Yeah Like I Have Time For This

Scrap Cards

2012-02-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

Scraps.
Not patterned paper scraps.
I'm talking cardstock.

No matter how often I use them I seem to aquire more & more & MoRe!! This time the pile was crazy! I try to keep nothing smaller than 3x3 (usually). I figure if I can get a punch out of it it's a keeper, which is probably part of my problem....

I keep all my scraps in an accordian file & sort them by color. Easy peasy. Nothing fancy.

I've noticed pennants or flags a lot lately. Whether it's on Pinterest or a scrappy magazine, pennants are everywhere! So I'm not entirely sure where I got this idea but the best part of it was using so much of my cardstock scraps.

I took out my white embossing powder, & a stamp & got to work. I used "Happy Birthday" since that's usually the sort of card I need. Depending on the size of the paper I'd stamp it as many times as I could fit Happy Birthday & still leave room to trim them at the ends. Then arrange them on a card & it's DONE! Super simple.

Since Joe's birthday was last weekend, I told the girls to pick a card to give to him & out of a stack of cards they both chose these cards. Since then, I've been mass producing these cards to have on hand....AND use up my scraps!! ;)

School Kits 4th Grade Miss M

2012-02-15T08:08:00.000-05:00

I am now officially done with both girls' school LO's!! WOOOO-HOOOOO!!

Well that is until June, but it'll just be for THIS school year! So YES, I can say that I am officially caught up on these Becky Higgins' CK School Kit of the Month LO's. I have been struggling towards the end of these since they do follow the same collage style, & I try to limit myself to using just the elements from the kits. Which I think is my problem. If I branch out using other embellies/stuff from my stash the ideas seem to flow better.

The lesson here?
Think outside the box.

These are the LO's for Marissa's 4th grade year.
I love using tools/things that have been hanging around my desk for awhile & revisiting them. See the black "Fourth Grade" border strip? That's the label maker thingy (sorry can't remember the name of it) that you punch each letter individually, the font is on a circle wheel that you turn to position to the right letter....you know what I'm talking about. ;)

This second LO took me a LONG time to get to because of the whole loss of mojo/holidays. The above LO was done in the Fall but I like to post the school years together so this is the LO that kept me from sharing.

The kicker is that it's nothing fancy, so honestly I don't know what took me so long to get done, but I'm glad it is.

I've been scrapping a lot but nothing that's orginal....lots of scrap lifting which helps the mojo flow. Lord knows my mojo has all but dried up. Have some ideas for various projects & hopefully once I get past this block I've been having I can get my groove on. Wish me luck! ;)

Love Ya!

2012-02-14T08:20:00.003-05:00

Sending love to everyone....and chocolate!

Happy Valentines Day!

12 on 12 February

2012-02-13T08:20:00.006-05:00

Still working on my 12 on 12 pictures from last night....which means I haven't even printed them yet. ;)

Here are my 12 pictures from yesterday. It was Joe's birthday, so I thought I'd have plenty of pictures to take but I seem to struggle with 12 pictures each time. Hmmmm.....

The girls respected the fact that it was Joe's birthday so they waited for me to get up to make pancakes. They're lucky I love them. ;)

Gianna loves her pancakes & makes it worthwhile when I see her eat AND ask for more.

Birthday boy spent the morning playing with some of his new toys. He's happy.

Gianna started working on getting her Valentine's ready for school. Love that she thinks ahead without much help from me.

Joe really scored for his birthday. He's a movie lover & has TONS of DVDs.

Got my haircut on Friday & I'm still happy with it.

My little helper, emptying the dishwasher.

Marissa needed a little more prodding to work on her Valentine's.

She wasn't feeling good so she wasn't happy with me taking pictures of her. HA!

The Birthday Boy & me. Love him!

After a nice dinner out (yep didn't take any pictures-I'm a SLACKER!), I got into some comfy clothes & took out my old Mickey slippers to warm up in. (It was a COLD night out!)

Watched the Grammy's eagerly waiting to see Adele perform. She was AMAZING!!! So happy she won!

And there are my 12 on 12 for February! I hope to scrap these before I fall too far behind. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday to My Man!

2012-02-12T07:40:00.010-05:00

Today is Joe's Birthday (in case the title didn't give it away). ;)

Can I express how much I love this guy? I don't think I could explain all the reasons, if I tried this might be the longest post in history. :)

So I'll just share a few reasons...

