TOOT TOOT!!!

I am tooting my own horn tonight because I am too excited to muffle it! Over the summer, before we moved, I was submitting layouts and cards to a particular Magazine company for publication. They picked up several of my creations and it was a big thrill and a huge honor. Everything from submitting the picture and list of products used, to the email requesting my work, to the boxing it up and sending it via USPS, to seeing the final product in print. Every little bit of it is exciting!

The last thing I had picked up before the move (I haven't submitted anything since the move because I haven't been creating) was an ornament that I made of my kiddos. I took a picture of them that I just loved and decided to make a simple ornament out of it. On a whim I decided to submit it and to my surprise, it was picked up.

I just went to Magazine's website tonight to see if the issue was out yet, and here's what I saw.

Not only is it out, but my ornament with my kids is on the cover!!! Can you believe it!? I was in complete shock and so stinking excited!!

Thanks for letting me share!!

Halloween & a new computer

I know this a couple of weeks late, but I've been really busy with other peoples pictures lately. I'm about done with this wave, so I thought I'd edit and post a few of my own.

First lets talk about the new computer, because after all, I did get it on Halloween. Ahhh, the new computer. I won't bore you with the details of why we "needed" (I use the term loosely) a new computer. But I was having issues with the old one on Friday night and a decision had to be made. We were planning on getting me one for my craft room at some point down the road, we just didn't count on it being so soon. So we decided I would drive to the Apple store (a couple of hours away) on Saturday (Halloween), buy a computer, and drive home in time to take the kids trick-or-treating. So that's what I did. And let me just say, I LOVE my new imac! Sooo much faster than the PC and not at all difficult to learn and get the hang of.

I am hoping that this new computer will make blogging easier and more frequent because my photo processing work flow takes about 1/2 the time is used to. Now I just have to come up with said time, and find something interesting to talk about. Hmmm....

Now on to Halloween. As some of you may remember, this is not my most favorite holiday, but the kids sure do enjoy it, so I tolerate it.

I actually was on the ball this year, so to speak, and bought pumpkins way early. They were actually for decoration, but they lasted long enough to become jack-o-lanterns, so we went with it. But in true Michelle fashion, I had good intentions but lacked the follow through. We ended up carving one of them the night before Halloween and ran out of daylight so told the kids we would do the other in the morning. That was before the trip to the Apple store came up, so the other pumpkin never got carved.

So with what little daylight we had, here is what we did.

"Smell brother!"
They loved digging out the seeds and slime from inside the pumpkin. If it weren't so chilly out, they would have enjoyed it more.
I'm told that my girl was the only one in her preschool class who would stick her hand inside when they carved the pumpkins at school. Way to go D! Is it odd that I am slightly proud of that?

I got home from computer shopping just in time to throw on the costumes, snap a few shots, and head to Nanny and Papa's for some trick-or-treating.

D had every intention of being a kitty cat this year, but one day while shopping at TJ Maxx, she fell in love with the dragon costume and would not hear of not getting it. So a dragon it was.

And when I mentioned to K that he ought to go as a knight, he was all about it. So cute that they love to go as a costume "couple". What a good big brother!!

This last one is my favorite and totally cracks me up. It looks as if the dragon is eating the pumpkin. It was completely by accident that I got this shot but I'm so glad I did! She was actually looking at the candle inside and dropped the "lid" into the jack-0-lantern, extinguishing the fire. Oh well. It made for a great moment.

What!? No paper!?

OK, so if you know me at all, you know I like to recycle and all that green stuff blah, blah, blah. Well, since we've moved, we no longer have the luxury and convenience of throwing all recyclables into the same container to be picked up every Monday morning. You know that old saying, "you don't know what you've got until it's gone." I think they were talking about recycling pickup when they coined that phrase. Really.

We have become so accustomed to recycling, that it seems such a waste to go backward and quit just because we don't get it picked up anymore. I know that in the grand scheme of things we probably don't make that much of a difference, but it's something and it feels good. So in an effort not to go backwards, we decided that we would still separate our recycle from our trash and make an effort to take it somewhere. Well imagine my excitement when one of our new neighbors brought up that they too like to recycle and that she knew that the next town over took recycle on the second Saturday of each month. (You really have to imagine the excitement because I'm certain no one gets as excited about such things as I do.) Finally we could get rid of the six 55 gallon trash bags full of recycle stuff, that had begun to take over our garage!

