party of five

ABBA DANCE for wii

2011-12-31T13:22:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Crowdtap, we recieved this game in the mail to try out and have a party!

We kept it lowkey and added to the Chritmas decorations, brought out my ol Lave Lamp and fixed some appetizers. played some fun ABBA music, and gave away an ABBA t shirt and an ABBA cd!

The game was a blast, but the kids took a little longer to get into it, since they were not familar with the music as those of us that had been around a little while;) But by the end of the party, everyone was fully singing along and learning the moves. It's really a great workout and there are certainly some challenging moves!

I highly reccommend ABBA Dance and Crowdtap. Check them out. Crowdtap has been a great experience and I have had the chance to try a lot of things that I would not normally think of.

Old Navy's new and improved Flip Flops. Thanks Crowdtap!

2011-09-08T08:57:00.002-05:00

I was able to participate in yet another sample share on Crowdtap for Old Navy. This time it was for newly designed flip flops. I consider myself a flip flop expert, so I was up for the challenge;)

When my box arrived, I found a size 8 pair of simple Old Navy Flip Flops. Upon further inspection, I found them to be more contoured, thinner and the straps are thinner that Old Navys current design(of which I have several pairs). This turned out to be a perfect fit for me. I am very pleased with the new design.

This was just one of several sampling oppertunties I have enjoyed with Crowdtap. I highly reccommend the site for anyone intereted in giving their opinions, and earning lots of freebies and gift cards:)

More about Crowdtap

2011-07-07T10:03:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to share a little more about Crowdtap. Like I've said before, I've been a member for a couple months and I have had the chance to:

-earn $30+ in Amazon gift cards
-donate to ASPCA
-sample the following: Old Navy ankle jeans
Playtex Sport body wipes
Old Navy dresses
Old Navy accessories
Old Navy shorts, top and accessory

If you know me, then you know that 1. I LOVE freebies and deals, and 2. I am VERY opinionated. Crowdtap covers both of these perfectly.

My favorite sample share was the first one, the ankle jeans for Old Navy. It was early on after I joined, and I honestly did not believe I was getting free jeans. On top of that, I assumed I would hate them. I had not liked anything from Old Navy in years, and only shopped for the girls there. I gave away the other 3 coupons to girls at work(I even had a friend turn down a coupon because she KNEW she would like the jeans).
Let me tell you-I love those ankle jeans. I roll em up, and wear them everywhere. Old Navy really surprised me. And so did Crowdtap by being awesome and the real deal. It was this sample share that changed my opinion on Old Navy and made me excited to be a part of the Crowdtap community. So go join now. Don't worry, I do not get huge incentives for getting people to join. I just truly think its an awesome site:)

Crowdtap and Old Navy

2011-07-07T08:53:00.004-05:00

I have been a member of the Crowdtap community for some time now. To describe it, it's a site where you are asked consumer questions and participate in discussions about everything under the sun, and share your opinions. As an incentive, you can earn Amazon gift cards and also make donations to a charity of your choosing. Currently, I am donating to the ASPCA. See the link at the top of the sidebar if you are interested in joining.

Well, I apparently fit a desired demographic for Old Navy, because below I am sharing my experience with a sample share for a summer shorts party at Old Navy! Coupons for a FREE top, pair of shorts and an accessory for me AND my friends!
TONS of clearance in our local store. The deals were awesome, and seemed to still have lots of sizes available.

We tried on LOTS of cute sandals...

I mean, these are cute!

Mya bought some other stuff too(those deals were just TOO good!) The sales girl just stared at us in disbelief. Mya was first and the clerk just could not believe we were all getting $70 outfits for free. I then got to explain how much I love Crowdtap.

Oh yeah, fill those bags:)

My experience: I have not shopped Old Navy much except for kids clothes in the past few years, simply because a few things I had bought didn't last or just were not flattering. I had considered it more of a juniors type store. And, I literally own like 2 pairs of shorts that I never wear. I found that I actually love shorts again, and can dress them up and feel polished. This experience has been a great eye opener for me. I am certainly going to be back at Old Navy shopping not only for the kids, but for me too!

April Fools Day?

2011-03-29T11:57:00.001-05:00

Reposting this pic, the best April Fools Day for kiddos, I think:) Cupcake/brownie burgers, with sugar cookie fries!

December 10th- Teagen

2010-12-10T19:44:00.002-06:00

Tea had a half day today, so with a little push from Jason, I took her to get her hair cut. She has only ever had it trimmed a tiny bit, and anyone who has seen her in the last year or two, knows there was an Amish/Rapunzel thing going on with it. She was ready for a change.

BAM-Instant Teenager(you can see it, can't you? Ugh.) Buts she's adorable.

Rough weekend ahead, overflowing with memories. I am working a lot, which will hopefully prove to be a blessing in keeping my mind occupied. Some things never change, no matter what, however full your life is(and mine is, really!!!) the empty place left behind when we lose someone is forever hollow. Its like I keep waiting for the day when it isn't.

But I know better.

December 8th(I am aware I missed yesterday, sue me)

2010-12-08T20:14:00.002-06:00

Took the kids to "Tangled" after school today. We got a giant soda and tub of popcorn, and it was only us and a couple of older ladies in the whole theater. Fun! Such a great movie. Disney never disappoints(in my opinion) and this is def another favorite.

After, we drove past the Bat n Club and stopped to watch their light show. It took us a few minutes(and a huge flashing sign) to realize it was set to music and we could tune it into the car(like a drive in!) Duh. But we loved it. So fun, we will certainly be stopping back to check it out again before Christmas.

December Daily 12/6/10 lake effect

2010-12-06T21:32:00.002-06:00

After my scary ride home last night, it continued to snow here. I was certain that we were in the running for a snow day.
No luck there(YET).
I don't hate snow. I actually like it, especially in December. By Feb., I've had enough and I am ready for a change. I am better at driving in it, go a fast as I feel comfortable and screw the rest.

I do feel for Jason who has cleared our slope of a driveway for 11 years, mostly by shovel.

Poor Grady doesn't get to go outside for recess in the winter. Too much work and time to get 15 preschoolers bundled up when they are only in school for 3 hours. But goodness know I am not going out in cold! Well, today I did. But so did Jason, because after I took this shot, I was back inside! LOL!

December 5th- I got nothin.

2010-12-05T22:22:00.004-06:00

I know, right? LAME. Sad that I have to admit that. For real, here's todays run down:

-rolled outa bed, and basically straight to the grocery store.
-home 2 HOURS later-geesh.
-picked up the house, made muffins
-did laundry the kids played, and Jason did some house stuff and watched football.
-get myself cleaned up
-went to work(Friends and Family Night=CRAZY TOWN)
and after a rotten, horrible, very bad drive home in a blizzard, I am home, with my baby. Having a beer.
Thats it. I guess they can't all be winners:)
But I put a HUGE dent in my shopping tonight. Got some killer deals, and that makes me SO happy!!

December Daily 12/04/10 CHEERS!

2010-12-04T22:53:00.003-06:00

The hubby and I went to his company Christmas party tonight at The Brownstone. Kids were at Papa Rocky's. Nice night, fun to get to be just "Jason & Jenn" for a couple hours.
*best line of the night: Grandma Cindy in the bathroom with Grady and he says,"Gramma, why are you so young and Grandpa is so old?" LOL, Sorry, Dad!!

Dember 3rd-back on track (sorta)

2010-12-03T21:06:00.002-06:00

Thankfully, after a long night with my little guy(thank you cable TV for all night pre-school cartoons) he's doing better. Never had a fever, just the,ya know, VOMIT. Anyway, I am dead tired, made it through a really cool face painting job, and need to go to bed.

Hopefully tomorrow will be more eventful, in a good way:)

Super-cute thing: Summer often begins to feel sick when someone else in the house actually is sick(can't really blame her). So last night she was sure she was ill. I was at work, but she was asking for me(kinda rare, its usually Jason she wants) and Jason was dealing with Grady's messes. Teagen layed with Summer and just talked to her until she felt better. It was so sweet, and Teagen was very proud to be able to take care of her big sister♥

December 2nd- Bump in the road...

2010-12-02T21:35:00.002-06:00

Short post, no pic(you can thank me later). I have a super sick little boy. And from a boy who has been sick maybe twice in his whole 4 years, it isn't pretty. I'm sleeping on the couch, and have the coffee maker set.
Its going to be a long night.

December Daily (2010 style) December 1st

2010-12-01T17:46:00.004-06:00

*blows dust off the ol blog*

2 years ago, I committed to the December Daily. I was inspired by the great Ali Edwards. Basically, its scrapbooking your holiday with all the traditions, celebrations and goings on. Because I know ME, I blogged each day of December, so that I would have something to refer back to when completing the scrapbook 6 months later(OK-it still not totally done, but that beside the point).

Anyway, since then my art have veered a bit away from the paper arts, so scrapbooking is not on my radar right now. However, I realized that I still have a lot of wonderful memories from that December. I credit the December Daily for reminding me to stop. take a photo. NOW. This moment is worth remembering. Plus, if you have to blog something, you are sure as heck going to try to do more, make the days count. Does that make sense? Its not like every day has to be this huge crafting-cookie baking-decorating extravaganza! Its about watching the Grinch on ABC Family, or plucking a Hershey's Kiss from the Advent calendar.

I will do my very very best to keep up:) Here goes!

December 1st, 2010

The kids were invited to make ornaments for our Credit Unions Christmas tree and here are some cute(cheap) kits I found at Target. Each kit made 2 ornaments so we got to keep one from each kid.
Teagens:
Grady's:

And Summer's:

They are super cute, and totally fool proof. The kids were proud to turn them in for $5 birdy bucks at the CU, and the ladies there just LOVED them!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

2010-11-16T08:16:00.002-06:00

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
I really wish that our time spent together this Christmas is wonderfully memorable. I am very happy with the way holiday break worked out. We will have a week before Christmas home together to do baking and gift making. And a week after Christmas to play and just enjoy each others company.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?
Our kids have(so far) been really good about waiting until a decent time to get us out of bed. Usually 8am. We have coffee and maybe cinnamon rolls and record the kids opening their overflowing stockings. It is so much fun, I always just want to stop time on Christmas morning! Then we relax, read directions to new toys, put stuff together, munch and cuddle until we get ready to go to my Dad and Cindy's for the afternoon/evening. Honestly I would not want it any other way. Its perfect.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
Hmmm...a Key West vacation for me and my hubby. someday:)

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
Oh we do lots of free stuff! Drive around looking at Christmas lights, make sure we watch some kind of Christmas tv special every night for the 2 weeks leading up to the holiday, we always make snowflakes for our windows(among lots of other crafts) We collect Christmas books that only come out this time of year and we read them and of course we listen to Christmas music. I think these are the things the kids look forward to the most!

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
We were def a card playing kinda family! But also, if we had any new board games, we would play them too. Trivial Persuit, Life, Monolopy, Sorry, Etc...

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
Cookie Day! Unfortunatly, I think we are taking this year off due to my schedule:(

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?
Honestly I don't want to be away from home on Christmas! But I suppose Disney, since the kids are our main focus this time of year.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
The XBox with the Kinect sound like its pretty amazing. The girls want DSi's SO bad, and I really would love a DSi XL, I think they are so cool!