The sparkle in his eyes.
His ready smile.
His ability to make everything better once he walks through the door at the end of the day.
How he makes me laugh daily.
His tender side.
How romantic he his.
His tough side.
How much he adores our daughters.
His protectiveness of us.
When he lets the 5 yr old in him come out.
He's encouraging.
His honesty.
His intelligence.
His easygoingness.
His tolerance.
His ability to do 5th grade math, when it makes my head spin. ;)
His quiet strength.
He knows when I need my space.
He knows when I need comforting.
How he seems to read my mind.
His generosity.
His warmth.
How he'll warm up my side of the bed without asking.
His willingness to stop on his way home for things I forget to do. ;)
How much he loves me.

This LO is a favorite of mine. It shows him at his most relaxed. He's surrounded by his 3 girls & he's having fun .

Happy Birthday Joe!
You are the love of my life!!

February Randomness

2012-02-09T13:12:00.005-05:00

Time to play a little catch up.
February seems to be moving along whether I like it or not.

A friend of mine turned me on to working out with the Wii Just Dance 3 . It keeps track of your workouts & really makes you sweat! I like that I can mix it up with the treadmill so it's not a boring routine.

I've been doing a lot more decluttering. I try to take a few bags of "shtuff" to Goodwill each week. I like to think I can hear the house sighing in relief each time I make a trip. ;)

The mileage on my car seemed evil but I believe the dust is the truly evil one.

Got bored with the case for my phone & got something pretty from Old Navy for $10. Very random there.

Joe & I managed to go out for dinner alone. We would've liked to catch a movie too but Joe was beat & a nice dinner without the girls arguing was enough & much needed. Not the greatest pic but I'll take what I can get. ;)

We took the girls to see Big Miracle. I didn't realize I'd need tissues! Yes I'm a sucker...

I'm not much into sports, but if I had to choose I'd pick football. Every year I'll watch the Superbowl (mostly for the commercials) but this year I actually watched the game-due to the Giants playing. I'm not someone who jumps on the bandwagon either, I've always liked them--they're OUR HOME TEAM! And those last two minutes of the game were nerve racking!

I've also managed to squeeze in some scrappy time but I need to take pictures & never seem to remember until nighttime. :/ scrapper fail. Yes I realize I should do this now, but I'm blogging from my phone while stuck at work (Joe took my car to get new brakes--waiting for it to be done).

At Marissa's last dentist appt., the dentist noticed her bottom canine tooth wasn't growing in straight, but HORIZONTAL in her lower jaw. (see the tooth?).

He told us to take her to an orthodontist who confirmed that she will be needing oral surgery. Marissa is not a happy camper at all & I must admit to be freaked out by it all. I just try to hide it in front of her. ;(

We're not sure when she's having the surgery as we need to meet with the ortho some more, but apparently it's pretty common though most cases are in the upper jaw. The orthodontist did give her a fancy goodie bag that made her happy though. Can you say $CHA-CHING$$$$???

Oh and I finally got around to labeling the girls' baby photo albums I worked on back in August/September. Yes I am nothing but a procrastinator.

So that's been my month more or less. Joe's birthday is Sunday so I'm getting the house ready for family coming over to celebrate. Who wants cake??

January 365

2012-01-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my phone I've been doing my own daily pics.

I'm hoping to turn these into a mini-album or LO at the end of the year.
I'll play it by ear. ;)

It's a Wrap!

2012-01-26T21:50:00.020-05:00

Yeah so that's a corny post title but I can't be entertaining all the time. ;)

Back on our last trip to Disney I found this bracelet. I thought it was pretty & would add a nice pop of color to a basic outfit. Nearby I found one that was all white & picked that up too (you can see a peek of it in the corner there). What I loved about it was that you wrap the strands of beads around your wrist. It was just plain fun. (yes I realize how boring my life must sound like)

I loved the bracelets & wore them every chance I got (not like I really go anywhere, mind you). While showing them to my sister, Chet, one night, she was bouncing it like a slinky & the multi-colored one broke. Younger sisters never outgrow breaking your things. ;) I figured I could find something at Michael's to fix it & gathered up all the pieces.

At some point I found another, similar bracelet at Pier One. I wasn't sure about getting it since I had one in white, but I talked myself into it since it was pearls mixed with black. See how pretty?

