, it needs some color...

2010-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

"It just needs some color!" was my expression to my mom regarding the room she is redoing for the three girls in their home. My sister's old bedroom has transitioned from her bedroom, to a TV/toy room for my nieces, to a child's bedroom for my three girls. This armoire was on it's way out from my parent's bedroom - ready to be given away or "garage saled" - yes, that is a verb in my language, so I pondered for a bit and matched a color to the bedspread in the room.

decision made - Grinch Green!!

and fortunately after I completed the painting, this little guy appeared in the toys that the girls were playing with and I was pleased to see that I was pretty accurate in naming my color of paint!

I distressed the drawers a bit, much to the disliking of my sister and mom's tastes - but I figured with the wear and tear it's going to receive from three sets of little fingers, why not? and I like the look.

With that being finished and waiting for Hobby Lobby to mark down the drawer pulls and knobs to 50% off, it's in their room and ready to use.

More color still needed...

on to the wall...

the trundle beds were made by a very crafty neighbor and the wall above needed some love...

and on a cheap budget...

a small craft project in mind...

and this is what I came up with...

and no, BLIM is not a word -it's the 6 letters of each of the granddaughters' first names.

A friend is creating the curtains, closet cover, and throw pillows as I type so I am hoping before we fly home next week, the girls will be able to see their finished room and look forward to returning to nana and papa's later this summer.

Linking with lot of fun bloggers this week...

a Vintage Easter Creation...

2010-03-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Vintage Easter Blog Hop, I created these eggs using ribbons and notions and what-not that I discovered deep in the drawers of my Grandma's sewing machine drawers. I do hope to be more of a seamstress in that Someday Life, so I've packed up many of the supplies that I found to take back to CA with me, but I found this to be a fun way to display the notions for a holiday. To read all about that discovery click HERE and see what treasures were found.

With a bit of modge podge, book pages and plastic eggs, I created the eggs with the idea of giving them to my sister and aunt for Easter. Well, I think they are going to be packed up in the suitcase and come home with me. After all, I AM the sentimental one.

Be festive and hop on over to Anything Goes Here to check out all of the bloggers' vintage treasures!

I wonder if...

2010-03-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

If we all had a sign over our couches or favorite

chairs, that said "rest stop" would we listen?

Would we be better at taking a moment to relax,

to soak in the view and avoid the daily stresses for

a moment?

I wonder.

Wanna Sew? or Bake?

2010-03-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

When you don't have time to sit in the house and sort through the drawers, you bring the drawers home with you!

You pour out the contents and use your best organization skills to make this mess into this clean mess:

with a little help from my usual assitant of course...

Just one pair of pinking shears, please? no such luck.

Perhaps sewing bores you to tears, we can bake cakes with vintage cake toppers instead! anyone?

And the item I will treasure the most, the last thing I found while hunting through her cake-baking collection, the handwritten buttercream frosting recipe, lying there on the floor, just waiting for me to find it and keep it. I would be rich if I had a dollar for each time I called her over the years for this specific recipe. I couldn't keep track of my own when I would copy it down, so I'd call her again the next time. Now I have my own copy, and in her handwriting - the best treasure of the day!!

Linking up to Finding Fabulous today!

lovin' the search for the happies...

2010-03-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

In the hour that I had to pack to get to Illinois earlier this month, and which I swear I did with my eyes closed because we have nothing of what we need, I forgot to grab my HAPPINESS PROJECT book. But if I am remembering correctly, I got anxious in February and read ahead to March (each chapter is assigned to a month). The March chapter applied to work and your work attitude and atmosphere. Well, as a Stay-at-home-mom, there is a change in that atmosphere hour by hour and attitude - well, it's just questionable all the time with a house of 4 females...so I didn't take that chapter to heart too much.
BUT I am still constantly searching the little "happies" in life that I might have left unnoticed before really concentrating on the search.

When I come to my parents house, after saying hellos, I always do a tour of the house. Usually to see what has changed because my dad is one who loves projects - if a room looks one way this month, I guarantee you, next year at this time, it's going to look entirely different. I guess I inherited that gene from him. Looking for change, yes, but I am also looking for the constants that make their home my old home.

Here are just a few of the "happies" I love in their house...

a living room chair that has seen many different fabrics, this one being my absolute favorite...

and seeing Maddie enjoy it as her reading chair.

these little jars that sit by the kitchen window that I gave to my mom one year.

a sculpture of my mom and dad running made by a well known local artist who has since passed away.

My parents used to be avid runners, and when my dad had the roof replaced years ago, the artist used the leftover copper to design this sculpture. How's THAT for a conversation piece?

a family picture of my sister and I with my parents, from 2006, and when I first learned how to use the "cloning tool" on photoshop. There isn't a wrinkle to be found on our faces -- we could all pass for 20-something in this picture, RIGHT??? (FYI-I've learned to accept the wrinkles now -it's inevitable!)

the chalkboard that is now 15 years old, on which all granddaughters have played teacher and written their ABC's --Izzy of course will do so in the future.

my mom's willingness to make room for me to hang the girls' clothes during our visits despite her large clothes collection which takes up three closets.

a breast cancer sticker that remains on her bathroom mirror

from a 5k Race that my mom and I ran together in Chicago in 1999.

one shelf of knick-knacky trinkets from my mom's childhood and my own that is now in what used to be my bedroom. cabbage patch kids, baby blocks, pez dispenser -- all makes me smile!

after 20+ years of running, my dad's bib from running his first marathon in Chicago in 1999

I remember the day like it was yesterday!

All is probably meaningless to a stranger who enters there home, but to me, they are memories.

Have a Happy Day!

An extra long unexpected visit...

2010-03-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

We have now been in Illinois for a total of TWENTY days. Before making the changes to the trip in order to be here for my Grandma, we were going to be here for three weeks. Well, now we are here for over thirty-some days. Whew! Lemme tell you, it's hard to be a guest that long and it's hard to host someone that long, EVEN when it is your own mother and father that is doing the hosting. There are eggshells to be walked on and there is exhaustion on both sides. My children upped their whining ever since arriving and my baby just prefers me, no one else -- all these welcoming arms waiting to snuggle with her and she just. wants. me. the picture below shows my view of her most of the time. I've learned how to walk with her hanging on to a leg. I painted an armoire today with green paint while holding her on my knee in one hand and dripping green paint all over the armoire, me and the baby with the other hand.

But I must say, I am enjoying the time to "just be", and not be rushed and not counting the days until we go home again. I feel like we live here for the time being. The clothes are out of suitcases into the drawers, the kitchen is stocked with baby food and way too many sweet treats for the girls. The girls have a set of scooters and bikes here, just as they do at home.

I like it.

It's nice to be here.

I've been enjoying the sights a bit more, especially the old homes on the "west end" as we call it here and love the character of each home and the vibrant blue color of so many of them.

And I've been reminded of my own high school days as I spend time with my niece who is a freshman and oh so in love with her new boyfriend. To be young again.

And the twins decided to teach themselves how to ride their bikes and within minutes, they succeeded.

Training wheels -- into the trash can!

I'm home.

and thankful.

painting eggs...

2010-03-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Through the many crafty blog parties that I am obsessed with each week, I came across these painted eggs using the cheapo plastic eggs that we all have in our Easter bins.

With eggs, a blue and white paint mixture, and some brown and white paint for splattering, I went to work...

the result -- a pottery barn knock-off. These are PB's pricey eggs above...

These are my cheapies below...