Summer Girl Turns 9

2010-06-02T09:19:00.004-05:00

Its a good thing we've been too busy to to really think about the fact that she is a year away from double digits. Man, does time fly. She really wanted a party this year, and because I actually remember what it was like being 9 and knowing how great a good birthday party can be, we put together a Candy Shoppe Party. FYI-Fridays are great for parties, I did it right after school, only 1 out of 8 girls couldnt make it, and you are not messing with anyones weekend plans! I picked the girls up at school(some of their parents dropped them off at the house) we did snacks, 2 crafts, gifts and then pizza and rootbeer(or Orange Pop) floats. No cake for the party due to the Candy Shoppe theme.

Napkin rings from candy dots...

dipped pretzels with a gummy assortment...

The sweets table...

wesco popcorn;)

I used leftover candy melts from the butterflies and dipped Oreos!

The girls filled goodie bags with all the sweets and broght them and a coke when we went back to the school for family move night. Moms picked the kids up after the movie.

I didnt take any pics of the crafts, but we did beaded braclets and fluffy flip flops(where you tie strips of fabric all up and down the straps)

We are so lucky that Summer has a great group of friends(finally!) I really enjoyed hanging out with them and hearing them goof around. They even really included Teagen, which made her life complete!!

And I think my girl had the best time ever, at least that is what she keeps telling us:)

Hey Ya'll!!

2010-05-20T11:55:00.002-05:00

Where the heck have ya been?! I know, I know. I've gotta get my act together. Too busy right? Yep, that's about right...Having a little shin-dig for Summer's 9th tomorrow, so expect a great post maybe this weekend! Not gonna backtrack too far, too much life passed us by, but going to try to get back to regularly scheduled blogging, for sure. I still love it:)

XOXOXO

friday fill-ins

2010-03-26T08:22:00.002-05:00

www.fridayfillins.blogspot.com

And...here we go!
1. The right words never comes to me when I need them.

2. Go to bed, and shut the door quietly, please.

3. Up an at 'em" is something my Dad always said when we were kids. Except I always thought he was saying,"up and adam" and wondered what Adam had to do with it.

4. Home is where you'll find me. Usually.

5. Ooh! What is that mascara/eyeliner/perfume you have on?

6. Getting to bed earlier is a good idea.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working? not so much...tomorrow my plans include Going to Bob and Joan's for Jason's B Day dinnerand Sunday, I want to get some stuff done around the house, help Summer finish her project on Michigan, and just hang with my people.
Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Through the Eyes of an Eight Year Old

2010-03-12T10:06:00.010-06:00

For Christmas, This girl... got a real digital camera. Not a kids camera, but one with higher megapixils than what I carry. I finally got around to downloading her pics and I discovered 400 little gems on this memory card. Here is a glimps as to what I found.

No less than 20 shots of Bling-Bling.

Cats do not like flash photography.

Chase is pretty good a hiding out most of the time, only 8 pics of her. But she was caught in the act of sleeping in Summer's bed.

And searching for abandoned pop tarts.

She took her camera twice ice fishing. She has learned that Schultz men cannot always be responsible for documenting some of these "fun" times. And goodness knows mom will not be venturing out there.

Pics of Kennedy when she was here for New Years Eve...

And about 45 photos of Grady looking like this...

and this...

Or this...

And even this!

But its OK when you have a little sister who want to be the next Vanna White.

I can't wait to see what kind of pictures she takes this spring when we are outdoors. In December, this is all there is:

Everyone does self portraits. But 12 photos of your feet? Really?

Is this not the pic used for every teenagers profile on facebook?

love this:

No lie, 26 shots of stuffed animals.

And a few from the apparent STAR of our house, 36, yes, 36 photos of my poor Griffin dog.

The poor tortured animal.

two shots of TV shows. I am guessing they were scenes she never wants to forget.

26 photos for Teagen on her birthday.

And lets see, what else...

4 photos of Grady sleeping. In the dark.

2 of the celing fan.

5 of her American Girl sleeping in her bed.

and 3 of a paper plate with a face drawn on it.

The kids got a lot of time on her hands;)

Teagen Turns Five

2010-03-02T08:38:00.006-06:00

Teagen's day was pretty action packed, but really its the way to do it for preschoolers. And most importantly, keep it simple, make it special. Right? All I can say is thank the Lord for Family Fun Magazine that arrived about a week before her birthday. They covered my class treat and her special cupcakes(at the end of this post). Here are the treats: we have a milk allergy kid in her class. He is really sweet about not caring when he cannot have chocolate of whatever, but I like to try to find things that include everyone. Skittles+Starburst=milk-free!!

If you cant tell, its snack size baggies with clothespin butterfly bodies. The instructions called for glue and glitter sprinkling on the bodies, but I was able to find sheets of self adhesive glitter foam that I just cut in strips and covered the clothespins. add googly eyes and pipe cleaners(fold the tips of the pipecleaner so they are not so pokey) clip in the middle of the baggie and ta-da! Butterflies. What a hit. We now use the bodies as chip clips.(btw- you can get the baggies,eyes,pipecleaners and clothespins ALL at Dollartree. The glitter foam sheets are at the walmart. Easy-peasy)

And because I am insane, I invited the girls from Teagen PreK to our house for lunch on her actual birthday. On a Tuesday. In the middle of the day. When I am alone. With no help. When I have a three year old son. When I worked 4 days straight before the party. After I had a root canal. And I am a total baby. and I promised facepainting. ON A TUESDAY. A.L.O.N.E. what is wrong with me?

Thank you to the 3 moms who hung around. thank you thank you thank you.

It wasn't bad. It could have been. I know from experience. When Summer was in PreK, I invited her entire class(because her friends were mostly boys). I think 10 showed. All dropped off, some getting picked up WAAAYY late. Rachael helped me with that one, but we were both SUPER pregnant and Teagen was a baby. That was one of my craziest moments ever. EVER.

(lovin that BK crown, arnt you? They get them in class. Tea really thought it was somethin'. We dont do BK around here much.)

A cutie face...

Anyway, advice from a party mom:

Simple is GOOD. I planned on pizza, but at the last minute I decided to do tea sandwiches of Nutella, jam, and peanutbutter. I had a bowl of cheetos and a plate of fruit. I also had on the table the leftover skittles and starburst, and a little dish of plastic jewel ring I found for a buck. The cupcakes we on a cake stand, I used 2 dollar store table cloths, layered and bought cheap as heck valentine leftover napkins and table supplies. IF YOU HAVE GIRLS, GO CRAZY AT THE AFTER VALENTINES DAY SALES. Everything I bought was all rainbow-y with hearts and just super cute. And extremely cheap. Like less than a dollar. I have a set of paper lantern that I put up, stuck some balloons to the chairs. DONE.

I did this all in the 3 hours she is in school. not bad.

So all we did was have lunch, play, open gifts, play and facepaint, and then cake and icecream. I planned on a game, but the girls had more fun just playing together. It goes to show that not every minute needs to be planned out.

Oh and I did goodie bags(barbie makeup I purchased at 80% off after Xmas!!) as parting gifts. brilliant idea for 4 year olds that dont want to leave:)

Later that day, we had a more relaxed family evening of gifts and dinner out. Chinese!

I think it was Teagen's barbie year.

The Cupcakes!! Totally recommend. They were beautiful! Its a white cake that you mix up and divide into 6 bowls. Tint the colors of the rainbow, and layer by spoonfuls into cupcake liners. Easy with an awesome outcome.

A special day for my girl. She is such an awesome kid. I'll have to do her 5 year photoshoot this week. Cannot believe that munchkin is 5!!!

comment moderation

2010-02-19T08:51:00.002-06:00

So I have been getting lots of weird comments(SPAM) on old posts. Its getting annoying, so I had to change a few things. Now if you comment of a post older than a week, it wont show up unless I want it to. Shouldn't affect anything, but has anyone else been running into this? Often its even in a foreign language. I know its not a big deal, but I feel kind of violated. Makes me think of exactly how public things are on here. Hmmmm...

In other news...I had a root canal yesterday. Exciting, right? I was feeling pain big time, got in right away and they had me come back the next day for the procedure. So strange for someone with only a couple fillings. Very weird. I still have all my wisdom teeth. All I know is that dental stuff is not fun. And very expensive. Its only February and the $$ spent this year on unforeseen expenses(teeth, glasses, washing machine, muffler...) could have nearly sent us to Disney World. That is completely not cool. But its life.

Good news is that we are getting some bookings for face and mama-to-be belly painting!! So excited! It is so much fun, and Angela and I have lots of amazing ideas to try out! We think facepainting is more of a spring/summer thing, so it looks like business will be picking up:)

Anyway, have a great weekend! We are busy around here with sleepovers, a wedding, family visits and I think I'll have to fit in a couple of shifts at work too. Awesome.

Party treats and Friendship

2010-02-12T09:19:00.002-06:00

This one was too good to keep to myself. Mostly because its was just too easy! Rachael also did it for Kennedy's class. How perfect for a birthday party treats! It was a complete hit, everyone was so excited about it! Here is all it is- 2 boxes of regular sugar cones(24 all together)
5 bags of cotton candy that you can get at any Dollar Tree(5 was too much, three would have been fine, as you can see mine are double dippers!)
The cone shaped treat bags can be found in the party supplies at Hobby Lobby for 1.99 for 24.
**you can also fill the cones with m&ms, but I skipped that because we have a milk allergy in Teagen's class.

stuff a bit of cotton candy in the cone and then just stack a little on top for your "scoops" drop in bags and tie with whatever you have laying around.

Fabulous!
I found the idea online somewhere, but cannot find the link. I'm creative, but not that creative;)

Here is a pic from yesterdays party of Teagen and her best friend.
I dont know what other pre-ks do, but ours is is wonderful on parent days. She sets up stations and its basically a free for all, but the kids are really good. I didnt take many pics this time because I have this horrid head cold, was working with not only Teagen and Grady, but also took on a few more kids whose parents couldnt make it.

And I leave you with a Valentine message written to Summer from her best friend:

Roses are Red, Lilacs are fine
Valentine will you be mine?
The Sun is Yellow
Your hair Smells like Jello.

Well, I guess she has been using mango shampoo....

♥♥♥We Love Valentines Day ♥♥♥

2010-02-09T11:53:00.006-06:00

I adore pink and red and white and hearts and things that are pretty! I love Valentines Day! So I have been on the lookout for ideas for the kids school valentines and for a fun treat for Teagen's class(more on that one later) A note came home from Summer's teacher that the students were to create a card box at home. The requirements were that it had to be "Valentines colors", fit in their desks, and NOT have anything suggestive or crude on them(how said that it even has to be mentioned) We found the idea for this one in Family Fun Magazine. Broke into the scrapbook stash and here's what we created-

(its a dog, not a rabid bunny;)) Cards go in the mouth. I think the one in Family Fun was a cat. But Summer is a dog person.

And here are her Valentines. They are from Michael's. We had some leftover goodie bags and I bought pencils on clearance last year. Add a sucker, staple together.

Ta-Da!

Simple and cute!

For Teagen I bought a case of crayons in Aug when Walmart has them for 15 cents a box. Also at Michael's I got her sticker Valentines( same brand as Summer's) that were perfect for this. wrap a ribbon around each box, slap the sticker on and thats it! Cute!!♥♥♥

You are gonna love my treat idea for Teagen's class. I gotta get the supplies today!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Sick Day

2010-02-08T13:20:00.005-06:00

Illness hit the kiddos this weekend. Just fatigue and low fevers. A cough. And Grady got it the worst. Fever up to 103 and he even threw up(it may have been his first episode, but I cannot remember) Here he is at lunch today... When he is sick, he always falls asleep where ever he is. Poor guy.