Later on, I obviously fixed the multi-colored one, but then I started seeing the possibilities of what I could make too. Apparently, once you make one, you feel like you should make them in every color. The reason there are just four? Michael's selection of beads is just ok. ;)

Seriously, they are such a quick thing to make, that I made them during homework time. The girls & I sit at the kitchen table, they do homework, I make pretty things. It's a complete win-win situation.

For Christmas I made four of these black ones. Three as gifts & one for me. ;) I figured black goes with just about anything.

This week, the girls had a half day at school & asked to go to the mall. While going through Claire's, the girls were giggling over everything when I spotted this little jewelry organizer. When I picked it up I was debating using it for my bracelets or my growing collection of washi tapes. Once I got home the winner was easy & I like how pretty it looks.

It may not be scrappy, but it's been fun. A much needed creative release.

Thanks to Pinterest

2012-01-23T16:23:00.010-05:00

Since joining Pinterest, I have been addicted. As much as it is a time waster, there are some great ideas there too.

These are some of the things I've done.... (pics are not mine)....

When I came across this pin I didn't get it until I read the caption. It's a simple, yet brilliant idea. In January, you turn all your hangers backwards. Then in June if it hasn't been turned back it means you haven't worn it in 6 months & you donate it. To read the original idea go HERE, she explains it way better than I do.
Another quick & simple idea was THIS. My batteries are kept in the hallway closet upstairs with a few in our junk drawer. They get lose & jumbled, & I don't like it. When I saw this I recognized the container & knew I had one in the basement. It had some craft supplies in it that the girls don't play with. Those went in a bag & my batteries were stored neatly.

I have to be honest that not all ideas work. I saw THIS, & thought it was a great idea. However, I had wider magazine holders in my basement & they took extra room that were wider than the cans, so they didn't work. I wanted to love this but for me it just wasn't happening.

I have to admit to just having finished packing all our Christmas decorations officially as of yesterday, but during it I managed to do this (website HERE) with some of our ornaments..I usually get the 18 pack of eggs but for awhile I bought them by the dozen & washed the cartons before using them. There might be a few more things I've done thanks to Pinterest but that's all I can remember off the top of my head. ;) I have lots of other ideas that I want to try but haven't gotten around to them yet...probably because I'm busy stalking Pinterest!

12 on 12

2012-01-12T23:12:00.000-05:00

This year I have decided to do 12 on 12. It's my take on THIS class. I will take 12 pics on the twelfth of every month & scrap them. More than likely the LO's will have the same design but I'm ok with that since they will not be the same.

I will most likely take the pics with my iPhone but I'm not sticking to any rules. It's just about having fun.

These are my pics for January. I'll scrap them soon, and in case you're wondering, yes I'm still working on packing up the Christmas decorations. It's a LONG process & life gets in the way of it too. Oh well.

Annual January De-Cluttering & Other Ramblings

2012-01-06T21:34:00.004-05:00

Today is the first Friday of the new year. In honor of my tradition in our house, I've been de-cluttering. Also known as "Organizing".

My main objective is to tackle the chaos that is our guest room. It's the room we toss stuff in when we don't have another place for it. It also holds the clean laundry that needs to be put away. Please tell me everyone has a room like this!

Unfortunately, this room is starting to look like a room you'd see on "Hoarders". Don't ask me when our show will be aired because I don't know when exactly Hell is due to freeze over.

Obviously, we don't have a lot of house guests since the room has been allowed to go to crap. Mostly my younger sister Chet uses it when she's babysitting & we get home too late for her to drive home. Obviously, she hasn't babysat in a long time either. Still love her. Though I wouldn't say no to a night out. HINT HINT HINT!!! Oh, & in case you're wondering, I still haven't seen Breaking Dawn. Yes I know how much I love the Twilight books & would really, really like to see the movie BUT that would require a sitter.......

So back to the room...

When I go through the girls' closets to determine what they've outgrown, I deposit the clothes into the guest room until I can pack what I want to save since I'm a sentimental sucker, pass it on to a friend, or donate to goodwill.

This is an awfully slow process for me since I procrastinate. However a few weeks ago I packed up what I'd like to keep, leaving the other 2 piles for another day. That day came today.

I made a pile of clothes to pass onto my friend's little girl & the other stuff is set to go to Goodwill.