So in my boredom one day, I decided to do a google search and see if I could find out where this place was located. I didn't (because I'm not familiar with the town) but I did find out that they are not only open the second Saturday of each month, but also every Monday thru Friday 7 to 4!! Woo hoo!! I can start dropping off my stuff after I drop off my kid in the mornings!

Leaving a preschool field trip one day, I actually passed the place and it is just off the main highway that I travel every day. Score!

So today I decided to load up a bunch of boxes into my car and take them and some of the ever growing piles of other stuff to the recycling center. When I got there all of the containers were clearly marked with what was in them: newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, tin cans, clear plastic bottles, and milk jugs. No paper?! That's most of what we throw out! I did actually look inside the one marked 'newspaper' and it was indeed for newspapers only. So now what!? I'm going to look into this further and call someone who can answer my questions, but for now I guess I'll stop separating the paper out? What a bummer. I still feel better about doing some, and having a convenient place to take it, that not being able to do it all. I'll keep you posted. Because I'm sure you're all dying to find out how this turns out, right?

the first Christmas present

Well, that's not entirely true. I did buy the kids some clothes from GAP last weekend. But when you're 10 & 3 you really don't consider clothes Christmas gifts. They are more of a necessity.

I've not really been in the mood to shop for Christmas yet this year, which is strange for me. My goal is usually to be finished by the end of November (which I have never achieved) and by this time I am usually half way finished. I don't know what my deal is lately. I just don't have the desire.

But there is a cute little something that I've been wanting to get for D over at Etsy and I figured I'd better go ahead and get it before they stop making them.

It's a little playground scavenger hunt set. You can go here and check it out.

I know what you might be thinking and yes, I could probably make this on my own. But the question is, do I want to? Well, yes. I always want to try and make something I see rather than buy it. But I'm trying really hard to break myself of that habit. For a couple of reasons. 1) I usually end up spending just as much buying all the materials to make it, as I would have if I had just bought it. 2) Many times I buy the materials with good intentions and then never get around to making it. So is it really worth it to say, "look what Mommy made for you"? At this point, no. So I'm just going to let someone else do the work for a change. They also offer a cheaper version where you cut the cards out yourself but I didn't even go for that. I'm trying really hard here people.

I am going to make the the little collection bag shown in one of the pictures. I don't have to buy anything for that (I have enough fabric to clothe a small country) and I can whip one of those up in no time. But will it be done by Christmas, that is the question....

I have been a poor blogger (again) as of late and I'm going to try to get better. Do I say that every time? I just don't like blogging without pictures and I don't have much to share these days. I do have some cute pumpkin carving and costume pics but it may be a while before I get to them.

I have been tagged by my new friend and fellow blogger as one of her favorite blogs to read. Thanks Sam!!

**The Rules~ Use only one word, pass along to six favorite bloggers, and tell them you did so.

1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen

2. Your hair? stringy

3. Your mother? missed

4. Your father? honeymoon

5. Your favorite food? crab legs

6. Your dream last night? computer

7. Your favorite drink? milk

8. Your dream/goal? photography

9. What room are you in? kitchen

10. Your hobby? crafts

11. Your fear? rejection

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren’t? pregnant

15. Muffins? banana nut

16. Wish list item? jeans

17. Where did you grow up? Oklahoma

18. Last thing you did? trick-or-treat

19. What are you wearing? PJs

20. Your TV? on

21. Your pets? hermit crabs (a cat for Christmas if I can talk B into it ;) )

22. Friends? many

23. Your life? blessed

24. Your mood? blah

25. Missing someone? always

26. Vehicle? dirty

27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

28. Your favorite store? Pottery Barn

29. Your favorite color? blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? dinner

31. Last time you cried? ???

32. Your best friend? husband

33. One place that I go to over and over? TJ Maxx

34. One person who emails me regularly? amazon.com

35. Favorite place to eat? dad's :)

So now it's your turn!