The girls were content playing DS, reading and drawing. They built a fort on their bed.

With everyone fully medicated, a project was in order so we made salt dough hearts for necklaces.

Salt dough is super easy, if you never done it before.

1/2 C salt

1 C four

1/2 C warm water

mix up with hands, roll out and we cut shapes with mini cookie cutter. Then used a straw to poke the hole for stringing.

bake on cookie sheet for almost 2 hours(you just want them to get hard and dry) at 250. When cool, decorate!

We painted and then glittered while still wet. I have a large glitter supply. we used mostly the extra fine but still cheap stuff. I kept my vintage glass glitter hidden from the little hands;)

I cant wait till they are dry! I think it will look so cute hanging from a ribbon!

If Teagens lips seem extra rosy, its because she managed to get red paint on them.

Only the Best of Etsy Sample Packages GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-03T08:32:00.000-06:00

Only the Best of Etsy Sample Packages GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

List-a-Roo

2010-01-28T10:02:00.004-06:00

So I really want to get back to regular blogging. I need to go on a Facebook diet. Its just so fun, but a total time suck. I thought maybe another one of these list things would stoke the blogging fire a bit. Hopefuly get me rolling. I found this one on Nitty Gritty and really liked it. So here goes...

1. What is your current obsession? It should come as no surprise that crafty stuff is high on my list. But not just paper, now you can add sewing to that(sorta). Oh and I have totally become obsessed with doing fun things to my daughters' hair thanks to this blog. LOVE IT.

2. What are you wearing today? my second favorite pair of jeans, and a brown thermal shirt. Its only 11 degrees out there today! Its a miracle I took my scarf off.

3. What’s for dinner? I think is Pioneer Woman's Chicken spaghetti. SO GOOD.

4. What’s the last thing you bought? A really cute necklace I bought on Saturday before I went to a concert with my besties. And then its exploded on the head of the woman sitting in front of me. She was nice enough to hand me the pieces. Oh, and then I returned it and got my $ back yesterday:)

5. What are you listening to right now?

Sponge Bob, and the kids are not even in the room.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? Here is when you find out how boring I am. I would always choose to stay in West Michigan. Although, I would be quite happy to live ON Lake Michigan, so Montague, Whitehall, or Grand Haven lakefront would make me pretty happy.

7. What is one thing you want to change about yourself? To avoid a shallow comment, I will say I could stand to have a little more drive. Some sticktoitive-ness. I get excited about something, and never follow thru. I make myself crazy.

8. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Hmmm. An hour? Today, I need to be on a beach.

9. Which language do you want to learn? I could learn Spanish. Then I could understand what all the customers on Sundays at the mall are saying.

10. What’s your favorite quote? I am going to go with one of the ones on my sidebar.

11. Would you cook for me? yep. Shocking I am sure, I am a really good cook. I dont give myself too many complements, but I can cook. Not that I do things that are really extraordinary. I have to feed 3 kids and a picky husband. But what I do make, is really good.

12. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you? good grief, when someone finds a way to do this easily, please let me in on it. I am sick of avoiding a handful of people who have hurt me. I am not a forgive and forget type. I wish I was! Life is too short to waste it worrying about them! So I guess my answer is to ignore. Thats all I got.

13. What are you afraid of the most? Losing anyone I love. Of course, I will eventually lose another loved one. So I need to just drop this fear and live my life. Enjoy the now and the people in it. And I really am afraid of spiders.

14. Who do you want to meet right now? Ummm...Jack Johnson? Just because I wanna here him sing live.

15. What is your favorite color? Red. Always and forever. I still think I may have a red house someday. But if you look in my closet, you are going to say black. Its easy to wear and looks great with the blond.

16. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you. This is funny. I am all about other peoples tips. You would think I would have picked up something by now. OK- dont wash your hair every day. It always looks better on day 2. Or 3. Expensive tweezers are worth every penny. Find a good self tanner and invest time in applying it right(experience talking,here) and burts bees makes the best blemish roll-on thingy. Oh wow, thats 4!!

17. What is your dream job? Everyone is going to think I am going to say art related, but nope. I would love to have an ice cream shop or candy store/boutique or upscale bakery/resturant. This is a dream I know. In this economy? Yeah, right.

18. What’s your favorite magazine? Right now, I love Family Fun, Martha Stewart Living, and Somerset Studios(any of their publications) I only get subs to Family Fun and Redbook.

19. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on? Undergarments. You asked!

20. What do you consider a fashion faux pas? Skinny Jeans and leggings. Both only look decent on girls under 10. Seriously. I work at the mall and people watch all day. Dont wear them. Even size 2 looks better in bootcut.

21. Who, according to you, is the most over-rated writer? Any celeb who writes an autobiography. Yuck. Especially if they are under 40.

22. What brings a smile on your face instantly? my family being weird. they rarely disappoint.

23. What is one word that you say a lot? "the" ???

24. What kind of haircut do you prefer? Oh boy. I try new things, but always go back to the shoulder length or longer shaggy mop. Its what my hair wants to do.

25. What are you going to do after this? Go pick up Summer from Spanish. and cook.

26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed? Take it out on everyone else. Or go shopping. Just being honest. Not proud of it. But I am pretty quick to snap out of it.

27. What makes you go wild? Too many cocktails;)

28. What are your favorite movies? Oh Brother Where art Thou? and pretty much anything with Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler. and The Princess Bride.

29. What inspires you? crafty and decorating blogs, a clean quite house. Anything new.

30. What do your friends call you most commonly? Jennie. Most of my friends are from childhood. Jennie just stuck.

31. Would you prefer coffee or tea? I like both very much. But I NEED coffee.

32. Which other blogs do you love visiting? This is for another post. I have my list on the sidebar, but my favorites is jam packed with awesome blogs. I'll share soon.

33. What is your favorite dessert/sweet? Always changing. I love good cheesecake with cherries. Any kind of fruit crisp. Chocolate covered strawberries. Ice cream(Chubby Hubby is so goooood) Oh and Brooklyn Bagels makes these almond cookies dipped in chocolate...but dont ever try them. Seriously, they are mine.

****did I say that I didnt know what word I use a lot? I am thinking "seriously" is a contender.

34. How many tabs are turned on in your browser right now? I usually have 2 because I listen to my blog playlist while I am on the computer.

35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? That I wished the flatiron job I did on my hair yesterday had stayed better.

36. What is your favorite season? I love them all(even winter has its good stuff!) but I have the most good times in the Summer.

37. What is one wish that you really want to see come true? That I don't screw up my kids too badly. That they grow up happy, marry well, work hard, and enjoy life.

38. What breaks your heart? When anyone I care about is messed with. I get all "mama bear" and want to take care of business. And those ASPCA commercials.

39. What's one thing you really want to do in life? I am kind of a homebody, so travel is not a big deal to me. I think that when the kids grow up, I would like to help out at the animal shelters or maybe do some pet fostering or rehabilitation. And have a really big garden and koi pond.

So if you are feeling game, please play along and post your list too!! I would love to see how you answer these:)

The most beautiful four eyes I've ever seen.

2010-01-27T08:58:00.002-06:00

I prayed my children would not get my horrible eyesight. Jason and his 2 siblings all have perfect vision into their 30s.

Rachael and I are practically blind.

Seriously.

But Summer failed an eye test at school. So we took her in and although its not bad now, her sight will continue to get worse over the next, oh, 10 years or so. Just like me. And Rachael. And our Mom. And pretty much everyone in our family.

Poor kid never had a chance.

But she's just so cute. And she loves the glasses!

And now she looks about 14.

Please dont say that she looks like me. In the 3rd grade I was so weird and akward looking. Nothing like this sweet beauty!!(no, I will not post my 3rd grade pic. Are you crazy?)

Teagen McCutie Pants

2010-01-09T11:53:00.002-06:00

Would you believe me if I told you that Teagen is very difficult to photograph? "Tea, act like you are a supermodel..."

"...or maybe not."

"ummmmm...OhhhKaaay"

So after all those shenanigans, here is the girl we all know and love!

As sweet as she looks?

Ummm, sure. We'll go with that.

His Eternal Naughtiness

2010-01-09T11:14:00.002-06:00

But whats not to love? This is a face of pure happiness!

And the hat. A steal from Little Miss Matched. Freaking adorable. I am certain that its the last year I can convince him cute stuff is cool. He'll eventually see his reflection and know the truth.
Oh boy...I'm losing him...
But he gave me one more! That head! Its just so,so,so, so ROUND! You cannot resist touching it. You can't. Everyone always puts their hands on his head. Its awesome!

That is one delicious face.

Holiday Recap

2010-01-06T12:19:00.008-06:00

The month of December was a true whirlwind. Personally, I was disappointed this year, just because there was so much we missed. My silly little job turned into a very demanding and late night job. Not leaving the time or energy to do much else. And when I was home, Jason was hunting. So, not ideal, but still lovely and memorable.

If I recall, Cookie Day was our first family event of the season. We drove to Mason and met with family to do our traditional sugar cookies. Its a great low key get together, and the only time I get to see my Mom's side of the family in the winter. I cannot lie, I cant find the pics from that day. Hmmmm...

The next weekend, Santa(!) was visiting our Credit Union. This house full of believers had to go visit! And I am happy to announce that no one was afraid! This is a first for us!

The next weekend, we had Christmas with Bob and Joan. I had to work a very long and busy day before we visited, so I was basically worthless. But the kids loved being with their cousins and making a snowman craft with Grandma.

Up next were class parties: Summer's was first...

It s funny how much they tone down parties as the kids get older. They barely had any treats, and did some movement(dancing) and drew on placemats. Summer's teacher is wonderful and sweet. It was a fun peek into her school day.

The next day was Teagen's party. Such a difference! The kids were so adorable and it was nonstop action the entire class! I love that Mrs. C always includes Grady. He even got do do the gift exchange.

Look at this handsome little guy-

(shirt by Rachael. What I dont have a photo of is Jason's matching shirt. CUTE!)

ringing bells. It looks like Teagen does not approve of Grady's technique.

All the different Holiday stations.

And then Mrs. C took the class caroling to some other classrooms. Grady stayed with Daddy in the classroom and I helped set up plates for the little feast, and wouldnt ya guess who shows up....

SANTA!!!!! Grady squealed and ran to him for a big hug. I thought he would be scared, but nope. Asked for robots and batman. He totally enjoyed his private meeting with the BIG GUY before the class walked back in.

Relaxing from the excitement.

Teagen can never remember what she wants to ask Santa for. Usually she say "a barbie". And thats what he brought her;)

Great time. I was so ready for the kids to be out of school. I really like doing projects and had made way more promises than I could keep. But we did do these...

Martha Stewart puppets! These crafts are fantastic because they already have the adhesive on them. No mess!

We did some baking, and some ornament making. On Christmas Eve we visited with Cindy's family. It was an icy drive to and from Montague. So we got home pretty late and put out cookies for Santa. Jason and I still had some serious work to do and we needed to watch A Christmas Story. Its tradition!

We told the kids we would get up at 8 am. at 7 they asked if we would get up. We said 8! So they played in the girls room for an hour and then we got up. It was so funny to listen to them giggle and be silly with excitement. I really was not with it as far as taking a lot of pics, but here are a few...

Teagen got her Rebecca doll...

Love the PJ's? Thanks Aunt Rae!

Not sure what Santa was thinking on this one...its hidden at this point!