It feels good to see the furniture again.

Joe has also been talking about getting rid of the furniture & turning it into my scraproom. Does this sound familiar? That's because I've mentioned it before in THIS POST. Once again I have outgrown my scrap area in our Den. Would I like being upstairs? Yes & no. But I would like to be able to leave projects out when we have people over without having to clean it up since my scrap area is sorta open to people walking through the room. I think overall it would be a win-win situation.

So that's been my main objective today. Tomorrow my girlfriend (whom I haven't seen in awhile) & her kids are coming over. It'll be good to catch-up as the kids play.

Sunday will hopefully bring the official start of "De-Christmas-izing the house. Yes, I do have all my decorations still up. It's the same every year. I don't take any of it down until after New Year's. When I was a kid we didn't pack it up until after my older sister Marie's birthday on the 12th. While I don't wait till the twelfth to take it down it just seems like there's other projects that need more priority.

Another thing I've added to my plate is I started walking on the treadmill again. Yes I started last January & did good until about June. Life was just too busy & when I finally re-surfaced I didn't have the "oomph" anymore. This time I hope to be more motivated. Just last night we booked a trip to Disney (again) for Easter/Spring Break in April. At the end of April, Gianna will receive her First Holy Communion (OMG! I can't believe it! It's seems like Marissa just received hers.). So there is plenty of motivation for me to lose some weight. I'm setting my goal small so it's more obtainable, to lose 10lbs by April. More would be great but I don't want to give up hope.

So if you're wondering where I am for a few days, you might not have read this entire post & I probably don't blame you since I tend to ramble on, but next time I'll make the post "pretty" with something to look at. ;)

School Kits 1st Grade Miss G

2012-01-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

I've been playing "catch-up" a lot everywhere in my life lately. Whether it be emails, mail, laundry, cleaning, organizing, blogging, laundry, reading, scrapping, exercise, laundry....wait did I say laundry already? Just checking to see if you were paying attention. ;) Anyway you get the idea.

I'm behind in stuff.

However, these school LO's are **almost** done.
Yes, I said done.

Yes, I know soon I will have this years school pics to deal with.
Let me live in the glory of now. 'Kay??

As for Miss G, I am officially done with her school LO's. Say it with me....
WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!!

Marissa's will be done soon. I already have 1 LO done but I've been procrastinating about the second one. My mojo has just about dried up with these school LO's, but I'm getting there.

These LO's have been done & just sitting on my desk since sometime in October I believe. Why did it take that long to blog them? I was waiting to finish Marissa's LO's so I could take pics of them all at once. Yeah it sounds lame even when I write it.....

These are Gianna's 1st grade year.....the 1st LO.....

I really am coming up short on ideas without making these all look alike. I'm getting bored. But I'm hoping I can remedy that problem with THIS downloaded from Kerri Bradford's site for the Silhouette.

Since there's so much to journal, I just hand write it. Nothing fancy....

Kept them very similar since there were so many pics. I tucked a few extras in with the journaling pocket.
Hope to get my to do list down to a more manageable list, so that I can get my mojo going again & get these school kits done. Wish me luck!

One Little Word

2012-01-01T22:40:00.001-05:00

I've never participated in "One Little Word". Never had the word that felt right. Last night before heading to bed it came to me.

ACCEPTANCE.

Ringing In 2012

2011-12-31T18:33:00.019-05:00

No pun intended.
Really.

A few days before Christmas Eve, Joe was at the jewelers to buy the girls some earrings for Christmas. The jeweler mentioned to Joe that he still had the ring I had fallen in love with a few years back. So Joe texted me a pic of two rings. I being a women picked out the ring instantly without hesitation. He asks me if I want it & of course I said yes, BUT I also said that he didn't have to get it for me. Of course, if he wanted to who am I to say no?? LOL!

He comes home & hands me a gift bag. I told him to put it under the tree for Christmas & he said "No. This is NOT a Christmas present." We went back & forth a bit but then the woman in me gave in & opened it. It was as beautiful as I remembered it, but it didn't fit. It fit on my pinky.

Today we finally got some time to run down to the jewelers & he sized it for me.

I love it!! I consider it an Anniversary band, even though it's not our anniversary. Since there are 3 stones, I like to think that they represent Joe & the girls.