Not Bad?

Find a nest....

(this is a large crow's nest that a neighbor found and gave to me!)

And you've got a cute birds nest with eggs...

Next step -Acquire the patience to borrow yet another idea from PB and stamp the names on the 2nd batch of eggs that I created here at my mom's to add to each of the kids' Easter baskets.

our birthday girls...

2010-03-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

1, 825 days

of pure joy, unconditional love, and giggles.

FIVE YEARS

of living with two twin girls named Mia and Maddie.

Our little ones are 5 on Monday.

March 22nd.

It's such a monumental age -

the baby stage is way gone,

the toddler stage now over,

the preschoolers soon behind us,

and now...the kindergartners will soon arrive.

I specifically remember the excitement of creating this picture to send out on a mass email announcing our news. I was just 5 weeks pregnant when our first ultrasound showed us not one, but two babies on the way. We were leaving for Costa Rica the next day and my doctor ordered that I not go. Well, I went anyway. I knew that he was afraid of miscarriage, but I thought if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. And in reality, I knew with twins on the way, I would not see any type of vacation in the near future -- 5 years later I am correct on the assumption (although we are taking our first family trip here in a few weeks!)

So no one, not even my protective doctor, could take that Costa Rica trip away from me.

Those of you that are thinking I am nuts for ignoring those orders, let me get off track here and show you THIS is where I got to take my daily baths...

and THIS is the view I had from our rainforest cabin while I rested and read on the bed while everyone else went hiking.

NOW DO YOU THINK I AM NUTS?

It was a relaxing and peaceful trip and all went well.

Back to these twins of mine...

I went from being presentably-pregnant

to "take me to a park in a wheelchair so I can at least see the outdoors" pregnant.

78 pounds people!!!

these little ones added a whopping 78 extra pounds to my body.

ok, so I did more than my fair share of eating for three, but I was quite big!

Well worth the 78 pounds and discomfort because I soon had these beauties in my hands...

We went in to the surgery all prepared to bring home our Cooper and Caden, our twin boys, but here came two little girls. We didn't find out ahead of time what the babies were, but we always assumed that since I was a tomboy and my sister had already had three girls, that somehow I would be the mother of boys.

But how blessed to have two little girls.

Our Sweet "Moo-Moos" and "Meezee-Peezee"

We have loved every day with you and look forward to the next 5

...and the next

...and the next.

...and so on...

Have a seat please...

2010-03-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

Way back when I first started my blog, I confessed to my chair obsession here and I showed you a few of my thrifty chair finds

I found a few more in the Grandparents' basement, and if they'd smoosh down into the suitcase, I'd pack 'em up!

I might be checking into just how much it is to ship a chair - that pink chair needs to come home with these three little girls of mine. and that step stool could be handy ...and the yellow one is quite retro and fun...

another keepsake....

2010-03-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

I love the vintage jewelery that can be found in many drawers of a Grandmother. My blog button is taken from a large clear vase of jewelry that I saved from my dad's mother and keep displayed in my china cabinet.

Amongst the drawers and drawers of my Grandma's jewerly that I've discovered this past week, I brought home this box and made these necklaces that you can read about here. They've really been conversation pieces in the week that I've been wearing mine.

I brought home this filled box of jewelery and Izzy has had so much fun opening and closing the lid of the box and putting on the necklaces, that I decided to make this her new jewelery box. The box actually belonged to my Great Grandmother who passed away 8 years ago.

To doll-up the box, I used vintage hankerchiefs that I found amongst all of the storage and made them into flowers. I then used several of the pins in the box to decorate the flowers...a little glue and some ribbon, and we have a new keepsake for Izzy's room.

It will be fun to lether play dress up with her Great Grandma's treasures and to fill it with her own little treasures and jewelery as she grows.

how lucky am i...

2010-03-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

i am feeling quite lucky today.

Soon to be treasures...

2010-03-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

With the passing of my grandma comes the clearing out of my grandparents' house. This process brings my mom to tears - literally, every time we enter the house - not for the sadness of it she claims but the feeling of being so overwhelmed with all the stuff and what to do with it. I am trying to be of some help while I am here but I will admit, I am sorting through things right now finding what keepsakes I would like to keep and ship back to California. I happen to be the sentimental one of the four of us females (my mom, aunt and sister). Right now I can't get past the basement where a lot of the older keepsakes have been sitting. My grandpa's work bench kept my attention for at least 2 hours yesterday afternoon. What I'd really like to take back is this...

I know, I know, most of youy probably just see junk. I see a handmade workbench/table that my Grandpa made and transferred from one house to another. I see a redone craft table and blue spray paint or maybe white with some glaze to age it a bit - or maybe keeping it the light bluish green color that it is with the paint splatters and all.

However, sadly, with a big frown, I might as well stop "seeing" anything because I live too far away and can't have it. Any Illinois friends want to come and take this apart and make wonders out of it...

or how about this...

Story is when my Grandpa opened his flooring business back in the 40's, this was in the building and he brought it home for the basement. Again, craft storage, paint, keep the glass knobs...remove the doors for open storage....

hmmmmmmmmmmm...wishful thinking.

Any Illinois takers?

I just love it!

Am I the only one who sees potential in these pieces?

My mom just looks at me like I have reached insanity.

I see functional. potential. sentimental keepsake.

surely these have some craftin' value for some unknown project in my future...

and these flowers were in a paper bag with only 4 in the bag - I convinced myself that Grandpa just left those there waiting for me to find them.

there's a coat hanger shelf thingamagig in the making with all of these hooks...

my favorite simple little find of the day...how cute is this?

and oh how I wonder the story behind this.

and this tall treasure is coming home with me somehow -- weather I ship it or saw it down to fit in my suitcase, I can see some type of picture holder with ribbon or wire in this piece...

So there's my rescued trash waiting to be treasured!

(Annie, I think you need these workbenches out at your house!)

Happy Day Everyone!

goodbye birdies...

2010-03-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

I love change. I've never been too afraid of change. I always say the anticipation of change is worse than the actual process of change. make sense? i get teased often by anyone who enters my house because change is evident pretty much on a weekly basis in my house. I suffer from some type of obsessive redecorating syndrome. It's constant. The couches move places, the tables are in different corners, something might be blue one week and painted yellow the next - and don't even get me started on pillow covers. BUT I tell my husband that it keeps me from shopping in stores, because yes, if he told me I could go to Pottery Barn to redecorate the house,

I'd be there waiting for the doors to open!

So next on the change list is the twins' bedroom. We've put away the linens for Izzy to use next and the girls have "grown up" a bit and claim they are too big for the birds on their wall. Ok, so I like most change, but when it has to do with the girls growing up and growing out of things, that tugs at my heart a bit.

When we return to California from Illinois, the birdy wall that we painted to match their Pottery Barn kids linens and quilt is getting a makeover.

I had lots of help from Carol, an artistic family friend, in painting the tree on the wall and thank goodness for several sentimental pictures that I have to save for memory sake. Prego pictures and Izzy's newborn pictures.

I have been focused on this idea (from Spearmint Baby) for several months now

I've been collecting the letters from stores, garage sales and thrift stores. I've found cloth letters at tjmaxx for 50 cents and paintable new ones from crafts stores for $1. It's been fun putting together the hodge podge collection. I intend to add a few extras - such as butterflies by the B and a big vintage pink cat that I found at a thrift store next to the letter C - extras that just add to the whimsical look of it all.