Rachael and I decided to exchange hand made gifts only this year. I knew I would make her a papercut, but I needed another idea. So this is what she got. I was so worried, because it either something you this is SO COOL or it just looks like junk. Jason was really worried when I was putting it together. but the finished product is very fun.

Made from book pages! And its huge! I think she liked it.

Christmas day was spent at my Dad's. Nice and relaxing. Especially when there is no work the next day!

Rachael and Gary came over for New Years Eve. The kids played, Rachael tried to teach me to sew and we played a game .

The next day we got into the snow...

And built Muskegon's LARGEST snowman. He is crazy-big. He should make the newspaper:)

Happy 2010! Here's to better blogging!!

Its(finally) Beginning to look...

2009-12-03T14:01:00.004-06:00

A lot like December, like it should at this point!
I am not going to complain. I am an adult, and choose to live here, where the weather is certainly 4 different seasons. I like it. I would like it even more if I had no reason to leave my house from December to March.

I started decorating before Thanksgiving, and took a lot of heat for it. The deal is that the little bit I do work, its retail. And um, well, we all know about retail in the weeks after Thanksgiving. I am working a lot. Again, not complaining, lovin the bit of extra cash for Christmas. But that's why I needed to get an early start on decorating. Speaking of an early start, here is a project I worked on this past summer with my Aunt Linda and my Gramma (and Lisa too!) They are a sample of Tim Holtz Christmas tags. Trust me, the photos dont do them justice. They are so detailed and took an enormous amount of time to complete.

Also got to use a ton of products that I had no experience with, like alcohol inks, crackle paint, grunge board and all the fun little accessories that are here, not to mention the beautiful stamps.

I always enjoy crafting with them. Such a super creative bunch! And they spent months collecting and purchasing all the supplies for them. Thank you, Gramma and Linda! I've been dying to hang these. For now they are hanging from the ribbon that I hang Xmas cards on. Beautiful!

And today was our first snow!! Here are the kiddos after picking up Teagen from Preschool.

It was sucker sale day:) Did you know they make banana Tootsie Pops now?

Let the craziness BEGIN!!

Ketchup

2009-11-19T13:19:00.003-06:00

So busy, a little emotional(stressed!) but generally no good excuse for bad blogging. So here is a post of random photos among random happenings here...
(geese at my Dad's lake)

We were at my Dad's last week on one of the beautiful days we had. Lovely! It always feels like a bonus when you get to enjoy the outdoors when it could just as easily be snowing and nasty.

I also spend the day Saturday shopping in Michigan City with friends. We had such a great time. So good for us to get to be together and talk, and eat and shop and just be ourselves. Good for our kids to see we have lives outside of them.

(my Dad and Summer)

( yes he got wet. Duh.)

Summer has lost 2 teeth in a week. Its always such drama! She also thinks that the tooth fairy is Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. She even wrote him a letter to go with each tooth. I think she may have a little crush. Better than her current crush on Rich from the Imagination Movers.

Summer had a field trip this week to a LumberJacks game. Jason went, and then took her hunting. They just sat in a tent where Summer insisted on rattling antlers and making entirely too much noise, but you can bet she'll never forget it. Speaking of deer, Jason got one this week! Thats very good news in this house. Also I have conferences with Sum's teacher that night, and got lots of good news on her. She's such an amazing girl. And I love that she had a teacher this year who can see it, too. Great teachers are priceless! You just dont see it until you get stuck with a less than stellar one.

On a bad note with Summer. She is really having some issues with a specific girl in her class. Now this child is what they used to call a bully, but these days everyone is so afraid to point fingers, that I feel that Summer is getting drug down simply because a bully has singled her out as her main target. The school has gone so far as to develop a special "club" where these 2 along with a few more girls meet once a week to talk and learn problem and conflict solving. Things have been slowing changing until today when this girl punched Summer in the stomach on the bus. There is just no excuse for that! Summer is not physical in anyway. Not even to her siblings. Ever. She wants out of club, and is done trying with this girl. Apparently the girl was written up on the bus. When Summer came home in tears and pain, I called the principal to fill him in. at this moment I am still waiting on a follow up call from him. But when your daughter is the one who was hurt, it just makes me want to explode! I have no patients for this behavior, and Jason is really on top of it, too.

(coloring at Grandma's counter)

We had conferences for this teeny one too. Can I just say there is nothing better than a teacher meeting that exceeds your expectations!! The thing with Teagen, is she flies under the radar. She know SO much, and never tells you. She does not require the constant"mom! look what I did!""Look what I can do!" no. I just find full on notes and pictures and pages colored to perfection, all done by her. She rocks out puzzles like a 1st or 2nd grader. I was told today that Teagen is writing ahead of most all day kindergartners, and is by far the most advanced of all the schools preschoolers(as far as writing). The deal is, we dont work on this stuff with her. She just knows it. I am both baffled and proud.

And this is how Grady insisted on attending the conference...

wearing a headband, circa 1979.

Something tells me conferences next year will be interesting.

Ummm..yes please!

2009-11-17T16:51:00.003-06:00

wanna win this??

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

*a membership or gift card to Studio Calico

*sewing machine
* SLR camera
*a new bottle of VS Dream Angels Heavenly perfume
*Biggby or Starbuck gift cards-its a nice treat:)
(whew, that was hard! I am not good at that and got stuck after 3!!)

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
This is a hard one since there are so many talented people in my family! I am so lucky to have so many handmade gifts, scarves, ornaments, santas, a wizard my Dad carved, a quilt, hand painted boxes, jewelery, blankets, and much more. I could never choose!!!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
Oh, I always say I want to sew, but I'll require a machine;)

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
Christmas was very important to my Mom, so she made a very big deal about it. I didnt realize it then, but as a mom now, I see that it was a lot of work and she must have shopped all year. I guess specifically I remember getting Barbie's gigantic 3 piece Dream house as a joint gift one year. It was awesome!

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
Summer- A "real" camera and more American Girl clothes and accessories to go with her Julie doll.
Teagen- thinks she's ready for her own American Girl. Talking day and night about Rebecca. But also wants Barbie's moterhome. This one's got expensive taste.
Grady-Batman's Bat Cave. And Transformers. And I guess some new Power Ranger's stuff, but I have no clue where he even know what Power Rangers are.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Christmas Cookies!!! And meatballs. weird.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
Something with paper;)

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
A Christmas Story, hands down.

9. Favorite holiday song?
1st one to come to mind is Jack Johnson doing Rudolph. I'll have to post my holiday playlist soon:)

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
Shopping, baking, decorating, doing the paper snowflakes with the kids, really all of it. I just dont like the having to be so many places. And driving in bad weather. yuck.

Aunty Ollie $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-11-06T08:44:00.001-06:00

Aunty Ollie $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Halloween 09

2009-11-02T13:03:00.004-06:00

We were not off to a good start this year. Wednesday we went to a movie with our friends and that night, the SICKNESS hit our house. I was up all night with Teagen who was running a fever, and Summer, who was worried that we all had Swine Flu. Before you think we are totally pathetic for getting all crazy over a fever, let me remind you that we rarely even have runny noses here. These kids just dont know how to be sick, and they get scared. If someone happens to vomit, all hell breaks loose and it is the talk of the town for a month. Anyway, Teagen missed her class party, her 1st class party ever(at least she had no idea what she was missing) but the teacher asked if I wanted to stop in and get the art projects they were doing. So I did, and also got a tray of goodies and treat bags for each of the kids. There were enough art projects for all three kids to work on. LOVE that pre-school!!
Summer's party was Friday, so I painted her face before school. Amazingly, it lasted all day beautifully!! Oh, she was a "funky green fairy".

She left her wings at school, so we had to steal a pair from another costume and ended up borrowing a really cool pair from Aunt Rae. I would also like to mention that she ripped her tights and had some crud on her shirt. And she didnt even eat at the school party! I was really frustrated, let me tell ya.

Here are our Jack-O-Lanterns-

Summer's 1st...

Jason's...

Teagen's....

And Grady's/mine...

Everyone was fever free by Saturday AM, so we ventured out for trick-or-treating. 1st was a stop to Grandma Joan's and Grandpa Bob's. They fed us and gave the kids loot bags.

Summer's facepaint changed for Saturday.

Hmmmm...another random pic of out pumpkins. Wasnt supposed to go here, but oh well.

I think Batman started to lose it. He was really tired and no acting himself. Smeared the heck out of his mask.

Then we went a few houses down and hit Grandpa Bill's home. Quarters and Candy from Grandpa. He's a good man and had Snicker's for me.

I have a thing for mini snickers. I eat em frozen, and nearly break my teeth. Love it.

Then finally we meet up with the Burns' at my Dad's. Cindy had cups of Oreos for the kiddos(the very 1st thing they all ate once we were home).

Reid was a duck hunter and Kennedy was a nurse.

And Grady was in a daze...

We trick-or-treated a little subdivision our Friend Holly live in in North Muskegon. It was so cold that the little ones were done early. Summer carried on with Aunt Rae and even did another street on the way home. We stopped at out neighbors and it still wasn't even 8pm.

That night, Jason started feeling cruddy and sure enough, he got it now too. So that's really everyone except me. Summer never had a full blown fever, but she lost most of her voice for a few days. How I have managed to steer clear so far is beyond me. Hopefully I can completely dodge this one!

Field Trip- Farmers Market

2009-10-29T11:42:00.002-05:00

Teagen's class does at least 1 parent day a month, and on months with holidays, its usually 2. I love it because I get to see what her daily life is like away from home. Since she's never been in daycare, its kind of a tough spot for me to have her with her own little life every day. So parent day is important to me. Not to mention, she is a middle child, and never gets anything that is just for her. She is thriving in the school environment.
Unfortunately, I have to bring Grady with me. This started out OK. Mrs. Cooper treats him like another student. He had breakfast with the class and sat in the circle.

It was both of their 1st time on a bus. They loved it. Teagen was very proud to be riding a real school bus.

At the farmer's market, things went bad fast. Grady tried to hide and run away from me. I was trying to help Teagen complete her list of things to find. and it was really cold and rainy. Here is Grady hiding....

Also I should mention that Grady stole a giant beautiful apple. By the time I noticed it, we were no where near anyone selling apples, and I had no clue who he took it from. A proud moment for me, certainly.

A class pic. You should know that I had Grady in a headlock with my knees in order to get this shot.

Dedication, I tell ya.

Back to the classroom. Grady always finds the naughtiest boys to sit with. The teacher even noticed this and said something.

Next year is going to be awesome.

But since the day was supposed to be about Teagen, I would like to share that she is just amazing me with her social skills, and it seems that for now, all the preschool skills come very easy to her. She is great with scissors, and can write every letter. Mrs. Cooper also made a point to tell me that Teagen has fantastic writing skills. Already sounding out words and writing them in stories! That girl makes me so proud!

Finally Fall

2009-10-20T09:08:00.007-05:00

It has been so unbearably cold the last couple weeks, that I was worried that we may have skipped fall altogether and started right into winter. But it seems to be a bit warmer this week so we took our chance and headed to the pumpkin patch at Lewis Farms on Monday. If you are local, then you certainly have most of these same pics, but starring your own children. Its an amazing place and we are very fortunate to have Lewis Farms right here in West MI, and really just a short drive away.

I love the look in Teagen's eye here, she really is full of it.

Jason had spent a good part of the day in the woods, so we picked him up and brought him along.

And you're are nuts if you don't fall in love with the baby zebra.

Summer Jaye Applehead.

Oh its the baby again! I want one!

This guy sure got big since last year. He's got a lot of personality too. And did I mention he is HUGE?