While we were waiting for the jeweler to size the ring I had plenty of time to look in the cases. I mentioned to Joe that I could give him a "shopping list" & pointed to a few things. He gets the jeweler to pull them out for me to try them on which I couldn't pass up.

What woman would pass up the chance to play??

However, Joe wasn't playing & had the jeweler polish my favorite piece for me to wear home.

I know how lucky I am to have such a generous & wonderful husband. He knows how much I appreciate the jewelry & he knows that I don't expect it either. He's just the type of guy that likes to treat me with something special for no reason.

So our New Year's Eve is off to a great start. We don't go out to celebrate, we stay home, let the girls stay up late, watch the ball drop & go to bed. Might sound boring to some people but to us it's nice & relaxing.

It's been a crazy hectic year. Some bad, some good, some fantastic. I'm ready to move into the new year. I'm ready to get back on the treadmill (I slacked off around June). I'm ready to shake loose of the fog that's been floating around me (a different post). Let's hope 2012 is wonderful for us all!

Wishing everyone a safe & healthy Happy New Year! Enjoy it!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T21:00:00.009-05:00

Christmas Morning the girls get up no matter how tired they are but know they aren't allowed to open presents until I get up...and they aren't allowed to wake me up either! It's sorta like waking a grizzly bear from hibernation....

They know that they must also let me take their pics in front of the tree. No ifs, ands, or buts. I try to keep it sort & sweet because there are goodies to be opened!!Marissa had circled a doll house in the Toys r Us catalog (along with other fun stuff), I asked her about it & she said how she really wanted one. Gianna had gotten one a few years back but doesn't always share, etc. I was a little skeptical since she's 10 & not little anymore so I talked to Joe about it he said "Go for it. Every little girl dreams of their own dollhouse", so I bought it. I didn't get a pic of her unwrapping it since it was too big to wrap, and I didn't get a pic of her face when she saw it for the first time either (mom fail) BUT she says it's her favorite gift! So worth it.
Gianna was happy with her gifts too. She's the more exuberant one & squeels with delight over every gift! Easy to please.

Marissa could easily get lost in a book & was excited to get this one in hardcover.
See what I mean? This girl is easy to please! ;) Both girls were really into "Monster High" dolls. I love that they're still into dolls! Yes they enjoy their electronics, but will easily play dolls too.

As for Joe & I we don't have pics of us opening presents. I had serious bedhead & had the same jammies as the girls. That's all you need to know! ;)

We got Joe some DVD's he's been wanting as well as an ipad 2. The man is so hard to shop for!! I know he likes playing with mine but know it would take him awhile to get one for himself so I went for it. He already loves it!

I got some assorted packs of page protectors from Becky Higgins' Project Life kit (not doing PL but I wanted the page protectors) & a few boxes of the grid journaling cards. The girls got me some GC to Michael's & itunes. Joe also bought me hoop earrings, a few DVD's and.........

a Silhouette Cameo!! I can not wait to play! Though I need to learn how to use it....

To top it all off Joe got me a MacBook Pro! I did not ask for it, in fact it intimidates me, but I hear it's very easy to use (BTW--I'm blogging from my trusty Dell laptop since I'm still learning how to use it/setting it up). Joe said he heard how it never gets virus' & since I may or may not have had some virus issues in the past few years he was sold! He really, really spoiled me this year. I know I am lucky to have a generous husband like him, he is truly one of a kind. He puts up with so much from me, especially the last few years (but that's a different post).

Of course with all the fun comes the cleaning up. We did it in stages starting with all the wrapping paper.

After the chaos, we all agreed it was time for breakfast!

Hoping everyone had a wonderful & Merry Christmas!

May Your Days Be Merry!

2011-12-25T07:21:00.001-05:00

Spectacular Holiday Typography Design Informer (clipped to polyvore.com)

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T23:50:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve around here is low-key. We try to keep it very simple so that we can enjoy it. I made a few yummy appetizers & had the rest of the meal catered. We serve it buffet style & eat till we're full.

Before the guys claim the living room to watch movies, we had the kids open presents from each family. However, before they are allowed to open anything, they must pose for a group pic. We like to prolong the torture. ;)

Afterwards the kids all divvy up the gifts & find a spot to open their goodies. Marissa with her pile....

Gianna with her pile....After we get these shots we let them at it! There's paper flying everywhere, lots of squeals of joy & happiness all around. It's great!