Blue paint and the ABC's are really all we will need -- and time, kid-free time to get the painting completed.

Here are two cheapo gems that I found at tjmaxx...

always the best part! what a sale!

I turned those above into these below...

I can't wait to finish this project and better do so soon while the girls are still focusing on learning the alphabet and not algebra!

Linking to...

the good with the sad...

2010-03-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

It has been nice in the last week to be surrounded with family. My grandma was one of two sisters, herself, Alice, and her sister Joyce. My grandma had two daughters (that's my Aunt Connie and my mom Cathy on the left); Joyce had SIX boys. The number of cousins we now have in Georgia, even my Aunt Joyce couldn't give me a total number. They all live in Georgia and we just don't see them often enough. Four of the 6 boys came up for the funeral and of course Aunt Joyce and 2 of her grandsons.

my mom with her aunt and 4 cousins.

Following the funeral, we did what we all do best - spent time together laughing and eating.

It felt good to smile.

we played a bit of football...

....

...and we did some bike riding.

we listened to funny family stories...

...and the newer cousins met the older cousins

(and this gorgeous guy was only 1 1/2 when I last saw him! - he's now 19)

...and we smiled for a family photo once again...

..and we said our goodbyes once again

as they headed back to Georgia.

until we all meet again ...

a long week....

2010-03-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a week full of family, friends, emotions, food, hugs, visitors, sympathy cards, sorting through old pictures, food, laughter reminiscing over family memories, and food.

Did I mention food?

Holy food.

Wherever the tradition began of bringing food to comfort those who have lost a loved one,

it's a very appreciated tradition in our family this week.

I have never eaten such a variety of foods in six days in my entire life.

I've missed my blogging but it's been a nice week well spent with family members and

sending my Grandma on her "Flight Home."

In all of the sadness of the week, I felt such pride for my cousin William, while looking
through his pictures from his service in Iraq. His father was visiting here from Georgia and was surprised
to find the pictures still on the camera.
I can happily report that William is now home
safe and sound
but will soon deploy again for Afghanistan.

and found great humor in this picture that he took as well...

Glad to see they're still able to keep a sense of humor over there!

Have a great rest of the week....

a special keepsake...

2010-03-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make something special to wear to the funeral in honor of my Grandma. I found drawers (and drawers and drawers) full of costume jewelery and a few of her vintage shirts that she had stashed in the closet. I've always known that creating and crafting is my way of dealing with stress, so to make the time pass as we were sitting with her over the last several days I used her necklaces and pins and old clothes to create this:

I was too anxious to wait to wear it and thought it would be a good way to keep her close to me when I wasn't sitting there with her at the nursing home so I wore it the next day to run some errands. My nieces fell in love with it, so I put them to work on sewing the yoyo flowers and picking out the pins and such that they liked and we got busy :

I made one for my grandma's sister as well and she has worn it every day since being here. I have a few more to make for more relatives so we'll be busy today creating more. I love that we've created something unique that we can each keep in her memory.

2010-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

My Grandma, our GG, made her journey to Heaven Saturday morning. It was not an easy last few days for her before she died so I am so relieved that she is at peace now and as Maddie says, sliding down the slides on the clouds up there in Heaven. During the past week, we all took turns sitting with her at the nursing home. The nurse says the hearing is the last to go so we kept talking to her and reassuring her that we were there and that it was ok to go now. She struggled on and on. There were trips to see her in the middle of the night as the nurses would call and say they thought it was time. But wouldn't you know it, she passed away when not one of us was there. My uncle had gone home for a short time to eat and she passed away while a few of the nurses were with her. So maybe all week she was just waiting for all of us to leave her and to spare us from having the hurt of losing her. She was a stubborn lady so if she was in charge, I think that's what she wantd. She died on Isabella's first birthday which we were all hoping would not be the case, but a friend's message on facebook (hi Leslie) gave me comfort. She stated it was a great gift on her birthday because she is now Izzy's angel. So that is how I am going to look at it. We went ahead and celebrated Izzy's birthday last night as we know she would have said "go about your day" as she often did. I couldn't help but imagine my Grandma's smile last night as Izzy just devoured her birthday cake. She would have gotten the biggest kick out of watching her clap icing all over and just soak up the attention.

GG was in Heaven watching and Izzy was in

Heaven on Earth as she enjoyed her cake.

happy first...

2010-03-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

365 days.

happy FIRST birthday our sweet izzy-belle!

you are truly a gift.

I made it...

2010-03-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

thank you all for your kind words regarding my grandma - it's crazy how you feel such a connection with your friends on here, most of you strangers to me, yet somehow you know that all of these readers have a listening ear and a shoulder (or do i insert "blog" here) to cry on- i guess that's what make women who we are, right? we can all have our petty sides, but when you really need someone to listen, we women have just what it takes. so thank you. i found all of the kind comments to be so comforting.

and really comforting is that I AM HERE! i am here in Illinois with my family. I managed to pack our bags on an hour and half's notice, fork over a thousand bucks in airfare change fees (gulp...gulp again), get three little ones packed, dressed and fed (not sure what in the world they wore to the airport or if teeth or hair got brushed, but we made our flight) and we were on our way to illinois.

i was able to see my grandma this morning. i just held her hand and caressed her face and just told her we were all here now and to please make her journey to heaven. i took izzy with me so that the sounds of her babbles and laughter could be in the background, but chose to leave the twins at home with my dad. i want them to remember GG as the happy and healthy GG that they know. that's the way i will remember her and have so many wonderful memories to keep with me.

i am just so relieved to be here. the girls are on their way to go pick up their cousins from school which will create miles and miles of smiles so that thrills me. my grandma's sister and nephews from Georgia made their way up too so we are all just where we need to be.

together.

with family.

with GG.

happiness in a messy counter...

2010-03-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'm still loving my Happiness Project book.

I'm trying to read each chapter in the month that it is supposed to be read, but honestly, it's really difficult to stop reading - it's one of those that you really just want to keep on reading and reading.

So kudos to the author for writing such a great book!

I found a simple picture in my picture files and decided there's a lot of little things in my kitchen that create happiness.

simple things, but happy things.

now don't get distracted by that messy counter - that's a different story, so back to the "happy".

have a happy day!

I miss her already...

2010-03-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

It’s one of those times where I’m really resentful for being so far away, and for being the only one of my family that IS far away from home. My grandma, GG we call her, both for Grandma Grace and Great Grandma for the great grandchildren, is on hospice presently. I am just waiting for the phone call and so badly want it to arrive because she is truly suffering and in pain and she deserves a peaceful passing. I’ve found myself calling my aunt and mother however numerous times because I believe I am checking on them and how they are coping just as much as I am calling to check in on my grandma.

On Sunday, my uncle held the cell phone up to my grandma’s ear while she rested in bed and I said my goodbyes – with the sudden realization of having to do this, I just couldn’t find the right words. I would need much more time than a quick phone call to tell her all that she meant to me and to remind her of the wonderful memories we’ve had in our family. I said nothing profound, yet I repeatedly told her that I loved her and to please fall asleep. I told her my grandpa is waiting in heaven for her arrival, and that I’d continue to tell my girls all about their GG. It was not something I thought I’d have to do over the phone.

I’ve been talking to the girls about heaven and have told them that GG will soon be arriving there. I can tell in their little minds, they’ve created a Disneyland of sorts out of Heaven – complete with rainbow houses, apple juice, DVDs, a slide to go down the clouds, happiness and no sicknesses, and a cord that attaches from the gravestone to heaven to get up there – all from their little 4 year old minds. We prayed for GG the other night and Mia asked that “GG have fun in Heaven” and Maddie asked that she find “her Grandpa Lou up there” (my husband’s father who the girls never got to meet).