I mean really, he could live here, right? He's not much bigger than my dogs(yet)... And is it weird that I don't care much for horses, but this guys steals my heart? Awe...love him!

Lewis Farms has the best little Bunny Town. So cute and fun to watch those furballs.

We've been reading "Llama Llama Red Pajama" a lot, so of course these guys were a big draw for the little folk.

Time to make your pumpkin pick!

The job was taken very seriously.

And some winners were taken home. Along with hot cider and cookies. Mmmm.

We plan to carve this weekend, and need to start working on ideas. Not to mention the last minute touches I need to add to everyones costumes.

I have a field trip with Teagen's class this week, so watch for that post later. I promise, I will get better about posting again!

Announcing....

2009-10-01T08:53:00.003-05:00

Over the summer I was lucky enough to help a friend with an event she was organizing. She asked if I would be interested in working with one of her friends and run a face painting booth. I didn't realize what a cool art form REAL face painting can be, and after some research I was hooked. Angela, my painting partner felt the same way. Over the summer we both did some more work in the art and after some time and consideration, we decided to join in a little business we are calling la-la land.

la-la land is face painters for hire, party planners and so much more. Face and body art is hot right now, and we use only professional quality, makeup grade, top of the line face and body paints.

Perfect for:

children's parties- We can match your theme! Fairy Party or Superhero Bash, anyone?

bachelorette parties- Very trendy,sexy painted eye masks for everyone!

baby bumps-Unlike what everyone else is doing, and hides any imperfections for prenatal photography! You and your baby-to-be will be a work of art.

We can do face paint only or even go all the way to planning the entire event, while you sit back with you camera capturing the moments. How much you want done is up to you.

So anyway, Angela and I are so excited about this and hope you are too! If you are at all interested, we are accepting bookings NOW! contact us at lalalandgurls@gmail.com

Thanks in advance for supporting me and Angela in this lalaland adventure!!!!
XOXOXO

When a Weird Man and an Odd Woman Fall in Love...

2009-09-29T12:09:00.003-05:00

You get this motley crew: Oh my...

I normally would not think for Grady to be the most normal of the bunch, but he was just modeling his Halloween costume( Thanks Kristin!)

This one?

Well, lets just say I am fully aware that I have some very difficult years ahead of me. As I type, she is singing"I'm a Barbie Girl" at the top of her tiny lungs.

But ya gotta love those socks.

10 years of Wedded Bliss and a Very Happy Wheatland

2009-09-17T09:47:00.004-05:00

We had no intention of going to Wheatland this year. Just getting back from our big family vacation, and the fact that most of our group was taking a year off due to other vacations and a cross country move. We had my Aunt Julie to watch the kids for our 10th anniv. and we just couldn't decide what we wanted to do. Well to make a longish story short, we suggested going to our friends Ian and Leslie, and decided to give it a go! This would be so different than years past, only 2 couples in our group as opposed to the usual 8 or so.

It left us the chance to camp somewhere new(and completely awesome). We also got front row middle seating for the music Friday night. Just totally a different experience.

If you've seen my facebook pics, these will all look familiar. I forgot to grab my memory card, so I could only take the 20 pics that my camera holds in internal memory.
Some of my fav art pieces...

Oops. bad focus! But you get the point.

My new favorite band, Crooked Still. Turn on the music for a couple of their songs. So So good!

The stage a night, from our spot on Saturday. We were still closer than we've ever been! Thanks to the boys. They were so good to us.

Sadly, we worked entirely too long to get a good self-group shot that night. Apparently using the timer was too much work for us. I just happen to think that Ian and Les are camera hogs.

Another fab band, The Deadly Gentlemen. They are so different, I can hardly explain. Like banjo rap( as if that makes sense to anyone). They even do a version of "Bust a Move" that was soooo cool.

The Cajun Dance. Crappy pic, everyone is moving to fast and the lighting is bad. But just to give you an idea as to the amount of people down here after midnight. I have to admit that I hate the Cajun dance. It has turned into a giant,gentler mosh pit. The year some girls stuck a flashlight down the back of Jason's pants kinda did me in. I prefer to stand back and watch, listen to the music and avoid any groping;)

Ten years last Friday. I can hardly believe it. We've thrown around the idea of celebrating with a fancy vacation or big gifts, but not only is that difficult on one income with back to school expenses and tons of new medical bills, its just not our style. We don't need it. The long weekend together was one of the best times I've had with him. It doesn't matter to me where we are. I am just so completely content and happy. I really love this guy.

Jason and Ian. Its really great that the both of us still have such good friends from our childhoods. I guess we have all been through so much together, that its always easy to pick of where we've left off.

The "Cranderson's" . Really enjoyed the weekend with these two. The kind of laughter that leaves your stomach aching. I believe Leslie has been going to Wheatland as long as we have. Its possibly when I met her 9 years ago.

I also discovered that these two are actually very alike. Like one would say something really funny and smarty-pants, then the other would walk up and seriously say the same stinking thing. Scary, and I adore them both:)

Great weekend. Funny how much can change in a year. Friendships disintegrate, people get married, people move, babies are born, and much more. Makes me wonder whats in store for next year.

Looking back now, I can't believe we were not going to go. Crazy talk. And if I say that next year, somebody slap me!

Teagen's 1st Day

2009-09-14T12:32:00.002-05:00

I shouldn't be surprised.

Its happened to me before.
I send a baby to school for the first time, and they come home a kid. A chattering, busy, in-love-with-the-routine-of-school kid. It happened today, and only took 3 hours.

She is a different girl. And she LOVED every moment. Jason was going to take today off just as a day to catch up after Wheatland, but got to go for Tea's first day. At this point I sould mention that Grady really believed that he was going to class too. When he finally realized that it wasn't the case, he was very sad. So so sad.

My first day girl. A little outfit drama last night. Lets hope this isnt just a hint of whats to come, but I think its a pretty good indication.

Finding her locker. Its huge! She fits right inside there!

All the kids did great. There was one sad one, but then he started to play and was fine. Teagen never looked back. I was so happy for her! And proud too.

What a great day, neither of us shed a tear:)

1st Day of 3rd Grade

2009-09-09T17:04:00.002-05:00

Warning, these photos are not great. Actually very poor quality. In my defense, I had a very cranky toddler either hanging on me or running as far away as he could. In that respect it was a terrible morning. Really really bad. But I am over it. And I am lovin my new third grader:) How long until those jeans turn to floods? I am guessing by the end of the school year.

The teeth that grew in over the summer vacation. And the hair that grew a lot too.

Playing before the bell rings...

And there goes my girl.

I have a lot of memories of third grade. Moving to a new school, having a difficult teacher, few friends, and worse. I really hope things are easier for my kids. Summer is just so sweet and sensitive. Its sad that other kids her age already know how to take advantage of that kind of personality. I think she has gotten a bit tougher over the summer, but only time will tell.

Good luck to the moms like me who miss their kids when they are in class. I will say that it's getting easier. What I don't like is being at the mercy of a school's schedule. Drives me crazy! My kids have to be at two different schools at the same time. This should be interesting....

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking...

2009-09-03T10:04:00.002-05:00

Thanks for all the cupcake love on the last post. I found the idea back in June on Bakerella and knew since then I was doing that for his party. I am sure if I had done the Transformers cake he had asked for, I wouldn't be attracting so much attention! Because grey frosting is so yummy looking(yuck!).

So my baby is now 3. Teagen is starting preschool, and Summer is starting 3rd grade. We went to a school meet and greet last night. I should say that Me and the three kids went. Jason still has golf. controlling Grady is a bit of a challenge with that many people around, but it went OK. I met Summer's teacher, who already knew her( I love a tiny school!) And we really like her lots! Found her seat and her hook for her things. Saw some old friends. Should be an interesting year. I remember a lot of my third grade. Some good, some not so much. I am thinking Summer's going to enjoy it.

Teagen has her meet and greet next week. I have a lot more concern for her since she has developed some serious shyness issues. Lots of hiding from adults and clinging to me. It is so opposite of Summer and Grady that it starts to really frustrate me. She met her teacher last spring and loved her. But the shyness thing just started, so we'll wait and see. Trying to not get too worked up about it.

We had our last Wednesday beach day yesterday. Again, its like in the sixties inland, but the beach was so hot. But I have really enjoyed getting together with my friends and their kids for our regular date. Obviously, things will be different with our kids in school, but we are already making plans for other playdates, so that makes it better. Still, I am really gonna miss spending so much time at the beach. So spoiled!

I will say that my life is begging for routine. I am staying up too late, and then sleeping too late. Need to get on the back to school schedule, pronto. Putting Teagen in morning preschool was one way of forcing this on me. Afternoon would have been way easier. But gotta do what we gotta do. at least this way I can still go to both kids Halloween parties and all that jazz.

Basically, I am doing my best to not be sad that they are all growing up, and be excited for the new beginning of the fall and the school year. I am looking forward to some one on one with each of the kids and especially Grady for a few hours when T is in school. We have never had that.

So its like the saying...
The only thing that stays the same is that everything is always changing.
I'm just trying to keep up.

Its good to be Three

2009-08-31T09:18:00.005-05:00

I seem to be getting a reputation for birthday cakes. Heaven help me if I choose to get a store bought cake one of these years!
I found these on a website, and gave it a try....
They are yellow cupcakes, with brownie "meat" and frosting ketchup, mustard and lettuce.

Fries are made from sugar cookie dough with frosting"ketchup" for dipping.

The sesame seeds really top it off.

And even with the cruddy weather, it was actually pretty hot down at the lake at my Dad's. Good enough for swimming(if your a kid!)

They were catching minnows and crayfish.

Their playground has a slide of terror. Its a waterslide and VERY steep. I got these shots of Kristin's girls launching into the air...

Cal, my Dad's dog, flies off the dock for her ball and will swim way out to get it. the kids loved it as much as she did.

Baby Brayden's(Troy's baby) 1st lake day:) Looks like it was pretty relaxing.

The elusive birthday boy. Love that kid.

Reid. Tummy and eyelashes. Pure sweetness...

Grady has really been looking forward to everyone singing to him. Although, I think he was singing the loudest.

I always tear up at this moment...another year gone by.

As expected, red frosting is a bit of a mess. But the kids had a blast.

Lots of great presents. He's huge into Transformers. The girls all sat nice while he was opening, but then spit when he was done. All the boys hung around to see the stuff out of the packages. This is so different for me. I am really used to all the pink. NO pink to be found yesterday!

His gift from Papa Rocky and Gramma Cindy. Papa's great find.

This morning he was wearing it and it has a voice changer mode, and he was hiccuping into the microphone!

Fabulous day. Today, he is still buzzing from all the sugar, and spending hours working on all his new toys.

Me, I need to take a moment to think of the fact that my little guy is now three. A fact I am having trouble comprehending!

UP Vacation

2009-08-28T09:57:00.022-05:00

That's Michigan's Upper Peninsula for you outa staters. Jason's dad and Joan plan a family vacation every 4 years instead of traditional birthday and Christmas gifts. The family is getting so big that the best plan is really renting a large house and going on adventures together and on our own. There were 17 of us this year. Troy his new wife and baby stayed back. Troy's new 11 year old step daughter came along and got the full Schultz experience! Lucky girl! Hahahha!

Anyway, I'll try to condense this the best I can. We left 5am Sunday morning, so that the kids would sleep part of the super long drive. We stopped at lots of rest areas and a Mc Donalds too.

Couldn't resist him stepping out of a gas station with our name on it.