This year I tossed out the idea of getting an "everybody" pic. I never seem to remember that I have a tripod but this year I finally did & wrangled everyone into the shot. I refuse to mention how many pics we took before this one....it was the last pic & the best I was going to get.

Of course, then I "had" to get a "sister" pic, leading to more pic taking with the tripod. Once again many pics were taken, some great blackmail pics too! ;)

After everyone left I made my little family take a family pic. They were all tired but I was determined.
Afterwards the girls get their "Christmas Jammies" & leave milk, cookies & carrots for Santa & his reindeer, before heading off to bed. It was the most relaxed Christmas Eve yet! I should make a list of what we did so we remember for next year!!! ;)

School Holiday Parties

2011-12-22T22:55:00.010-05:00

This years school Holiday parties seemed to be on the more mellow side. Games were played but quieter games. I'm not complaining one bit & believe me Gianna's class may have been playing quieter games but her class is FAR from quiet! They started out with a relay game which was not quiet at all.She was concentrating hard. Afterward the class played Holiday Pictionary & they had their treats.Marissa's class party was the next day. The 5th graders played bingo, & a telephone style game & enjoyed their treats.

Nothing out of the ordinary, I guess, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything! Sorta sad that this was Marissa's last Holiday party....next year in Middle school they don't do parties....my baby's growing up. **sniff sniff**

Rock The Hula!

2011-12-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

Back in October, Gianna was at a friend's party when I snapped these pics. There was something about them that inspired me to scrap them right away. I don't think I've ever scrapped pics within days of taking them! I'm pretty happy with it too.

Then I got busy & never took pics so I could share. Day after day would go by & I would forget about them until too late. It was getting pretty bad, considering I had been a bad blogger, I had something to share but no pics.

I need to change that. New Year's resolution? We'll see. ;)

So finally here's a LO that I did back in October. (colors are better IRL)

Rossi Family 2011

2011-12-17T12:18:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

5th Grade Holiday Bazaar

2011-12-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

Marissa's 5th grade class held a "Holiday Bazaar" this year to raise money for local flood victims.

Each class had a chance to go & shop around for various items & the 5th graders "sold them". The parents were also able to go in & do a little shopping. They had so much to choose from too! They contacted a jeweler to come in & buy unwanted gold from the adults. Another booth sold purses, scarves & misc. The kids had baked goods, as well as handmade cards, ornaments & chocolates.

I went in during Marissa's selling time. Her & her friend Sienna were in charge of selling the chocolates & cards.

Their goal was to raise $2000.00. Know what?? Their class raised over $3000.00!! What a wonderful way to give back to the community! They were, & should be, so proud of themselves! I'm proud of them too, especially my little elf. ;)

Joy

2011-12-12T10:44:00.003-05:00

Ever stumble across something plain & immediately realize you could turn it into something pretty?

I came across this set of frames (got them in the Dollar Spot at Target a LONG time ago) in my basement as I was decorting for Christmas & brought it up to my desk. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

I took some older paper from Jillibean Soup, OLD jumbo letters from Making Memories & a few buttons. I simply put the paper in front of the glass, then adhered the letters to the paper. Of course, it needed a little something more so I used THIS diecut to make the little flowers, added some irridescent glitter to the edges & added the buttons.

The hardest part was finding a place to hang it. Wasn't thrilled with where I put it but I am happy that it's MADE & I can always find another spot next year! ;)

Christmas Cookies 2011

2011-12-11T22:54:00.006-05:00

Every year I make Christmas cookies. Lots & LOTS of cookies. I have some favorite recipes & usually try to stick to 5 or 6 varieties. This year I wanted to cut back on the quantity of cookies.
I think this year I'm going for an easier Christmas. You know, more time "enjoying" the season.

These are my "almost-famous-in-my-own-mind" Chocolate Chip cookies. I think if I narrowed it down to just one type of cookie this would be it. Everyone's favorite.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies. Joe loves these but I usually just make them a couple of times a year.

Walnut Tassies, or Walnut Tarts...whatever you call them, they are DELICIOUS!! They're a bit time consuming but so worth it. ;)

Another of Joe's favorite, Honey Sand Balls, or as I call them "Snowballs".