I just wanted to be able to talk about her in the present tense as I know that opportunity won’t be here much longer. My grandma and I have written letters back and forth since I left for college at 18. We’ve continued over the years and she always teased that she finally learned to write my address in pencil in her address book because I never sat still in one spot for too long. Last summer, she handed me a box full of the letters I had written to her . When I read through them, there was one commonality in all of the letters – ranging from age 18 to my age of 34 at that time – I always told her how homesick I was and how much I missed my family. She never expressed her opinion on my living so far away, yet made me feel loved through her letters but was sure to express to me how much she missed me as well.

I miss her already. I miss her handwriting. The girls mailed her two colored worksheets of the letter “G” so that she could hang them side by side in her room and have her name spelled out. I hope they arrived so that she could smile at their colorful creations. I just want her to have peace. No more suffering.

I am waiting for the phone call.
and I pray Mia and Maddie are right about heaven.

17 days later...

2010-03-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

i can stop wondering now. wondering what she looks like, what her baby skin smells like, how tiny her little toes are, how soft that baby skin is -- WE, the girls and I, FINALLY met the newest baby girl in our family -

K y r a

OOOOOOh, is she a cute little thing.

Her initials are KLT so I decided early on that i am going to call her BLT so I found myself calling her bacon lettuce and tomato when we first started gabbing. no one can say that's not unique.

so me and the little BLT got to know one another on sunday...

and the girls were excited to smother her

with more hugs and lovin'...

look at those eyes.

yep, just one more little girl for me to spoil.

glad to meet you BLT.

you're a keeper!

one fab rehab!

2010-02-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

I think i've committed a blogger's sin - I am a straight-up COPYCAT on this project and I can't for the life of me find the talented girl's blog that I "borrowed" (ok, stole) this idea from for this FAB makeover. She had a beautiful blog, and a step by step tutorial for a table that she stained and painted. I copied the steps down on a piece of paper knowing that "someday" (wow do I love that word) I wanted to put this to use. She was only 26 years old and had an incredible eye for decorating and I commented that I think at 26 I was still concerned as to what rock poster to hang up in my Chicago apartment and had no clue what rehabbing furniture was, let alone, HOW to do it! So I admire you mystery blogger, enough to copy your work -- so with admiration and apology both, here is my fab rehab....

Some are addicted to Nordstrom's Rack, and some are addicted to Goodwill. I fall in the 2nd category. If I am in that area of the GW, my car just somehow turns into the parking lot, just "to look" "just in case..." So on my last "just in case there might be a trash to treasure jewel" in there, I found this table for $30. SCORE! I've always loved the rustic look of this type of furniture.

Following the mystery blogger's method, I sanded, then stained the top of the of the table with espresso colored dark stain -- and with this being my first staining project, it took me quite some time to get it as dark as I wanted. I then spray painted the legs with a creamy white paint, sanded them a bit, and then added black glaze to age them a tad more. it turned out just as i had hoped! i replaced our kitchen table with this "new" table and love the look. and it all happened so quick which is a shocker for me - i tend to store my projects for awhile until i actually get a free moment or a free hand or kid-free moment to get to work on it -- but this was purchased on Thursday, redone on Friday evening, and ready to eat on in the kitchen on Saturday morning. Record timing for me!

(well aware of two seat covers and two missing seat covers -- quickly learned that cloth seat covers and small children do not match well together)

WAIT a minute - i forgot to mention the best step of the whole process. Distressing the table with a chain - again, an idea I borrowed from mystery blogger. It made such a neat rippled effect of dents on the top of the table - and had it not been the loudest noise I've ever heard and if the neighbors wouldn't have come out to see what all the racket was, I would have continued the distressing step way beyond what was needed because it was effective cheap therapy!

the endless smiles...

2010-02-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

it's another RAINY day here in California but the GREEN that has been created from all this rain is really beautiful!we took advantage of some overcast moments this past week to capture Iz before she turns the big

O N E

next week

...and m & m jumped right in on the fun. they are next in line for photos as they will be FIVE

in March as well.

haven't i begged the clock to slooooooooooooooow down in umpteen number of blog posts now? please listen to me mr. time!

blog sugar ....

2010-02-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

here is the hostess with the mostess -

RACHEL from No. 17 cherry tree lane...

she did the networking. she did the emailing. and she did the planning.

and we all did the gabbing...

rachel graciously hosted a get-together at her house and invited all of the blogging women that she and others had come across in the orange county area.

she opened up her home to all of us, some complete strangers to one another, others friends from high school or neighborhood friends.

i was a stranger to everyone and admittedly felt a bit nervous before arriving,

but once there -- with all those great women, and LOTS of de-lish sugary treats, i soon felt right at home!

when i awoke the next morning and read this little book that i read each day that has inspiring quotes and what not, this is what the day said...

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.

so so true in the case of Blog Sugar!

so yes, i came in as a stranger, but left knowing i had just created new friendships.

if you've come across some bloggers that you realize are "neighbors," follow rachel's lead and reach out to these gals and get together. it was so inspiring to share stories and reasons for blogging, the names behind the titles of our blogs, and especially to put REAL faces with these blogs that we've become such fans of.

how can you not smile...

2010-02-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

It's my year to pay attention to the happiness already existing in my life...

So I am wondering, how long have the eggs been telling me to "enjoy" them rather than to just "use" them?

I think I enjoyed my eggs more than I ever have just knowing that i was complying with their request.

...and a favorite of mine for a few holiday seasons now...

the flavor "peppermint mocha" is enough to make me smile, but this...

makes me ecstatic!

No need to wait until next Christmas now.

lovin' these simple "happies" that are surrounding me each day!

A Great Day...

2010-02-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

I spent some time on Facebook yesterday, ok too much time, trying to catch up with old friends. Living long distance from my hometown and therefore childhood and school friends, Facebook has been like one big pen pal to me. I will also be planning our 20th high school reunion (gulp! ...or "let me faint" rather) in 2 years so this will be a Godsend when it comes time to locating everyone.

I am in touch with an old boyfriend's sister on Facebook and as close as I grew to their family as a teenager, I am happy that I am able to get updates from her on how everyone is doing. Yesterday she posted a status that really brightened my day - and I can only imagine how bright the sun was shining in all of their homes back in Illinois...
Her brother's daughter was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago and went through an extremely tough battle to survive. Her sister was able to donate bone marrow to help her with her survival. So yesterday she posted

Giving thanks to God today as my niece marks 5 years since her bone marrow transplant!

Her day was full of celebration as they had special presentation at the school for the sisters, declared the day as her day, had a spotlight on the evening news, and is in today's paper in her hometown. I can't imagine the joy of each day that passes of knowing their little girl is healthy and has survived this battle.

I have bone marrow donor on my "to do" list and I admit it will take some courage to get it accomplished, but seeing pictures of this little girl from yesterday really gives me the push to follow through with my intentions.

Give your little ones an extra hug today and thank God for their good health.

it's all about the outfit...