There are more than 6 that I read, but I will tag these folks:

Julie

Monica

Kelly

Leigh

April

Becky

my lil' sis

I had the opportunity, the other day, to go downtown and photograph this gorgeous creature, who just happens to be my sister. Are you jealous? I am. Always have been. She's beautiful (obviously), is extremely photogenic, and has a great sense of style. And to top it all off, my daughter looks just like she did when she was little. So I'm hoping she will be just as beautiful when she is grown up.

I didn't have to give her much direction. I just said go stand on that thing and pose and this is what I got. It's sooo much easier than photographing my kiddos. Or anyone elses for that matter. We got tons of pics, and had tons of fun. Enjoy!

the cast and the fair

First of all, let's get the cast story out of the way. For those who don't know, D fell off her bike 2 weeks ago yesterday and broke her elbow. She will be in a cast for the next 3 weeks (a total of 5 weeks) and she's handling it wonderfully.

OK, now we can move on to the fun stuff. The fair!!

OK, it's not all that exciting, but we did actually have a nice time over all. We got there early thinking we would beat the crowd, only to find out why there is no crowd early... THEY DON'T OPEN UNTIL 5! Big surprise to us, since we have been during the day in the past. It wasn't that big a deal though, because while the rides and games didn't open 'til 5, the food was fresh and ready to go. So we ate and waited. Well, 3 of us ate and 1 of us waited. D had no interest in food at all. She was chomping at the bit to get to those rides. It's harder than you might think, trying to make a 3 year old understand that the rides are not open. She could see them, the lights were flashing, people were all about - in her mind they must be open.


So after we chowed on some very over-priced food, we headed to the rides. First up was the hot air balloon ride. Daddy even got in on the action with this one.
Then it was on the the helicopter, which K found fun, but D was already eyeing the next ride. She was barely off one before she was hollering at us, letting us know which one she wanted to ride next. The race cars were the object of her obsession while on the helicopter, and for good reason. There were a couple of turns around the track where you were slung from one side of the car to the other, barely escaping whiplash. OK, maybe that's overdoing it a little, but that's what it looked like from an onlookers point of view. Next up was the carousel, which I'm very glad their daddy agreed to accompany them on, because every time I get on one of those things I get dizzy. I'm an extreme lightweight when it comes to fair rides. About the only things I'll ride are the ferris wheel and the zipper. I know, I know, the zipper is one of the scariest ones out there, but it doesn't go around and around, and for some reason I can handle it. The round and round stuff makes me nauseous and gives me migraines. So I have learned to avoid them over the years. From there, they went to the dizzy dinosaurs. I'm so glad K is big enough yet not embarrassed to ride these with her for now. You see, he is not a fan of the big rides either. They don't make him sick, they just scare him. So unless he outgrows that in the next couple of years, she is going to surpass him with what she will ride. She is absolutely fearless!We took a short break from the rides to play a game, and then got right back to the rides. See, the cast has not slowed her down one bit. The only thing she's not good at is licking the food off those fingers. It is the funniest thing ever to see her try and I hope to get some pics of it before it's all said and done. Is that mean??While waiting in line, we ran into some good friends of ours and their boys. This is one of the happiest babies I've ever seen and rarely ever see him without a smile on his face. We stood in line together to ride the ferris wheel and got buckets right next to each others. I tried and tried to get a good shot of them, but this was about as good as it got. I think if they had let go of the little one, he would have gone over the edge of that thing. Maybe he will be D's fair ride partner as they get older. Hmmm.And look! Proof that I was there! There are actually more pictures of me, but those were taken with neither my knowledge nor consent and they are rather humiliating so I'll not be posting them here for all the world to see. I'm sure you will understand.
Oops, I lied. But I had to share this one to show the sheer terror on D's face as we went down the slide. She was not afraid to climb the steps, or when we got seated at the top, but somewhere on the ride down she decided she did not like this slide.
They were both very excited to ride this little roller coaster. It was so fun to watch them enjoy themselves so much. And the best part was that they had a booth set up at the exit where you could buy your pictures just like at the big roller coasters in the big theme parks. I don't know if that is cute or just sad. I'll let you be the judge.
After we had had about all the rides we could handle, we let them play a few games and win some ridiculously over-priced toys. For $5 we came away from this one with a huge blow-up bat and a cheap little crown. She decided the crown was too big for her head so she wore it as a belt instead. It was the funniest thing to see her with that thing on, hands on her hips, just strutting her stuff like she was a model on a runway. I swear I don't know where she comes up with some of the stuff she does.
And to top off the evening, we had to take this huge piece-of-junk zebra home. Back when B & I were dating, we would try like heck to win one of those big animals when we went to the fair. Now that we're parents, we try like heck not to. We walked by a basketball game and B played and didn't make a single goal, but because they have to make it look like people really have a chance at winning these things, they said he won and gave it to D. Before I could protest, her little eyes lit up and she was riding the thing. How could I say no to that? I'm convinced he chose us because of the cast. Darn that thing.