We spent some time in Mackinaw City. had lunch at a fab fish joint.

Crossing the bridge is always a bit of a "thing" for me. A bit scary.

Out first stop in the UP was the Garlyn Zoo. Very nice and surprisingly lots of different animals.

These little babies were so sweet.

These babies were a bit less sweet.

Then it was to the House to see where we would be staying the next week of our lives...

Ummm...BEAUTIFUL!

We did find the there was a family of 30 -50 BATS living under the sign on the garage. The guys took care of that right away. Ewwwe gross.

Some of our outings...

Big Spring is awesome. You cross the spring on a raft that you can see to the bottom of the crystal clear water.

The 12 and under gang. We were out numbered. 10 kids to 7 adults.

Then Fayette. An old ghosts town. Absolutely beautiful.

Summer and I snuck down to the shoreline for some exploring.

One night Jason and I got away alone for a bit and he drug me down some two track to check this place out...

Uhhhh...creepy.

And its just not vacation for us if there is not a beach day. Even with the lake a mile from the house, we still needed to see our beloved Lake Michigan for a day.

Another day trip was to take a shipwreck tour on a glass bottom boat on Lake Superior.

It was really lovely. Not a lot of photos because about half way through, Grady fell asleep in my arms.

Jason was thrilled to learn that in Munising, they serve Pasties with gravy. I personally prefer the Yooper-style with lots of ketchup.

Some waterfalls there...

A different day trip to Tahquamenon Falls.

And again some falls in Munising.

Couldnt resist this one of after the kid went to bed one night. Note Brandon's tiny coffee cup. there was NOT COFFEE in there.

Pictured Rocks.

Bob, my FIL.

One of my personal favorite views;)

The Schultz Men.

Another adventure to Oswalds Bear Ranch. Very cool place. Apparently its so nice, wild bears try to get in there!

My rain drenched family with Mary the cub. As the guy was handing me my camera, Mary licked Teagen right up her face!

Nick doing his bear impression.

And here are the vacationers...

Bob and Joan.

Brandon and Laura.

Us! Jason and Jenn.

Owen( Alesha's youngest)

Jeremy, Dillon and Nick.

Jeremy again.

Jessica.

Teagen, Dillon and Summer.

The "big" girls, Celina and Rachael.

I think all I am missing is Alesha. Owen was a bit high maintence that week so I think she was pretty busy with him most of the time. I cant believe I dont have a shot of her!

Art project time...

The day we left, there was some icecream left that would never make the trip home. So it was icecream breakfast for the kids!

A well packed Jeep.

A few goodbyes...

On the way home it was between a stop at the Mystery Spot or The Deer Ranch. We went with the deer.

Great trip, wonderful time.

But as always, there's no place like home!!

The Battle of '09

2009-07-23T11:56:00.004-05:00

( he named himself "Diaper Dan".)

(some stickers that came in the mail today, perfectly appropriate.)

Words of wisdom:

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

Don't I know it:)

Hoops for Hope

2009-07-20T12:42:00.003-05:00

Saturday I was volunteering down at Pere Marquette at the the 1st annual Hoops for Hope. My friend Leslie put this 3 0n 3 basketball tournament to raise proceeds for MS.
My job was running a face painting booth with another person. SO fun!

Another reason it was so such a great time is that I got to watch my girl Mya actually PLAY BASKETBALL!!! Here she is....(number 30)
look at the boys they are playing! And even if they lost, they gave those guys a serious run for their money. It was fantastic!

This here is the girl responsible for it all. Leslie, so proud of all your hard work. It was a blast and will just keep getting bigger and better. I will be there to help any way I can( but I am now a little partial to face painting)Here is part of the press release:

While raising funds, Leslie plans to educate the community about MS and address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. “I think it's important to show the many faces of this disease”. Leslie has had relapsing remitting MS since 2001 and lives a very active life. Leslie enjoys running, kayaking, dance, travel and riding her Harley. When Leslie was diagnosed she only knew one individual with a very advanced form of MS. “The diagnosis and management of MS needs to be understood so patients, caregivers, friends, and family have a better perspective and outlook towards MS” says Leslie.
MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to paralysis or loss of vision. MS is the most common neurological disease in young adults in the United States today, and there are more than 18,000 people living in Michigan who have been diagnosed. Several fundraising events are held across Michigan each year to raise funds for MS research, services, and programs which enhance the lives of people with MS, and their families and friends.

Yes, I painted her face. Such a cutie, back in the day, she was Miss Muskegon/Ottawa! I've know her for nearly 10 years. She's also a Wheatland girl:)

This is my face painting partner, Angela. I had a lot of fun with her. We got together the Weds before to figure it all out and hang out at Leslie's while Les watch our the kids, 5 in all! The kids cant wait to do it again!

So I didn't want to be a freak and take pics of stranger's children, so I got mine and Mya's to pose for me. In case you're wondering, Grady refused to sit for me or Angela. little buggar. That's what you get with a two year old.

Chaley and Teagen liked the loud dance music blasting from the speakers. Chaley's got some sweet moves:)

Great day, wish it had been a bit warmer, could have actually had some really great beach traffic, but the weather is just being strange.

I enjoyed the face painting so much that I could totally see doing it more regularly. I researched paint and techniques and safety. Its creative and fun and the kids I dealt with were really really good! I think I could totally see myself working a kids b-day party. What a blast! In the meantime, I'll just paint my kids faces just for fun:)

you need these

2009-07-16T07:24:00.005-05:00

I have to share one of my birthday gifts. This is a really cool concept and I have been having fun filling it out. It is what it says it is, your life in list. The illustrations are so funny, it kills me. The first list for you to fill in is" list your past pets and their names. Surprisingly hard! We've had a lot of pets in 32 years!
***side note. This book is not meant for kids. They have a different book for that called My Listography. Which I think Summer needs.

We are journal addicts in this house(ok, well, the girls all are). Summer has more than I can count.

Now this one I've had for a while (2 years at least maybe 3)
Every page is a prompt to do something to the journal. Like "fill this page with stickers from fruit". Or even "bring this book in the shower with you." Someday soon I'll share mine. Its a huge mess and I love it. And like I said, I've been working on it for years, and there is still lots to do in it.

So does anyone else have these books? Click the links to send you to Amazon.

They are especially great for vacation and for sitting in the car waiting for practice to get out or whatever.

OK, we are off to the beach. I might go throw my journal in the lake!

Summer Lovin'

2009-07-15T09:52:00.009-05:00

It feels kinda like we do the same thing every day and every weekend(at least, its the only times I have a camera) beach, beach and a little more beach! if we are not there, then its boring stuff like cleaning house and catching up on Laundry.

These photos were taken at my Dad's when we were there for my birthday dinner.
My poor jeep is just full of sand. We just cannot get away from it. Might work on that today. What a mess.

Poor Summer gulped too much water and felt sick. She was back in the lake a couple minutes later.

Elephant Boy.

Using a boogie board as a skim board. She really really wants a skim board. I fear the broken bones.

Seconds after this pic was snapped, Grady(you can barely see him with Rachael) biffed it on the stairs and busted his lip. The poor kid has a permanent goose egg on his forehead. A bit clumsy.

Saturday I had to work, and Jason had a golf outing, so the kids went to Brandon and Laura's for two of their kids' birthday parties. I had to get a shot of the girls looking so cute!!

The spent the night with my MIL and we went there for dinner on Sunday to get the kids and visit for a bit.

Jason played a cutthroat game of Candyland with his girls where no one cried!!! A true miracle!

I am totally aware as to how horrible of a blogger I have been this summer. Part of it has been forgetting my camera. Part of it is not spending as much time on the computer or indoors period. But this is a priority to me, so I promise to be better♥

An Extra Special Ordinary Day

2009-07-10T12:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday my good people, was my birthday. The eternal spoiled brat that I am, I was determined to fully enjoy myself, even if Jay was working and I had to visit the DMV with 3 children to renew my license. I am the point where getting older isn't really fun and exciting, but isn't a day I dread either. I act like the kids and try to do some of my favorite stuff on my day. Like take the kids for coffee(choc milk for them) and meet up at the beach with a few of my besties!!! My kids are always scammin food...

Madison also snacking. She was so funny, the water is pretty cold but she kept on going back, and dragging her mama with her!

Shoveling in popcorn...

Some of Theresa's little people.

Teagen likes to say that she's "taking a tan".

Good luck with that.

Wild man. All our good suits are at my Dad's so Grady was without a rash guard. I made him swim in a shirt to keep a bit of sun off him. He looks delightful.

Hard at work building together.

This guy and his friends got me in trouble...

The kids had a bucket of popcorn and had it all over the place. Some lady came and basically asked me to control my children because the seagulls were going crazy for the popcorn and in her words, she "didn't feel like getting crapped on."

But about 90 seconds later,

She did.

I don't like to get scolded by strangers. It's dreadful.

Seagulls will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Back to the house for naptime and to see Jason. He was supposed to cook, but we ended up ordering The Station for takeout.

I got some amazing and super-fun gifts, and then it was back out again for an icecream sunset.(we stop at one of the 20 icecream shops within the mile and go to the lake to watch the sunset)

It was a fantastic day.

So, by the way, I am 32. still a young-un. Lots to learn. Lots to do.

Lovin' most of it.

I sure do feel like a lucky one.

♥

UP

2009-07-02T12:32:00.002-05:00

Saw this last Sunday with my girls.

I really loved it.

So did they.
Which surprised me because a lot was over their head. I will say that if you kids are under 6 or 7, wait for video. Not enough "funny" to keep them occupied. Oh and the 3D was not necessary. Save the few buck and just see it normal. At least that's my opinion.

Strange how these kid movies make adults think. And cry. (at that point grateful to be wearing the 3D glasses)

It is certainly one of my top 3 animated films.

1. Meet the Robinson's
2. UP
3. Wall-e

Can't wait for Toy Story 3 and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Make a Wish

2009-07-02T12:08:00.003-05:00

The excitement at Schultz house this morning.... This Limo showed up to take our neighbors(a family of 6!) on a dream vacation. Our next door neighbors that we share a driveway with are enjoying an all expense paid luxury dream trip to Disney World courtesy of Make a Wish. So excited for them!

They have a little girl, Torey, who is 3 days younger than Teagen. These days they are the best of friends. But a little while back, Torey started having some learning setbacks and upon investigation, it was discovered that she has a very large brain tumor. She is 4 years old. She spent months in the hospital. Her mother had to quit working to care for her. Her dad is off work for medical reasons. Her teenage brothers and sister all pitch in to keep things going. She is the princess of the house.

Its hard for Teagen to understand why we always have to be careful around Torey. She seems like any other 4 year old. But she needs to wear a helmet. She cant walk much. And in reality, she is quite fragile.

My kids adore her and entertain her through her window when she is unable to come out and play. Grady gives her hugs that scare me a bit that he's going to knock her down! But all three just think she's their best friend.

Wishing them a fabulous trip. And BIG thanks to programs like Make a Wish. What an incredible chance for families going through some of the toughest times I can imagine.

I like

2009-06-23T12:19:00.008-05:00

I like out-of-the-blue drives to the shore.

I like getting a glimpse as to how big our world is.

I like to try to jump over waves.

I like being the only ones there.

I like little kids in sunglasses.

I like sandy feet(and everything else!)

I like sunshine that comes and goes.

I like the smell of sunscreen, bonfires and BBQ.

I like birthday cakes made by kids covered with all their favorite candies.