2010-02-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

let me first explain why izzy is wearing a santa hat at the end of February. answer - daddy dressed her. no more explanation needed right? actually that just gave me an idea to do a full post/fashion show on some of the unique daddy dressed me days. gotta love the combos he comes up with.

so here is another WHAT NOT TO WEAR...

mmmmmm...not so much right?

but for a dollar, she, and the bad outfit that she is wearing, came home with me from a garage sale on saturday.

with the help of my February santa elf, we stripped her down and started over.

with inspiration from this gorgeous necklace created by this fun gal, Julie from Joy's Hope, who i had the pleasure of meeting this past Friday night at Blog Sugar, an OC gathering of bloggin' women (will definitely post about that later in the week - such a neat night!) - and who writes the most inspiring and beautiful blog in memory of her daughter Joy - a "must check out" for your blog searches today, trust me!

i turned my little "What Not to Wear" into

"OOOH, CAN I BORROW THAT?"

-well at least in the eyes of my girls who will wear anything frilly and fancy.

i used an assortment of old buttons, a necklace and a few rhinestone pins and clip-on earrings that belonged to my grandmother, and a few yo-yo flowers that i had made.

linking up to:

Happy Week Everyone!

just two more weeks....

2010-02-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

i did the math in my head this morning and realized my baby, my izzy-belle, is just two weeks away from her FIRST birthday. i am in shock. i knew it was soon and i've been working on her birthday party decorations, but when you slap that "two weeks" to the actual date, well, that is arriving just way too quickly for my liking. i still catch myself saying "i just had a baby..." um, yeah, almost 365 days ago! since she decided she wanted to start walking at 10 months in effort to keep up with all the big kids that she's surrounded by, the newborn-ness went away even quicker than i had expected.

izzy, with your new walking shoes that look oh so cute on you as waddle around on your own little journey, let's take these next two weeks a bit slow, ok sweet pea? no running in those shoes just quite yet. let mommy soak in these last two weeks before i have to call you my one year old.

i love you little one!

all 351 days of you!

our little get-away

2010-02-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

this is a little area, our little "get-away," that we have in our back patio that we make great use of when the weather treats us well - which here in California, is almost daily. the chairs and loveseat i purchased a few years ago at the end of the summer when Target likes to mark down their summer stuff at a desirable price. the canopy we added just last fall after my husband won/earned it in a work-incentive goal type program at state farm (good thing i don't have to go into further detail about that program because as you can tell, i am not really sure what i am talking about!) it was just the touch we needed to make it more comfortable out there and to shield us from the daytime sun that can be rather blinding. and the final touch - the pair of tables i scored at a garage sale that i held with my friend. her husband had them in his bachelor pad and had purchased them from Room & Board, a furniture store where, let's just say, you aren't really going to find those Target prices that i just mentioned a few sentences back. she graciously parted with the pair for $50. i added some of that -- um, shiny stuff that allows it to be weather-resistant and hold up to the moisture -if i didn't have a sick baby in my hands while typing this, i'd go into the garage and read the correct name of that shiny weather stuff, but the baby takes priority - those of you who are queens of rehabbing furniture, you know what i am talking about, right? Fifty bucks and a small can of shiny stuff for another $5 - a great deal and a fabulous find!

and i think izzy found her own purpose for the table...

linking up to fun furniture blog parties...

Finding Fabulous & Mustard Seed Creations

T G I F friends -

and those attending Blog Sugar, sure can't wait to meet you all!

my someday garage...

2010-02-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

why is it that California homes do not have basements? i am sure my answer is just a google-search away, but unless researching that answer is going to miraculously create a basement underneath my house, i don't care to take the time to answer my question. i've come to the conclusion that the midwest basement is a California garage. my garage is a DEEZAAAAASTER!!! it deserves it's own spelling of the word disaster because it is THAT bad! ok, not AS BAD as the random picture i found online, but bad enough to lead me to find a random online picture to post rather than fess up to my own mess and show you a real picture of my garage. AND bad enough that when my mom visits from Illinois, she in the most polite way mentions that i should seriously apply for one of those cleaning shows like "clean house" or whatever those de-cluttering home shows are. if i'd qualify, come on over, believe me, but the messy garage is somewhat of a sensitive topic with me. I defend myself to whoever comments (the "good" friends and neighbors have learned to bite their tongue) that my husband moved me here from the midwest and that i had a basement that ran the width of my house - HUGE - tv room, extra bedroom with full bath, storage beyond storage, -even storage areas that i didn't even have to use -- anyone seeing my garage right now would think i was a bit fat liar on that one! but yes, the basement comes in quite handy for things you just might want to hang on to.

i have managed to keep a carpeted toy area for the girls, ever since moving in 4 years ago, and they have toys galore, but for "some reason" they still migrate to my next door neighbor's who has the spotless, well-organized, no distractions, allows-you-to-spread-out-and-play, everything labeled, educational garage. No, i am not jealous, can you tell? so it is my goal, yet for another year, to get that garage in a functional state. and by that i don't mean a car will ever be parked in the garage - that's a rarity in California it seems, but funtional for the toy room and my piles of craft supplies.

i took izzy a walk in her stroller the other day and while walking away from my own deesaaaasterous garage, i decided to be the nosey neighbor and take inventory of every garage that i passed that was opened. here is what i discovered for the purposes of California garages:

- a storage unit for 6 motorcycles

-a home for a woman's wedding floral business on the weekends

- an office complete with a computer, desk, tv and bookshelves (accompained by a very old broken down car adjacent to the office)

- a storage unit for boxes and more boxes and what must be even her neighbor's boxes because no one should own that many boxes.

-a workout area with a spotless checkered tile floor with a treadmill and tv hanging from the ceiling - that's it, just a treadmill and nice shiny floor. once again, not jealous.

-a storage unit for strollers - from what i could see, there were 6 strollers in this garage.

- a storage unit for furniture - couch, 2 chairs, dining room hutch, various dining room chairs, a bed frame - basically, enough furniture to house a 2nd home.

-another home for a floral business (who has a floral shop nearby our home but needs the garage for even more storage)

I am happy to report that i returned from my walk a little relieved that i am not suffering alone in this messy garage-missing-my-midwest-basement syndrome. (well, possibly i am alone in missing the basement part as some haven't had the luxury of a basement.) i do have a pile the size of my sequoia waiting for this weekend's garage sale, and i did tackle my many teaching crates from my previous years of teaching and weeded out quite a bit of supplies for the sale this weekend - so see, it's all good! i am not going to qualify for the decluttering shows, and my girls are going to love their someday organized toy room ..again, someday. until then, dreaming of this...

dreaming and dreaming...

but still smiling!

A lot matters on this Monday..

2010-02-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

there is a lot that i am thankful for this Monday, both the little things and the BIG...

first with the little - I was so delighted with all of the link-ups to my first blog party. It was so interesting to hear how different women met their husbands. I had both tears and laughter while reading the various stories. I also realized that I could never write a romance novel, because after reading my own engagement story compared to how others wrote theirs, well let's just say I need to step up on the romantic part. I did prepare a candlelight dinner for my husband tonight (and three little girls as well) and bothered to put on a dress instead of my shorts and tshirt that I romped around in all day -- so that's a step towards romance, right?

anyway.....

on to the BIG that matters to me this Monday..

My Sis-in-Law had that beautiful baby girl on Thursday, ten days early.

I've yet to meet the little sweet pea, by oh my, is she gorgeous in her pictures!

Meet Kyra Laikyn...

Jason meets his new niece for the first time...

Don't you just want to keep her for yourself?

Welcome to the world you precious, perfect little baby girl!

fun and fabulous...