So home we went, zebra in tow. And that concludes our 2009 family trip to the fair.

good things come to those who wait

And I believe you've waited long enough. I won't bore you with lots of words, because after all, it's the pictures you came to see. Here it is. The finished house This is the "man cave" upstairs.

The bathroom in the "man cave".

K's green bedroom.

D's blue bedroom.

The extra bedroom we hope will one day be another baby's room.

Jack & Jill bathroom connecting D's room and the extra bedroom.
The toilet and tub in the Jack & Jill bathroom.


Half bath in the hall.

Laundry room.
Laundry room from the other direction.

Safe room.

Kitchen.

Kitchen, breakfast nook and part of the living room.

Toy room cubbies.

Toy room chalkboard wall.

View from the front door.

View from the master bedroom.View from the kitchen. Craft room.

Master bathroom.

Master bathroom from the other side.

B's side of the closet.

My side of the closet.

Master bedroom.

Mud room.Mud room cubbies.

So there you have it. We are now all moved in but not yet settled. The other house belongs to someone else now.

Maybe now I will have time to pick up my camera and get some shots of the kiddos and do a little crafting.

laboring on labor day

Today was not as relaxing for us as it was for so many today. We celebrated labor day by working. B went in to work until about noon and the kids and I went shopping for the morning. And before you start thinking that shopping isn't work, please consider the fact that (1) I took my kids, and (2) I was shopping for house stuff. If you know me well, you know my fear of decorating and committing to buying things and putting things on the walls. I was proud of myself though, I did commit to buying a painting and ordered a kitchen table. The second kitchen table I've ordered already. I told you I was not good at this stuff! We ordered one a couple of weeks ago and when it came in B and his brother drove an hour away to load it up and bring it home. When B got it put together, there was some bubbling in the laminate and I didn't like the color of the table in my kitchen. He was not happy with me. But like the wonderful husband he is, he took it apart and loaded it up this weekend and we took it back.

Back to the work. The closing date of our old house is quickly approaching and we still have stuff in the house that needs to be moved and the house needs to be cleaned. So we each drove over there at different points during the day and got a carload and brought it here. I have decided to have a garage sale with all the stuff I no longer want or need. That is another story for another day.

When we were done there, B came home to mow the yard, and I got back to the piles of laundry I've been working on off and on all day. Somehow amongst all the moving in and unpacking, life has continued to happen. The kids still need to be fed. They still make messes that I have to clean up. The laundry still needs to be done. As do the dishes, the floors, and the bathrooms. If I didn't love my new house so much, I might be a little depressed about all that I have going on.

It's starting to feel a little more like a home though. My new, dear friend, is offering her expertise in decorating, which is much needed, and we are going shopping tomorrow to get a few decorative pieces. I have a large shag rug coming in any day for the living room. We all have new bedding and I'm actually enjoying making the beds now. I've never been a bed maker, so we'll see how long that lasts.

I know I promised pictures and they are coming soon, there's just some baby shower pictures in line in front of them and I would feel oh so guilty putting up house pictures before handing over the disc of baby shower pictures. Hang tight. They're coming soon.

been a long time gone...