Usually every year I make red & green Spritz cookies. During one of my marathon pinning sessions on Pinterest, I found these cookies & thought that I could cut out my usual spritz cookies with these. However I doubled the recipe but rolled them as one so the cookies came out HUGE! As pretty as they are, the consensus was to bring back the Spritz next year. Pinterest-FAIL. Oh well.

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-09T22:06:00.007-05:00

One of our traditions we like to do in anticipation of Christmas is build a Gingerbread House.

We buy a kit from Michael's & whatever assorted candies we can find that are "perfect" for the house. One staple are the NECCO wafers for the roof. To us it just screams "GINGERBREAD HOUSE"!!

Since we don't eat the house we decided to put it together with a hot glue gun to speed up the process so we can get to the fun part--DECORATING!! We hot glued it together then used the frosting to cover up the glue.

This is when Joe takes over & does the roof.
He insists on shingling the roof.
By.Him.Self.
Thankyouverymuch.

We let Joe have his fun so that we can have ours. I help the girls with a few things here & there or "guide" them a little but this year it was all them.

Marissa took over the front of the house. She even built a patio/walkway in the front.Gianna did the back & the landscaping.
We decided afterwards that next year we'd have teams & we'd build two houses. We might even have a throw down with my sisters' & their families.

Can you say competitive?

Marissa's Holiday Concert

2011-12-08T22:16:00.000-05:00

Marissa is in Chorus at school. Tonight they were the pre-show that ties in with the 4th grade Holiday show. Since there are just three 5th graders in Chorus, they couldn't showcase them as just the 5th graders.

That would be awkward.

The group sang about 5 songs. They were terrific! My girl was especially adorable, if I do say so myself! ;) These 3 girls are the 5th graders, Marissa's on the left.

After they were done we left (we didn't stay for the 4th graders...shhhh!!), but Marissa was all smiles the rest of the night. Love her!!

Zonko's Back!

2011-12-06T17:52:00.003-05:00

Shortly after Thanksgiving, our Elf, Zonko, came back to visit. He's been all over the place!

The best part of his visits? The girls jump out of bed in the morning to find him! ;)

Annual Family Christmas Party

2011-12-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight was our annual family party with my side of the family.

We started planning it last year. Since there's so many of us, trying to come up with a date we can all get together is hard. It's good to plan early!

Everyone brings something to eat, then we hang out, catch up, & enjoy it all. This year it was at my sister, Marie's, house. The kids run around & play, the guys watch TV, the women get the food ready & talk. Lots of talking!

Since there are so many kids we do a Secret Santa for the kids only. The kids think this is the best part!
Getting a group pic of everyone is hard. As it was this pic only shows some of us. Three cousins couldn't make it this year. We had one cousin that left early due to a tired baby,so they missed the pics. We don't seem to get into camera mode until later on. The guys (with the exception of my Uncle), didn't want to get in the pic. The kids, well getting them to cooperate ('specially mine lately) is HARD.

We are 4 of out 8 cousins from 2 brothers. My sister Chet, my cousin Maria, my sister Marie & me.

It was a lot of fun & a great way to start the Christmas season! Next year's party is in the works & I'll be hosting. Can't wait!

Christmas Cheer

2011-11-29T23:38:00.001-05:00

I'm sure I've mentioned it once or twice before but I am addicted to Pinterest.

There, I said it.

I've come across some pretty printables that I put to use today. I've been hoarding these frames as well. Love how they look together.

If I get more time, there's a million more ideas that I want to try...but for today these make me happy.

Thankful

2011-11-24T07:40:00.012-05:00

Today I am Thankful.

Thanful for my husband.

Thankful for my girls.
Thankful for my family.
Thankful for my friends.

What are you Thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Album FREEBIE

2011-11-18T22:08:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the BEAUTIFUL Thanksgiving album that's a free downloadable over at Bella Blvd?

I am in love! I've always wanted to make an album like this but never had the time since I host every year. This year will be different since all the work is done for you! All you do is print & assemble.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Mine is all printed & I'll be assembling it this weekend. I think everyone will get a kick out of doing this! I'll share afterwards, pinky swear! ; )

Is it Friday yet??

2011-11-17T23:13:00.003-05:00

This week has been absolutely nutty & emotionally draining.