2010-02-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

awesome.

need i say more?

ok...i will.

i was in valentine heaven today reading

all of these stories posted for my blog party.

what great, funny, romantic, and memorable love stories.

just read the post below if you missed out on all the love!
and please, keep on posting! i will have the mclinky thing-a-magig up until sunday!!

I Certainly did say YES

2010-02-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! It's finally here!

My first blog party!

Link up and share your story of

"I said YES!"

Share those romantic proposal stories

..and everyone loves pictures too!

Jason and I had met just 8 months before our engagement. I was his waitress one evening in a bar, where I worked at night (teacher by day) to help make ends meet in the expensive city of Chicago. And I always add, that I gave him my number and persued him (and i rewrote my name and number three times before being satisfied with my handwriting - cheeseball?-that's me!) . A fast engagement, yes, but just one of those "we just knew it was right" kind of relationships.

We were dating long distance at the time, me living in Chicago and him, in California, having moved there only two months into our meeting and dating. He came in on a May 16th, 2001 and that Friday after I finished teaching, he was waiting for me at my apartment. And I might add that he opened the wine a bit before I got there as well – which was later excused by his nervousness. I thought we were going out to meet some friends for a bit of a happy hour, but instead we cabbed to the restaurant where we had our very first date, The Pepper Lounge, which was right down the street from Wrigley Field, and sadly, is no longer opened.

We were the only ones in the restaurant, as it was before opening hours, so I had a suspicion then, BUT when he ordered a cocktail and requested extra onions in the drink, I thought no way is tonight the night if he is going to load up on onions! Funny the petty thoughts we girls can drum up! But instead of our ordered cocktails, the waitress brought out a bottle of Veuve champagne and inside the champagne glass was a gorgeous sparkly diamond ring. Down on one knee before I could even blink, Jason proposed and I was more than honored to say YES!

Outside we had a limo waiting for us and my one huge regret is that we spent the entire limo ride calling everyone on his cell phone to announce our news.

I know we were caught up in the moment, but the limo ride was over before I knew it and we hadn’t spent time together soaking in our moment just to ourselves. Oh well!

We then arrived at the United Center where Bono and his boys were waiting to put on the most fabulous U2 concert . Jason, knowing that I love U2 right up there with how much I love him, got tickets with some friends and we celebrated throughout the night. Cubs game the next day with my parents ! I remember it being a fabulous weekend and being so proud to be his fiancé. It was also a weekend of accepting “new beginnings” because I knew it meant leaving my “familiar” and moving to California to start our life together there.

A year later – June 8, 2002 – the new Smiths

With 8 years of marriage under us this June, I am so blessed to call Jason my husband. I am a lucky girl who is loved and cared for by one wonderful man!

And the kisses and laughter are still present!

your turn! Share your engagement story and link up below! you can post up until Sunday the 14th, Valentine's Day - Remember to visit all of the blogs to read their stories - that's the whole point of it all!
Happy Valentine's Day!

I SAID YES blog party!

2010-02-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

Did you immediately say YES?

Were you surprised or was it expected?

Flowing Tears or no tears?

How did you spread the GOOD NEWS?

With every engagement announcement comes the curiousity of

"How did he propose?"

If I ever wrote a small coffee table book, it would be a collection of marriage proposals. Oh how I love me a good proposal story, hearing all about that special memorable moment in a couple's life. With Valentine's Day around the corner, I'd love for you to join me in sharing your marriage proposal story.

Share your story!

Share the engagement/proposal pictures!

Share the love!

If you are not married, share a love story of your own or of a friend, or of that dream perfect proposal!

This is my first blog party and I hate rejection so help me out and join in the fun.

Grab a button for the party and post it on your blog.
Help me spread the word and write a post on your blog - be sure to let me know if
you do this so I don't miss it!
please post on February 12th
I will hopefully by then have figured out this mcklinky feature and you can come back here and link up.
Please let me know if you'll be posting!
Can't wait to hear all the love stories out there!

cleansing the clutter...

2010-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

I finally bought the book "The Happiness Project." Before the book, I've been loyal to the website and to Woman's Day summary of the project, but I am truly motivated now that I have the actual book in my hands. Because it's a month by month project, i am backtracking a bit to January which focuses on Increasing Energy. To do that, the author suggests to Declutter and tackle those projects that have been waiting for you for quite some time -- like the door to Izzy's closet that is hanging by one hinge, or the baskets of the girls' artwork that is waiting for a place to call home, or the throw pillows that are on the couch with pins still in them because I hate to handsew --you know, those kind of things. So I've consciously taken a break from the internet, from my blog, from email and you can instead find me deep in the closets sorting through clothes I forgot I even owned, or organizing the photos into photo boxes, or in the garage happily, yet sadly because they just keep growing up on me, getting rid of toys that are no longer played with. When my mind is cleansed and the clutter is lessened, I'll be back!

mia's take on pink...

2010-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

i am returning once again to Pink Saturday, and this time, hopefully signing up on time, unlike last week!
mia decided she wanted to be the participant this week, so i handed the camera to her and let her four year old eye take charge...

i have to say i love it! i love her eye for the not-so-perfect picture and the "don't bother to take it off my bedroom floor" attitude that she had for many of these items. i hope she develops a love for photography like her mom!

happy pink saturday!

i am still here...

2010-02-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

I've been a girl of few words this week.

Not sure why.

Maybe because I am under the weather and have been hanging out with the sinus nasal rinse kit more than anyone else. And now we have rain again today - and tomorrow, which puts my planned garage sale on hold for the third weeked in a row. I am so motivated to get rid of stuff and have a mountain of "stuff" in the garage just waiting to go. I know, I should just call Goodwill and have them do a pick-up, but to me, there is something relaxing about having garage sales. Sounds nuts, right? But once it's all set up and my co-host, Aimee, and I can sit back and chug our coffee and catch up on chit-chat, I find it worthwhile to watch people sort through our clutter and smile as they find their new treasures. So that plan will have to wait. Back to my sinus kit and kleenex....

a little paint and glaze...

2010-01-31T17:53:00.000-08:00

there was finally a little time to get a few projects done around the house this weekend - the big one i got to cross off my "to do" list was to clean out my closet! but who am i kidding - that wasn't a weekend project; iv'e been tackling that mess since last monday. i followed the "if i haven't worn it in a year, it's outta here".. and i can proudly say i got to break open the two crates of pre-pregnancy clothes and hang all of those back up again - what a sigh of relief there! i should rephrase that and say half of the closet got cleaned as the "other half" still need to tackle his half of the mess. wishful thinking...but i still love him.

i have my mom's old jewelry box that she gave to me at least ten years ago - it's been stuffed in my closet at each place that we've lived. i have such fond memories of going through her jewerly and trying it all on and asking her where each piece came from. i didn't get the jewerly with the box but love looking at it and remembering those times as a child - the velvet lined drawers still have the same smell that they did when i was a child...

so with a combination of the cleaning of the closet, the discovery of the hidden jewerly box in the closet, and the new addiction to the black glaze, i got busy...

this is the jewelry box from my mom and while i was working on this one...

i remembered i was using another one that i had bought at an estate sale and

had spray-painted it black.

i put the two finished pieces together and this is what i have...

if you are reading today, are you proud mom? and no, i'm sorry, you can't have it back.

playing along with ...

join ME for my first blog party

details HERE

I said YES!!!

2010-01-30T16:16:00.000-08:00

alright my circle of blogging friends...February begins in 2 days...
so you have 11 days to get the mushy romantic proposal story/post

written...and don't forget to include pictures too!