No, I ain't wrote a word since I don't know when.
Long time gone, and I ain't comin' back again......










Just kidding. I wish I was the Dixie Chicks. All of them. Or any of them. I'm not picky.


It's been over a month since I last posted and I've been very busy. Lots going on with packing, staging, showing the old house, and moving into the new one. We have been here a week and 3 days and are loving it. It is taking some getting use to with all the hard floors and horse flies. But we are adjusting. And the old house sold in record time. Two weeks and 3 days after we put it on the market, we got an offer on it and accepted. The first person who came to look at it wanted it. We would have liked to have made a little more on it, but the timing was so right that we didn't want to be greedy and miss our opportunity to sell it so we went for it. It was truly a blessing from God.

I know I owe you all lots of finished house pictures and I promise they are coming. But not tonight, I'm tired and I need my back scratched so I'm going to bed.

a small update

I know I have been terrible at blogging lately. I do have a good excuse though. We are trying to get our house ready to put on the market so we have been busy little beavers getting things packed up and cleaned up.

I just don't have the time I need to edit pics and keep up with a blog right now. Hopefully, after the move, things will slow down a bit and I can update more regularly. Hopefully.

I know you didn't come here to hear me ramble or feel sorry for myself about all the things on my plate right now, so I'll keep it short and to the point. Here are the pictures.

I totally have to give credit to a dear friend of mine for helping me pick out my tile, back splash, and granite. Without her, I shudder to think what my kitchen might look like. As it is, I love it!

Thanks for stopping by. We should be moving in about 3 or 4 weeks!

earth tones

I am a big fan of Pottery Barn. Although I've not ever really bought much from them, I am a big fan of their style. That style of decorating is what I had in mind when we decided to build. I know we're not exactly there, but I feel like we're kind of close...maybe.

In the beginning I couldn't decide if I wanted to go with warm colors or cool ones. I really like warm colors, that's what we have now for the most part. Even though I was unsure about the entire house, I was sure about one room, my craft room. I knew it had to be blue. The blue that I agonized over for a couple of weeks. We went through 3 colors until we found the right one. I have to give the credit to the painter. He is very good at what he does, and I would totally recommend him to anyone looking to paint their house. So in order for the blue to flow with everything else, I chose to go with the cooler, earth colors. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. Since we were going to be charged for each color after two, and since I didn't want a rainbow of a house, we needed to do the blue in a couple of other rooms as well. So we did it in the laundry room, D's room and the bonus room bath as well. While I'm handing it out, I must also give credit to the girl at the flooring place for choosing the rest of the colors and making them flow so well. I knew I wanted greens, browns, and that one blue, but which shades were going to look good, I didn't know. So she sat down with us for about an hour and a half and helped us decide. She was wonderful and I can't say enough nice things about her.

This is the toy room, and it has been in my mind since we started this, to paint one wall in there with chalkboard paint and let the kids color on it. I hope I don't regret my decision later on...
The kitchen is the same green, as is K's room, and the half bath. I have a green kitchen now, and I really like it. This is a slightly different shade but I love it. I think it goes really well with the color of the cabinets and trim. The living room and halls, and bathrooms are all brown. The living room is slightly darker than the halls but it's not that noticeable.

And finally, the master bed and bath. I LOVE the color of these rooms. I'm not usually a fan of dark colors on the walls, but something about this, I am in love with. It's the only area of the house we did with this color, and I now wish we had used it more. B brought up a good point though. Because it's the only one in this color, it makes it special. I have to agree, I hate to, but I do. =)

So there you have it. Earth tones on the walls. My next update will include tile, as they are laying that this week. And on Friday they are installing granite. Should be exciting!

we have wood

I just went back through my posts to find the most recent house update and discovered that I haven't posted anything since we got insulation!! Wow! No wonder my husband is always hounding me to update this thing with some house pics. I put them up on facebook regularly and guess I have just been forgetting to put them here as well. Oops.

So without further adieu, here are the most recent pics of the house progress.