I like spending time with family, talking into the wee hours about nothing and everything around a BIG fire.

I like little kids who do their best to stay awake with the adults. And then need their sleepy bodies carried to the car and then to their beds once home.

I like long summer days.

I like being able to escape into air conditioning when it gets to be too much.

I like sleeping with a fan blowing on me all night.

I like to see the storms roll in. But not so much when sitting on the pier with Jason, when after seeing a lightning strike, you hair begins to stand up on end from all the electricity in the air. Yikes.

I like spending a rare day alone with with Jason, wandering about.

I like that he's willing to try new things with me like Ahi Tuna. When I met this man, he charred the life out of everything he ate.

I like old friends that once back together again, its like no time has past.

I like gangley little girls who swim until their eyes get puffy and red.

I like my crazy fun-lovin Dad.

I like seeing my my extended family and never want days like that to end. They are far and too few between.

I like fun-filled, action packed, easy-going lovely summer weekends.

The 2009 Beard Saga, Part II

2009-06-18T10:39:00.007-05:00

I think this was worth the wait.

When viewing the following photos, keep in mind that he did this Saturday night. His family and coworkers have been staring and shaking their heads ever since. Its like he fell into a time warp that shot him here from 1975.

Kinda scary. Kinda funny.

Mostly funny.

But if that wasn't enough, I came home from my Dad's last night to this....

Poor Teagen was so disgusted at the sight of that shirt, she made him promise to sell it in a yard sale. (he did the sleeves himself with a steak knife. He'll be taking orders for anyone who's interested.)

Happy to report that this was the LAST photo ever taken of the Chops of '09.

He's moved on again.

to be continued...

The 2009 Beard Saga, Part I

2009-06-17T11:58:00.002-05:00

My friends know that Jason somehow stumbled into growing a beard over the course of the hockey season.
My friends know that I too am a hockey fan.
But not a beard fan.
The funny thing is, Jason has never been able to grow a beard. It's red and crazy and comes in really sparse, blah, blah, blah...I'll spare the details. He committed to it, and it grew.
But our Wings lost. So its goodbye to the beard.
Anyway, this is what he had as of Saturday...
I actually started to like it. He does look much older, and I am not sure that's good or bad. I just kinda got used to it.

But it doesn't look like this anymore.
Prepare yourselves, people.

To be continued....

It's getting warmer

2009-06-16T13:15:00.013-05:00

Here's one I bet you never heard before...
Wow, what a busy weekend!!!
Am I right?
no?
Well, anyway...Friday was crazy with hair appointments and friend fun, and dinner out with my Girls up in Shelby to celebrate Theresa's B-Day. Good stuff, but I was without camera, so just imagine too much fried food, insane giggling, a twisted knee, and 1 lemon drop too many.

Saturday I was up early to head to my inlaws where a yard sale was underway. We did alright. not much work for $80 and a lot less crap in my house.
After the sale, Jason arrived with the kids and we packed up and drove around to give them all a much needed nap.
And ended up at Dog and Suds for a $35 dinner.
Yeah, $35 at a hot dog joint.
There goes half the yard sale earnings. The only shot at the criminally expensive restaurant. My 3 monsters in a phone booth.

Then it was too my Dad's to help raise the dock that has been close to being underwater with all the rain.
My Teagen girl...

Mr. Reid.

Don't these guys look like cranberry farmers?

Especially Gary. Like he's doing an Ocean Spray commercial.

The boys.

No lie, they were discussing in a two-year-old manner the finer art of "who tooted?"

Reid admitted that it was him.
Then it was off on an adventure to help Grandpa let his friend's dog out.

Reid is running to catch up because he had taken a pit stop to pee in the lake.

I love Reid.

I am scared being the mama of a boy.

I just don't get it.

My sweet angel who NEVER does anything remotely disgusting.

He wants to climb on this boat.

A baby turtle we found. Grady picked it up. Until it poked its head and legs out and he totally freaked! I think Grady thought it was a rock.

Oh and I found millions of these guys.

When you get past staring at my freaky hand, look how tiny that thing is!

Here he is with a normal sized toad. my Dad was a bit concerned that the big one would eat the little one.

But it was all OK.

Oh and they swam. Weirdos. It was like 8:30 at night.

My Summer love....

And I leave with a shot of my Favorite Boys.

Awe, melts my heart.

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-06-14T15:39:00.000-05:00

Hopscotch Camis GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hey Hockey Fans!!

2009-06-12T08:23:00.003-05:00

Yep there is a little spirit in this house and the kids have caught it too!

I found these on the table.

Too freaking adorable.

Lets GO Red Wings!

(and finally good bye to Jason's red beard. Who would have thought this would go to game 7?)

The rain has been good for something...

2009-06-11T12:08:00.004-05:00

The flowers look incredible.

These are a perennial the Jason and I put in like 8 years ago. They are a type of geranium and spread like wildfire. Which is good since they are planted with the ivy that is probably 100 years old.

And speaking of our fabulous hearty ivy, I have to say that it was a tough winter and I was scared by what I saw this spring:

Lots of dead and bear stuff. A neighbor even commented on it! That ivy is a big part of our landscaping.

But even if it doesn't look perfect, it is coming back, and will eventually be fine. I wonder if we cut it back too far last year or pruned too late in the season. I really have no clue.

These planters immediately had me falling in love with this house on that rainy Saturday 10 years ago. Not that there was anything remarkable about what was in them. The only original plants still here are the ivy, lily of the valley in the back yard, and a sad little holly bush. We've done a lot, and it has mostly been Jason. I've been a bit busy with babies the past few years:)

baby Sunflowers making their way.

The Rhododendron that survived the 8 feet of snow. Her sister is in ICU. Prognosis is bad. I actually think these are kind ugly, aside from really nice BIG blooms. When they get big, they are all narley and weird.

my little hoser.

I have the urge to plant fresh herbs. Jason laughed at me when I told him. He's right, but I think I am still going to do it. If I can find a spot without sunflower already planted there.

One Lucky Mama

2009-06-10T19:27:00.003-05:00

So far every morning since school let out, THIS is what I wake up to: And that's at 9am, mind you.

(now before you start hating on me, I'll have you know that as soon as I make my appearance, its pure crazy havoc, with a million questions and "Mom! Look at this!". They could at least make me coffee;)

Good Bye Second Grade!

2009-06-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

Anyone else as ready as we are for Summer vacation?

I am good as long as I don't think about the fall and starting 3rd Grade.

Let the good times roll!

(it could stand to get a little bit warmer too, we want the beach)

A Picnic in the Park

2009-06-05T08:48:00.005-05:00

Summer's class picnic was Thursday. They were walking from the school to the park.
But I drove the little kids there so we had some time to play before the hoards of kids arrived.

You know how many times they were confused as twins? At least 3...

Teagen spotted this robin and decided she would get as close as she could to it.

She got closer than I had expected.

And then the kids arrived.

Lots and Lots of kids. They were so excited and CRAZY.

But it was really sweet. Summer instantly went to Grady and Teagen. With all her friends there, she still chose to play with her brother and sister. And a couple of her friends joined in and played like baby sitters.

Summer and her current "bestie". This is the girl that has instigated all the dragon lovin going on here.

The teachers just all stepped back and let the wildness happen. They brought some fun stuff like the bubbles and balls, hula hoops, hockey stuff and more, but it was very much a do whatever you feel like kinda day.

Summer's was so tired and her legs so sore when she got home. All that kid does is run.

Grady tries to run:)

I do love a smile that is just a reaction to extreme joy.

Its the best.

Snack break.

I was amazed at how many little boys showed interest in Grady. This guy gave him a Frisbee lesson(umm, thanks) and others showed him some basketball tricks. One boy in Summer's class even started calling him "Grady-Dog" (again, Thanks) and Grady called him Nate-Dog. Cute.

We left at lunch. Pizza was coming for the school kids and I didn't need my small people begging. They were so tired anyway. Plus, Summer will not let go of her "mother hen" tendencies unless Teagen and Grady are not around. She needs time to be a kid on her own with her friends.

But this look says it all.

Love her.

I love a good challenge

2009-06-02T14:01:00.004-05:00

Well, it at least motivates me to create:)
This sketch was provided by the Kenner Road Blog as a challenge last week. The DT there is amazing, so I played along too.

First this one of Summer Jaye:

And then this one of Grady that I did Friday night with Jodi. She was very productive. Me? Not so much...

I have a hard time not following sketches to a "T". They are meant to be a starting point, apparently this is the best I can do with that. Which is fine with me. Every time I do something creative, I learn a bit more.

Now today? I have an urge to do some reorganizing in the studio. Wish me luck...

The Great Sunflower Experiment of 2009

2009-06-01T10:09:00.005-05:00

I wish I could tell you how many seed have been planted. I would guess that there were at least 14 packets of different varieties. LOTS of sunflowers. The girls just love them. Jason has had a lot of fun with the girls and the prepping and planting of them all.
The only problem is the lack of SUN on our property. We have had a few grow nicely, but this was going to be a huge undertaking.

Last year we started them way too early and it was still to cold when it was time to plant. And sunflowers cannot grow in a container too well.

This year Jason did some research and hopefully our house will be surrounded with by golden blooms come August.

If all goes well, I am thinking people will come to Lakeside just to drive past the crazy sunflower house.

I will not hold my breath, nor does my street need that kind of traffic.

There are lots planted here...

A few smallish ones here...

and here...

And some big daddies here, our best sunny spot!

and a few more tiny ones here...

And as in the past, right after planting, the squirrel armies swarmed and dug half of em up. Off to the depot for repellent. Things look better now. I went and checked things this morning and there are tiny sprouts all over the place!

What did we plant? Well I still have a few packets laying around. I'll share...

What the..?

ACK!

Sheesh, I can't do anything around here without someone getting in the way!

Well, I tried.

Wish us luck!

Keeping busy

2009-06-01T09:55:00.003-05:00

With last week being a rainy loser of a week, Teagen was really into stretching her creative muscles. I was pretty occupied with getting some things together for a yard sale, so I set Tea up in my studio with some fun stuff... Fashion Plates! The barbie version. I loved fashion plates as a little girl.

I love that Teagen can hold a crayon properly at 4 years old. Especially without daycare or any schooling yet. Summer didn't catch onto that until she was 5. Teagen has amazing fine motor skills:)

It kept her busy for 2 hours while Grady napped and I gathered toys and baby stuff for the sale.

Love that kind of entertainment:)

I adore these kind of days...

2009-05-25T19:04:00.002-05:00

You the ones where there is something you want to and nothing you have to do. Yeah that was pretty much our entire weekend. I enjoy it, because much of our summer is not going to be that way.
Today, the parade down the street...
our favorite spot.
And my favorite for photos.

I always have to wear sunglasses to this parade because without fail my eyes water at the sight of the Vets and marching bands. I mean the Big Reds are some serious talent, and I never was much of a band girl. Considering the size of our community, it really is a nice parade and a great chance to catch up with neighbors after the horrendous winter.

Grady's second balloon. He had such a fit after the 1st one flew off, that some sweet lady crossed the street just to give him a new one.

And speaking of balloons, Teagen wouldn't take one either time it was offered to her. The thought of losing it was more than she could bear and just decided it wasn't worth it. This simple act really just sums Teagen up. A very cautious girl I've got here.

I find myself really wishing that school just ran from Labor Day to Memorial Day. It seems wrong that Summer has to go back tomorrow.