Did you immediately say YES?
(or did you make him sweat a bit?)

Were you surprised or was it expected?
Flowing Tears or no tears?

How did you spread the GOOD NEWS?

click HERE for the blog party details.

pink saturday...

2010-01-29T22:30:00.000-08:00

So a week ago, I participated in Pink Saturday and wow -- what a response! 36 comments on my first post, and the most comments I've ever recieved on a post -- come on, we all have to admit that those comments really make your day & make your time spent blogging well worth it. These Pink Saturday bloggers aren't playing around - they are very devoted to this blog party and take the time to visit the numerous posts and leave comments. I honestly think waking up to all of those kind comments last Saturday morning, really made me have a brighter day. ...and to top it off, I just saw tonight that Beverly, the host of the Pink Saturday asked players to feature a blog they visited for the first time, so Grace, from Pink in the City (she is from NY -how cute is that blog name?) featured me! so maybe now i am feeling even a bit brighter! thanks Grace!

so of course i am playing again this Saturday...

this is Guinness. also known as Guinney or Pa-tinners.

Why do we make up such cutesie names for pets?

Guinness is the little one on the far left, you know, the one that looks exactly like the one on the right and the one in the middle.

He was my dog. my second baby.

my second dog & my consolation prize for when i was

struggling to get pregnant.

Guinness isn't my dog anymore.

When i succeeded in getting pregnant for the 2nd time, (however with our 3rd child since we had twins the first time around), it was unfortunately time to find a new home for Guinness.

i had never given away a pet and was devastated by doing so, but it was a decision that i made for him and had to ignore my own selfishness of wanting to keep him just so i wouldn't feel awful and miss him.

so the weekend that i was in the hospital after giving birth, my husband and mother-in-law arranged for him to be picked up and taken to his new home.

i felt like i had just traded my dog baby for a real baby.

My husband's friend is a Yorkshire Terrier "pro" and we called her to find him a good home -- and it was meant to be because she called and said she'd take him.

So how do i say no to that.

i spent my baby blues bawling over Guinness that weekend but when i got home from the hospital, here is the picture that was waiting for me on my email.

a three pack of burrito-ed yorkies!

the relief i felt when seeing this picture, i can't even describe. i think he traded me in for two new babies! it will be a year in march that he went to his new happy home, but i have kept this picture on my laptop since receiving it so when i miss his little yappy self, i can look at this and see that he is as happy as can be in that little pink burrito bed!

happy pink saturday!

Be sure to visit How Sweet the Sound to other pink posts!

rain rain don't go away quite yet...

2010-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

just as i was convinced that the rain had let up out here in California, the pitter patter noise on my skylight here in the kitchen told me otherwise. it's been nice to have a lot of "home time" however, with our full week of nonstop rain last week- i have to say i didn't really get much cabin fever and welcomed the opportunity to clean out some closets, let the girls get their movie time in, play with the twins in their land of pretend, cuddle on the couch with iz and let her fall asleep in my arms, and well, be a bit lazy in our jammies for most of the day..ok, most of the week. the girls got new raincoats from their Nana and were thrilled to put them to work. mia says she loves the sound that the rain makes on her coat when she is standing in the rain - i found that to be so observant for her little 4 year old mind.

i am happy to participate in Watery Wednesday

for the first time. below are some pictures taken by a family friend, Phil, while the girls were curiously splishing and splashing in the puddles...

love

i admire their love for rain. having grown up in the midwest myself, i think we saw our fair share of the rain year round and the excitement just wasn't there - unless the backyard flooded which warranted putting on the swimsuits and playing.

i loved the picture of the chalk which i added to my blog header. the girls accidentally left the chalk tub out in the rain which was appealing to them. they liked how dark the colors became and now call it "cheesy chalk." i think if cheese really had that texture it would cure my love for cheese, but i will let them call it what they want! and i guess it's one less thing i have to nag them about putting away.

have a great "hump day" - i remember my dad always putting little notes in my lunch, even throughout high school and i always had a "happy hump day" on wednesdays and a "TGIF" note on Fridays. that memory makes me smile.

new beginnings...

2010-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day in our neighborhood today! My next door neighbor and friend, Kim, and her husband, legally adopted the little girl that they've had as a foster child for 3 years now. I was honored to attend the adoption ceremony at the court house with the family. I certainly didn't have to search for photo opportunities while there.

Such a wonderful experience and I love a happy ending!

2010-01-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

I found a new blog party link – wooohooo!

I do love these link up parties – it’s such a great way to find new bloggers

and to discover new purposes for why people are blogging.

I found PINK SATURDAY at Beverly's How Sweet the Sound blog:

Here is my pink contribution:

While trying to find a clever quote for my collage, I came across a few facts about pink.

It’s not a difficult color to find in our household with three little girls !

These fun facts come from Sensational Color

Pink is the color of happiness and is sometimes seen as lighthearted.

the pink ribbon is an internationally recognized symbol of

hope and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

Bright pinks, like the color red, stimulate energy and can increase

the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate.

They also encourage action and confidence.

Pink has been used in prison holding cells to effectively reduce erratic behavior.

In 1947, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the

color "hot pink" to western fashion. She dubbed the shade "Shocking Pink,"

though today the color is more well-known as "magenta."

please join me in my first blog party:

happy weekend everyone!

a frugalicous mantel-y friday...

2010-01-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's FRIDAY!

I found my way to Michaels once again this week. I'm never sure how I end up there but I think it's borderline addiction my wanting to go in there and see what they have. My husband and I joked when we first moved here that my only two friends were Micheal and JoAnne. Those were two expensive friendships so I am sure glad I moved on to meet some new girlfriends. Mia unknowingly calls it the "crap store" rather than the craft store and we just leave it at that rather than correcting her, because really, how much more "crap" can I bring home from there???

well...a few crap things came home with me this week

..all of which create more for me to add to my "to-do" list....

those dollar bins went down to 4 for $1.00 so I stocked up on some notecards which I cover up the fronts with scrapbook paper and create regular notecards or birthday cards - a lot cheaper than buying the boxes of notecards that are blank...i plan to use these for valentine's cards.

and my twins have decided to have a Candyland themed 5th birthday party so these will help with invitations and favor boxes, with a little work added to them...

and some snowflake decorations for "snowflake lake" when that party actually occurs... 20 cents for 4 snowflakes.

so i have a few crafts up my sleeve with those thrifty purchases

on to the mantel party at The Stories A 2 Z...

I had two very opinionated helpers today - one wanted balloons, one didn't; one wanted purple, the other didn't; one wanted to do it her way, the other could care less -

all in all, all three of us were smiling once it was completed.

Maddie tried so hard to form a heart with the beads hanging on the

fireplace handles...it's just the special touch I was looking for.

while i've got you in the mood, please check out my first blog party and join in on FEBRUARY 12

The Evan Almighty in my life...