This is the craft room. As you can see we are testing a paint color in there and I'm not liking it. I want something very pale blue, and this is too green and too dark. I know exactly what I want in my mind, it's just hard to find the right paint color. I really don't want to mess this blue up. Cabinets in master bath.These are the built-ins in the kid's toy room. They are not really that white, that's just primer. There will be no doors on that unit. All open spaces for baskets of toys, and books and such. I'm so excited about this room. These are the cabinets in the laundry room. I like this paint color in here, but not for my craft room and D's room, which will be painted blue also. I'm really stressing about this blue thing. I have known for a very long time that I wanted blue in my craft room, and I'm very particular about it. I sure hope I can find the right shade in the next couple of days.

The stained cabinets are all finished, and they should finish up with the trim, doors, and painted cabinets on Monday. Then it will be on to the walls. After the walls, they will start laying tile, which I have just decided on, and changed up which rooms it will be in. I could change my mind forever so they need to just hurry and get this thing done before the whole thing just drives me crazy.

random

I thought I would share with you, all 5 of you who still read, some of the things I'm into right now. This is very random, but at least it's a blog post. I would like to have a house update with some pictures, but it is so fumy in there right now, that I can't stand to be in there long enough to take pictures. The cabinets and trim are all in and the stained cabinets are all stained. The trim and the painted cabinets have the first coat on them, and should be done early next week. We have picked paint colors, flooring, and counter tops. They will start laying tile in a week, as soon as the painters leave. Sorry I don't have pictures, maybe I'll get out there in the morning and try to take some. Maybe.

Now onto the randomness.

1. My son and I are really digging sugar snap peas right now. They are a great tasting healthy snack dipped in ranch dressing, or without. Yumm! I always put a couple on D's plate when we eat them, in the hopes that she will eat them too. She reallys wants to like them, because K and I like them so much. It's really cute to watch her take a bite and say, "mmm" while her face says, "I can't believe I'm putting this green thing in my mouth!"

2. I found these baked snap peas at the grocery store the other day, and they are almost as good as the fresh kind. I'm sure they're not as healthy, but they have to be healthier than potato chips right? At least that's what I'm telling myself.

3. The kids and I have been loving us some Koolaid lately. I used to drink it a lot when I was a kid, and then again when I was a single adult, (mostly because it was what I could afford) but I haven't really had it much since I have had kids. Since I introduced them to it a couple of weeks ago, we have gone through about a pitcher a day. I don't put in as much sugar as it calls for, so I can tell myself that it's ok for them to drink. It is, after all, mostly water. =)4. I can't believe Michael Jackson is dead. He is seriously like the Elvis of our generation. I don't like his recent music, but LOVE his 80's stuff. I was a huge fan back in the day. I can't believe I'm going to admit this to the blog world, but I had this poster hanging over my bed as a kid and kissed it each night before I went to bed. I also had my 1st grade school picture taken in a pink Thriller tee shirt with a white glittery glove on it. Such a fan. I can't believe he's gone. I flipped through the radio stations today just to hear a lot of his music.

5. I love etsy. If you have not ever checked it out, you need to. There are such great things on there, all handmade by some seriously talented people. I have tossed around the idea of opening a shop there myself, and selling cards and card sets. It's just an idea for now, and won't happen until after the move. I'll keep you posted. Anyways, I am loving these 2 pieces of jewelry right now. Click on the picture to take you to the seller's store.

That's all I have. I warned you it would be random.

Oh, and for those of you interested in the ornament, thank you for your interest. I do plan to make some, it just won't be until after the move. I have packed up all of my crafting stuff and won't be doing anything crafty until probably at least late August. If I seem a little strange here in a couple of weeks, it's probably because I won't have a creative outlet for a couple of months. I don't know if I can go that long. I may go into withdrawals. If you see me wandering aimlessly around Hobby Lobby or Michael's, please call my husband to come and get me.

Christmas ornaments: EDITED

The pictures in this post have been removed until January. When we get moved into the new house, I will make another example and do another blog post. Thanks!!

I know it's a little early to be thinking about Christmas. But when Christmas rolls around, I'm usually so tired of seeing Christmas stuff, that I don't want to create any of it. So I thought I would start a little early this year.