Just two more weeks, I supose we'll live:)

stuff and suggestions

2009-05-22T09:57:00.004-05:00

Its a bit of nothing today, which is exactly how I like it. Summer has a half day today, and this morning was "walk to school day". Our school received a grant for this, strangely enough. the buses and parent dropped all the kids off at a local park where they fed the entire school breakfast and all the teachers were there in these bright orange t-shirts to walk the kids down the boardwalk to school. Dang, I wish I could have walked past Lake Michigan on my way to school everyday! They even had police escorts(although I have no clue why, part of the grant, I am sure) Very cool and fun too.

Of course I had no camera.

Ah well.

Last soccer game is tomorrow. I am ready to not have schedules to follow. Even if soccer is very relaxed, its just one more thing. I like to keep things very relaxed for the summer. No need to be running all the time. If I wanted to do that, I would have a real job. Then at least all the running would bring some $$ in the house!

In other news..(paper related, sorry, I cannot help myself) If you are scrappy, you must have this.... If you ever scrap with me, you know I live by sketches and get a lot done when I have them. I draw page plans all the time. Waiting in the car at soccer, at the beach in the summer, sitting with the kids outside, yadda, yadda, yadda. sometimes I sketch a layout that I see somewhere, sometimes I completely copy someone elses sketch. Often it is just playing around and balancing out elements.

I have to tell you that I hated the idea of sketches or planning out my layouts in advance. I have always been a wing-it kind of girl in every aspect of life. Sketches are for organized people, not me. But when I tried it, my layouts really started to take on a style. My own style. I will never go back.

The idea book above is so full of ideas, I mean bursting! And while I did happen to win this copy, I would have bought it in an instant. Its worth every penny.

These were of course done with sketches. The first completely out of my head. The second modified from something I saw somewhere...

One more suggestion...a blog/website you must wander if you never have.

http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

This is a very popular site, you will see why. Ree is funny, lives a life like ours, but maybe a bit more interesting:) She does TONS of giveaways. Best recipes in the world. Her love story rivals any book I've read(Black Heels, read it!) and her photography and photoshop tips are amazing and for real people! I cannot say enough good things about this site. Best blogsite I have ever visited.

OK, I am outta here! Enjoy the Holiday weekend. I am promising myself to take lots of pictures:)

Thanks!

2009-05-21T08:59:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to thank everyone who sent Summer box tops for her class. They won the pizza party!!! She was so proud, and as you all know, that is priceless:)

There goes my girl

2009-05-18T08:55:00.006-05:00

Summer turned 8 years old. Wow.

She had to get a new bike. Her old one just looked silly, all knees and elbows. Hope this one last a few years.

And look how grown up she looks. Holy moley.

Ah, and the highly anticipated cake.

I managed a dragon after all...

Ignore the foil. I get a bit of tunnel vision when creating and forget some details...

Pretty cute, huh? It took me almost all day. And it was only for our little family of five. But it made Summer so so happy. She saw that morning that I had baked two 8 inch round cakes and could not figure out how that turned into this.

It wasn't easy.

But not that hard either.

Her very special gift from Daddy.

Its so neat to get gifts that are also a promise of time spent together. She is so excited to "escape" with Jason.

I admit to a bit of jealously.

And a couple things from her brother and sister.

The 1st real legos I have allowed in the house. I am almost certain that Grady wont eat them.

The day went as follows:

School where she brought Pretzel Hugs for the class. and the Spanish after school and we sent fruit roll ups as a special treat. Right home after class to open gifts and then out for dinner at Texas Road House with Grandma Cindy and Papa Rocky.

Where Summer sat on the saddle while everyone hollered for her.

She LOVED it.

Grady told Papa stories...

Teagen was extremely silly sitting by Grandma...

Summer and Daddy...

Peanut kisses...

And while birthdays are bitter-sweet, I certainly find them more sweet. I adore seeing these people grow. Yes, its happening fast. But I cannot change that. My job is to be sure that they enjoy THIS age, and learn and experience appropriately. I will fight hard to keep my girl acting as an 8 year old, and not allow the media or other parents and kids rush that.

I love that Summer plays hard, is not afraid to get dirty, and could care less about what someone is wearing or boyfriends. Its sad that she is one of the last girls in her class to still have these qualities.

So here's to being 8. What a great age. And its my favorite number:)

I love this girl with every ounce of my being. She is a spectacular person to grow up with!

OLW challenge layout

2009-05-15T11:21:00.005-05:00

The best way to get motivated on my scrapbooking is to visit great challenge blogs. One Little Word is a favorite. The word for this challenege is "TWO" in honor of their 2 year anniversary.

Here is my take...

Without that prompt, I never would have come up that title. And I love it!!

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-13T19:16:00.000-05:00

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!!

As always, beautiful!!!

Test Drive

2009-05-12T13:10:00.002-05:00

You may or may not have noticed(or care) that I randomly add songs here and there to this playlist. You see, I need to test out a song for several days before I commit and pay a whopping dollar for it on itunes. And I know that Jason listens at his desk at work, so I like to keep him on his toes. Even if he thinks its all emo anyways. Sorry babe, I refuse to add any RATT or Lita Ford.(I'm kidding, Jason has really good taste in music)

So am I crazy, but I think the current top song is in a commercial, but I cannot place it. Yes I know "Colors" is in a commercial, that is how I fell in love with it. But I am already a bit tired of it. Still love those lyrics.
Sometimes a song I sorta "discover" ends up in a commercial anyway. I will try to take that as a complement to my taste.
I think.

Does anyone know if "Ordinary Day" is a commercial?
I'll gag if its a Sears ad.

This, That, and the Other

2009-05-11T11:32:00.004-05:00

Have you done the Home Depot kids workshop day? It is the 1st Saturday of the month and they get to build a project. Jason and Teagen stumbled across it a couple weeks ago where she got to make this:

They have it assembled in kits and give the kids an apron and they receive a pin for ever project they complete. Jason mentioned in passing that he had another daughter at home and they gave him a second kit for her! So they have been working hard building and then painting their wheelbarrow to give me as Mothers Day gifts. They even all took off early Saturday morning to attend the flower planting workshop there so that we could have plants too! And Teagen's poor marigold has been through the wringer. It was dropped by the teacher at the home depot, last night the cat pulled it out of the dirt and we found it spilled all over the table, and then I dropped it before I took this photo! Poor thing!

Last week Summer had an artist reception here:

Its the Hackley building. She was so excited to have her work chosen and displayed. I was a proud mama.

Saturday we went to my cousin's wedding. kinda chilly, but short and sweet. good thing, since we brought the entire gang.

And mothers day.

What a great day really.

Even if my necklace is still not here(long story, for another post)

My family is very good at special days. My husband is super sweet and knows the little things mean a ton.

I woke and came upstairs to a surprise of littles and all their sweet pictures and cards. Summer made me a coupon book for chores that I know she takes very seriously.

And of course my lovely wheelbarrow and flowers.

We left and Jay got my coffee at the bagel shop and we went to the plant nursery. Then it was off to my dads where the guys were making brunch for the ladies!!

And tractor rides, of course.

The guys did great! My dad makes killer omelets, and Jason is the king of french toast.

Gary got there late, so he had clean up duty. Which was nice because it kept Cindy (mostly) out of the kitchen.

You may recall that Summer was actually born on Mothers Day 8 years ago! She got to celebrate a bit early when Aunt Rae brought her gifts.

American Girl stuff!!!

So cute! Its Julie's Barbie Head!

And do you see this skirt? Rachael MADE it. Holy crow it is so adorable.

We packed the gang up and went for a drive to get the kids asleep, and to house shop/dream. Then to Bob and Joan's to drop off some flowers, which turned into staying for a wonderful dinner and hiking around their property hunting for the golf balls that grandpa hits into the woods. They are worth a quarter!

Then home again where I realized that I left my purse at my dads and Jason had to go grocery shopping and the little ones needed baths.

We were exhausted.

Jason rubbed my back.

I didnt have to change a poopy diaper. Or deal with hissy fits.

I got all the love and the fun.

It was a wonderful day.

Mojo...

2009-05-06T16:45:00.004-05:00

With the kids, job, house and other responsibilities, creativity gets put on the back burner(is often sits next to exercise)

but like all things we want to fit into our lives, I have to prioritize. This art is important to me. Time has to be made for it. Its good for my well-being.
And that is good for for my family!

Last Friday Mya and I met at 101 for their 5-12 crop time. I got a lot done, and even came home and did this one(once the mojo is turned on, its hard to turn it back off)

This is made with my Pink Paislee winnings of a couple weeks ago:)

And these are all ones I finished at the crop...

Wait...I did this one at home too...

Love this one. I did buy most of the Basic Grey Lime Rickey line when at 101. Awesome, uber-colorful, and summer-y.

Now I just need to get some albums (11x8.5) to put these in! Thats what I get for scrapping such an odd size!

Breaking News

2009-05-06T12:19:00.003-05:00

He did it! I think we have some kind of potty dance going on here...

purely accidental. I was changing his clothes and left him nakey for a few when he peed a bit on the wood floor. Instantly he ran to the bathroom. I figured he was done, but NOPE. More in the potty! He normally won't even sit on the potty, and has never made a deposit of any sort;)

A future without diapers? I can barely imagine.

Finally he gets the dino that has been collecting dust sitting on top of my fridge!

A summer sneak peak

2009-05-06T09:33:00.008-05:00

Monday, Summer had a dentist appointment in the morning up in Whitehall.

Oh, shoot. I guess we'll have to spend the 70 degree day at my dad's.

I often have to remind myself that people pay BIG money to vacation places like this. We are so incredibly lucky.

My dad's dog, Callaway. She will not be dry again until November.

See what I mean?

The first times down at the lake are the best times for finding treasure.

Treasure hunting is Summer's favorite pastime.

Crazy animal.

Walking down to watch the carp roll.

The big, hideous, pale fish spawn this time every year year. They used to be all along the shoreline around the lake. Now they stay at one end where there is a bit more vegetation. Pretty fun to watch them.

Boat rides.

Crying when your turn is done.

Tractor rides.

More boat rides.

It should be no surprise that these two were completely soaked(swimming) by the time we made it back up to the house.

My Dad just got back from the World Show in Ocean City, MD where he swept the competition. My photo just doesn't do them justice, but they are simply stunning. I cannot recall exactly what his wins were, but know it included Best in Show, lots of 1st places for categories. I am so proud! They are just amazing! Hope to have more and better photos soon. we have plans for a photo shoot with them floating on the lake(part of the competition is that they actually have to float like a real duck!)

So what was going to be lunch at Papa's, turned into dinner with Grandma! When we finally left at 8pm on a school night, I found myself longing for summer vacation! Soon enough I guess.

Cannot wait for many more days like this one:)

My Soccer Girl

2009-04-26T18:22:00.002-05:00

Her Second game was Saturday at 9am. But we had to be there at 7:30ish for team pics.
Anyone else have crazy wind?? WOW.
So happy that Jason stayed behind with the little kids. It would have been whine city out there. I did something weird with the first games pictures and they wont load onto blogger. Which was actually fine because she was SO much more into the game this time around. She tends to hang back and let the other kids take the kicks, but Saturday she had some really great blocks, and even took the ball down the field a couple times:)

We lost, but in our defense, our team is 6 or sometimes 7 players(depends on if one kids decides to show) this was a full team we were up against! Our kids were so tired.

My best laughs were watching her on the sideline. Cheering and dancing, trying to stay warm.

I always think of her as being such a big girl(as compared to her sis and bro) but really she's still so small and young.

And sweet:)