2010-01-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

here is how i was introduced to the world of blogging - not as a writer of a blog, but as a first time reader...
i was searching for a new sewing machine back in 2007 and for some odd reason, the first link that popped up on my search was for someone's blog. i had never read a blog before and suddenly felt nosey for digging in to this person's journal-like website. however, as i read more about her sewing creations, another topic appeared in her post - Chemo Angels. i quickly forgot about the sewing machine and became engrossed in reading about the purpose of this group - here is the description from the website:

"Chemo Angels is a volunteer organization dedicated to adding a ray of sunshine to the lives of those undergoing IV chemo treatment. We believe people going through the physical, emotional and mental rigors of chemotherapy deserve some encouragement... Our common denominator is a desire to brighten the lives of cancer patients while they are going through this challenging time."

missing my days of teaching special education, i welcomed the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. i eagerly signed up as i still loved the hobby of sending notes and cards through the good old snail mail and it gave me motivation for making the handmade notecards that i at the time seemed to make quite often. the commitment required sending weekly cards or small gifts to a person with cancer. how difficult could it be to show love and support and a few kind words and rays of sunshine for a stranger? my aunt had been diagnosed with breast cancer just a few months before so the shock of cancer affecting a family was suddenly close to home to us.

how hard could it be? WOAH!!! ok, i thought i would get a woman, most likely in her 50's or older; someone who was older, stronger, and wiser than me and who, despite cancer, she was going about her daily life as though this was just a temporary fork in the road. why i assumed this, i have no idea! when i was accepted as a chemo angel, i was assigned to a precious 5 year old boy with stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma! when i got his information sheet, i was an instant puddle...for days. i really wanted to quit before i even started, i admit, i wanted to wimp out. i had one year old twin girls at the time and reading about another child's struggles on his caring bridge site and linking to his various little friends' websites who were stricken with this same illness, i just became an emotional wreck each night as i got online to check on this little guy.

but i toughened up, and let me tell you, this little boy, EVAN, has made a big dent, for the better, in my life! the letters began, the cards were sent, the family Christmas cards were exchanged in which i received my first letter from his mother with so many enlightening details on his progress and challenges, and a chicken-scratched colored picture from the little kindergartner. BUT the best gift, and so unexpected when beginning this experience, i got to meet my little hero that following summer in '08 when his family came from Alabama for a California vacation. AND then again in '09 when they returned for yet another vacation. his mom and i would be fast friends if we were neighbors - we could gab for hours, and when we first met, it felt so good to be able to ask her the questions that lingered in my mind each day

"how do you go to sleep each night?"

"how do you keep your faith?"

"how do you explain to evan when his little friends lose their battle?"

how do you cope, hope, stay strong, believe, breath...etc, etc....

they sound like such blunt questions, but it was heart warming to be able to get to know her in this way and to allow her to be the mom who has to bear all of this for her child. i just can't imagine the strength it must require.

evan is now a third grader, is living in his "home-home" as they call it, meaning he is not having to live in the homes provided at st. jude's hospital where he spent much of his time in the first year. he is silliest kid you've ever met and not the least bit shy! he had his make-a-wish wish come true to "be a star in my own tv show" and if you want to see this little boy, grab a chair and watch his tv debut - it's a hoot!

is there any room for any more cuteness in this kid?

seriously!

a few pics from our visit this past summer in san diego...

the girls hanging out, watching the seals, with their friends evan and adam in la jolla

and even little iz gets some love from evan...

the most admirable mother ever, melissa...

and in this picture, i pray that we were looking deep into evan's happy and healthy future!

i really just wanted to introduce you to this powerful kid i've fortunately crossed paths with and i am not intending to plug Chemo Angels, but I am sure they can use many of you creative people who love to make, create, sew, draw, write (hmmmm....that pretty much means all of you bloggers), paint, shop (and if you are female, that too pretty much means all of you), spend time showing some love and support -- you get the point - believe me, it's a pretty remarkable experience. you sign up thinking you are going to make the difference for someone, but watch out, these fighters will be the ones making a difference in YOUR life!

if you get the bug to sign up, please let me know - i'd love to know all about your journey!

...and say an extra prayer for Evan tonight too please.

Lots of Love For the SIL...

2010-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

The shower was a great success this week – Jackie, my sister-in-law felt loved and was definitely showered with lots of pink and more pink! I was amazed that four of us managed to pull off planning a shower all over email – I guess that shouldn’t be so surprising but sometimes you think that phone calls just have to be made – nope! We divided up our tasks and came together that morning and created quite a cute room for the celebration.

Here's the Mama -To-Be

and sharing a familiar experience with one of very best friends from childhood,

who also has a world of pink awaiting her!

and a few of the pinkalicious decorations...

And I will note that I do not take credit for any of these cute things - wish I could fib and say "why yes, I made them all" but that's not the case. I did throw together the flower centerpieces using clearanced Christmas ornaments. How cute is that cake? I will clarify so that no one thinks we are the cruelest hostesses ever, Jackie has an elephant theme for her baby's nursery - we were by no means comparing her tummy to that of an elephant.

I will HOWEVER take all credit for these little attendees who came to their aunt's shower...

here is the sequence for the following three pictures...

1. puppy dogs eyes begging to eat her cookie before she eats the meal

2. a thrilled child munching on her cookie because the mom gave in

3. the sugar high that followed.

...and the other daughter rolled and rolled and rolled throughout the entire gift-opening.

(mental note - I MUST enroll this child in gymnastics)

rolling with her baby sister...

rolling right into the camera...

and the baby entertained with her walking and was quite curious about all of those baby gifts...

and i thought my bucket of baby gifts was good?

doesn't every baby own their own ipod?

i think there's a lot of spoilin' going on!

33 more days to go!

Linking up today to Silly Little Sparrow’s Toot your own horn party - I love that she is wanting to highlight the everyday things that we should be proud of – not just our crafty habits. It’s not that I need a pat on the back for hosting my sister-in-law’s baby shower, but I will admit that I left with a smile knowing that I had helped in making her feel loved and ready for this little being to arrive!

can we sit on the clouds...

2010-01-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

my moment of gratefulness this past week...

the conversation in the car on the way home from Lowe's.

Mia- can you talk in heaven?

Me - sure

Maddie - do boys die in girls heaven?

Me - yes

Mia - and boys and girls can hug each other up there?

Me- sure! (said with a melting heart)

Maddie - Are there toys up there?

Me - yes

Mia - Are there TV's?

Maddie - Are there remotes so we can watch shows that we like?

Mia - and can we bring movies like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with us?

Me - I'm pretty sure

Maddie - Can you sit on the clouds?

Me - yep! (heart is now a puddle of mush)

Mia - Is there apple juice?

Maddie - And can we see Grandpa Lou (Jason's father)

...and then with much thought about her Grandpa Lou's gravestone, Maddie asks

"does the rock have a cord that leads up to the sky?"

I had to inquire what the rock was but when she said grave, I knew what she was talking about. At this point, i don't think my tears allowed me to even answer and fortunately the topic changed.

oh, can i just keep them 4 years old for 4 more years at least?

on a lighter note...

my sister-in-law had her baby shower this weekend..only a month before we meet our newest family addition - miss kyra! the shower was wonderful...

thought i'd share with you the crafty little gift i put together -- all at a budget's price (jackie, my SIL, is well aware of my bargain hunting)

Remember these in the dollar bin at Michael's over Christmas?

I purchased the galvanized bucket from Home Depot - it doesn't surprise me that I still managed to find myself in a hardward store even for a baby gift-

but I "girl-ied" up the bucket for the baby.

I hot glued the pearl letters to create her initials.

...and filled her up with all sorts of baby goodies!

books. clothes. bath towel. puzzle. frame. photo album. to name a few.

Why the spatulas you are wondering?

This was the BEST purchase I made as a mother of twins when my daughters began eating baby food. These little spatulas got every last drop of baby food out of the jar - believe me, with two mouths to feed, every little drop counted!

and i think the mama-to-be loved it..

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