I had this great idea for an ornament in my head and just had to get it out. This is the result.

And here's the back of it.I'm pretty happy with the results, and I'm thinking about possibly making some to sell this year. Not with my kids picture on them of course. Unless that's what people would want. And I really couldn't blame them, they are pretty cute kids. They would be personalized, with a picture that is emailed to me, and with different designs.

The square part measures about 4" x 4". The whole thing is fabric (except for the gem in the middle of the flower) and so it's pretty sturdy. If anyone is interested please let me know and I'll figure out a price.

bathingsuit shopping

Just typing that title would normally make me cringe. Up until a few years ago, I didn't mind shopping for bathing suits, bikini's in fact. Because I had the body for it. Now don't get me wrong, I don't love my body and I never have (except when I was pregnant) but I was blessed with good genes. Skinny genes. I'm not bragging because it's nothing to brag about, I didn't do anything to get a flat stomach and round bottom, I was just born into a family with those features in their genes. I have never been one to work out, because I never really needed to. Until now of course, and I'm too lazy to actually do it, but that's another story for a different day.

But since I have gotten older and given birth, things are very different. I weigh the same as I did when I got pregnant, it's just not all in the same place. If you know me and see me often, you may think, "blah blah she's still skinny and has nothing to talk about." And for the most part I am still skinny (I hate that word by the way) and when I'm fully dressed, you might not even notice these problem areas I speak of. But when I'm naked, or partially so, as in a bathing suit, it's noticeable. It makes me uncomfortable and I don't like to look at it, much less subject others to the sight. So shopping for bathing suits the past few years has not been fun.

Until yesterday. I was without both kids for a couple of hours so I went to Dillard's to see what they had. I have always had good luck with finding suits that fit there, even though they cost as much as a winter coat. I haven't bought a suit in 2 years so I figured it would be okay to spend a little money on one, maybe two.

The first suits that you see when you step of the "moving stairs" as my son used to call them, were the teeny tiny bikinis. I breezed through that section not really even bothering to look since my bikini days are over. I went to the more age and body style appropriate ones. The tankinis. These have been good to me in recent years. I picked up several different styles and colors and headed to the dressing room. Low and behold, the first suit I tried on fit like a dream!! I have never been so excited to put on a swimsuit in my life! Or at least not that I can remember. I knew if nothing else worked, this little number was going home with me.

I couldn't find a pic of the top and bottom together so imagine the top of the first picture with the bottom of the second picture, and you have my suit.I tried on several more after that and had success, but they were pretty similar to the first one, and if I have 2 suits, I don't want them to be too much alike. So I got brave and tried on a one piece. Why is that brave you ask? Because I have a loooong torso and have not worn a one piece since I was in grade school. But again, I had wonderful success!! This is the other suit that came home with me yesterday.I have nothing in common with the models in these suits except for the fact that we have the same body parts (not the same proportions). And now the same suits!! Thank you Kenneth Cole for making 2 suits this year that I will be happy (or at least somewhat comfortable) to be seen in.

three

My baby girl turned three recently, and we celebrated with a Curious George party. I'm not really good with parties. I'm not great at planning for them or hosting them. I almost always forget some important details. Last year it was the candles. Fortunately, we had some stashed away in a drawer in our kitchen. This year though, I don't think I forgot anything. Maybe with each passing birthday, I'm getting better.

I didn't go all out on decorations this year, because the gift was the big thing. You'll see it here in a little while.

Many times, I get lost in the preparing, and the hosting, and the picture taking, and never get to have my picture with the guest of honor. This year I had B take several pictures of me and the birthday girl before the festivities got underway. This was my favorite, even though she's not looking at the camera. It's a good shot of me and George though don't you think?

I told her she needed to answer the door when her guests started arriving and to tell them thank you for coming. She was very excited to have such an important job, and made sure to tell them how old she was when they came in.

Once everyone had arrived, we got down to the business of opening presents. Here she is, patiently awaiting the signal to dive in. One of the things she would say any time someone would ask her what she wanted for her birthday, was a toolbox. So that's what she got, complete with tools. Have you ever seen a 3 year old girl so excited about tools?She was also very excited to get a Wonder Pets DVD. They are quickly taking the place of George in her life. Poor George. And then there was this thing. The waterpillar. It hooks up to the water hose and provides hours of outdoor fun. Or at least 30 minutes or so. She also scored lots of fun dress-up stuff. There should be plenty of fashion pictures for me to post in the future. Starting with a few that include this purple mask in the next day or so.

Of course we saved the biggest and best gift for last. The crowd headed outside, and daddy brought out the birthday girl, covering her eyes. The reaction wasn't quite what I had hoped to capture, but she was very happy to finally have the car that she had asked for for months. Like the good little safety-minded (or paranoid) girl I have raised, she buckled her seat belt before even thinking of taking off. Then there was a few minutes of driving around the yard and in the street, and taking her friends for rides, before we coaxed her back inside to do cake and ice cream.
I almost didn't post a picture of this pitiful cake, because it's laughable, almost embarrassing. I like to think of myself as semi-creative and crafty. On occasion, I have been jokingly called "Martha Stewart." But, one thing that will never be compared to Martha, or Betty Crocker, or Rachel Ray, or anyone else, is my baking and cake decorating. And I'm OK with that. I was just trying something new this year, and trying to save a little money.
The great thing was that she didn't care one iota about the cake being homemade or the fact that it was made with one round cake and one square. She was just happy to blow out the candles and eat the candy letters. We squeezed in one last picture of daddy and his big birthday girl before heading off to Red Lobster to celebrate with some skimpy crab legs, a slow waiter, and a scary allergic reaction to shellfish. Poor thing, what a way to end her third birthday. Itchy, watery eyes, itchy throat, a call to the doctor, and a dose of Benadryl.

My favorite part of the whole day was a tiny little conversation we had in the bathroom as we were getting ready to leave for the restaurant.

Me: (in a sad little voice) D, you're three years old today.

D: (with wide eyes, and without missing a beat) Are you believing that mom?!

pickin' berries

This weekend my hubby and I took the kiddos to a local farm where you can pick your own strawberries. It was cloudy so not terribly hot, but the humidity almost choked us. The kids had a blast though. Searching through the rows of green to find that little glimmer of red hope.

D likes to "do cheers" whenever someone has something like hers. For example, if we both have socks on, if we both have wet hair, if we both have a piece of candy. In this case it was with brother and it was that they had both just picked a strawberry. So cute!

Inspecting the goods. After a while, we split up, dad helped her and I helped brother. And here's the shot I always have to have. She won't be small enough to do this forever. Once she gets to be my size he will start telling her "no" just like he does me.

In a couple of weeks they will have blueberries ready to pick and we will try to go back. I'm the only one who eats them, so it will kind of be like slave labor. (insert evil mommy laugh) Maybe I'll pay them with an ice cream or something. Maybe. =)

Friday F.R.I.E.N.D.S Funny

This is one of the best EVER!!! Do I say that every week???

terrible threes???

I'll be honest. I was dreading the terrible twos. They actually started early for D. Around 18 months I believe. I was naive in thinking that if they started early, they would end early. Seems logical right??

Once we were full on into the twos, I was so looking forward to three, so as not to have to deal with the attitude anymore.

Now that we are about a week away from three, I'm not seeing any light at the end of this "terrible" tunnel.

No one ever told me that two is just when they start being terrible. Oh sure, Kristin told me that's when G was really bad, but I just thought that was just in her case.

Or maybe it's just that she's a girl, and this is just when the attitude kicks in, and then doesn't turn off. Ever. Let's be real people, I'm a girl, I know these things.

With all their troubles, the twos (and looks like the threes) bring with them some pretty great stuff as well. Increased independence, potty training, figuring things out for herself, amazing intelligence. When she wants to be, she can be the sweetest little thing you've ever met. She's polite, outgoing, tells me how proud she is of me, how pretty I am, how much she loves me. And lets be honest, what mother doesn't love to hear all that!?

Plus she has a smile that can just light up my world!