Joe left Monday for a trade show convention in Orlando, leaving me home with the girls. I never like being without him for long. That night I emailed him pics of Marissa's math homework to check since she's doing algebra & apparently I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader. ;)

Over the weekend, I had pulled out all the photo frames I had in mind for the future photo wall in my living room. I laid them out on my kitchen table & Joe approved! I needed to spray paint a few so I would spray them a little each day.

see them? I love how it's coming out & I have more frames to add. Crossing my fingers it will be ready for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday after the show he went to the The Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom. Lucky him! We haven't been there at Christmastime in years!

As happy as I was for him, I was melancholy due to it being the anniversary of my Dad's passing. I was sad & cried a lot that day.

Besides all the usual activities the girls have during the week, Wednesday was "class observation" in school. Parents get to visit the classroom at their appointed time & see the class in action. It's just for 15 mins or so but afterwards I had to go to work afterwards. It was a non stop day.

While on the computer that afternoon I got a virus on my computer, I believe after clicking on a link from Becky Higgins on Facebook. This is the second time it's happened to me. I think I need to stop following her & just get updates through Twitter. Annoying.

After the girls' homework, we made Joe chocolate chip cookies to surprise him when he got back today. Bedtime was a killer for me, since Gianna pushed me over the edge. Getting out of bed, messing around in their bathroom & running around, staying up late past 10:30. I flipped. After dealing with her, I went into our Den where I found a huge mess of theirs & ended up tossing EVERYTHING into garbage bags. (Filled 4 bags). Then I proceeded to email Joe pics of the room before & after, waiting for his call.

I basically had a breakdown when he called. I cried more. I ranted & raved at him, venting my frusteration over the phone. Missing his shoulder to cry on. I was drained. I was too wound up to sleep but I was physically & emotionally exhausted.

This morning, I told the girls in order to avoid having their stuff tossed in the garbage, they must clean the den as well as their bedrooms & put all their things away. I explained that they are old enough to help me around here & can not expect me to do it all for them. I'm done.

After taking them to school, I had a long overdue hair appt. I was in need of a haircut badly. I was trying a new salon that someone recommended to me. Upon finding the salon, I had my doubts about the place but chalked it up to still being in a bad mood from last night so I walked in. I should have turned & walked out but stuck it out since it was recommended. The lady who cut my hair was an older lady & seemed to know what she was doing BUT I told her to keep the length & just clean it up a bit. She went shorter than I wanted & didn't style it well but at this time I was fighting the urge to jump out of the chair screaming to stop. I don't think she gave me a bad cut but it wasn't what I wanted. I came home, washed my hair & re-styled it. It was ok but not as long as it was. I will never again ignore my gut instinct. Lesson learned.

The girls have half days at school both today & tomorrow due to parent teacher conferences, so by the time I was done with my hair it was time to pick them up.

During this time, Joe was flying home so he can come with me to the girls' conferences. I could not wait for him to get home, I missed him SO much!

After feeding the girls lunch, I remembered that I was scheduled for a repair man to come fix my mini fridge, & I vacuumed & mopped the kitchen floor really quick.

Awhile after getting done Joe was home! The girls & I raced to the door to greet him. It was so good to have him home!! He was happily surprised with the cookies too! Shortly after the repair guy came & was here until 4-ish. (thankfully fixing the fridge)

I fed the girls dinner at 5:30. My sister, Chet was coming over to watch the girls so we could go to the conferences at 6pm.

Meeting with the teachers, both girls got good report cards. The only downside is Gianna has to learn to control herself & not fidget so much. The girl has ants in her pants!! She can't sit still to save her life!! It drives me nuts & I apologized to her teacher. It's something we definitely need to work on. Other than that we are very happy with their grades.

We then took advantage of our sitter & went to a diner for dinner, just the two of us. It was great to talk to him about everything in person.

Now I am typing this on my iPhone while On hold with "Dell" as they fix the virus on my computer.

Calgon? Are you there? I am DONE! Take me away!!!

Missing My Dad

2011-11-15T20:11:00.004-05:00

17 years ago today my Dad passed away from lung cancer.

He is thought about constantly.
He is talked about often.
He is missed terribly.

He is loved forever.

My Dad, Mom, Aunt, Uncle (back row from left-right), me & my older sister Marie.

Owl Tags

2011-11-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

While scrolling Pinterest, I found the CuTesT printable Owl Christmas gift tags. I don't think I have to tell you how fast I printed these out right?
To print them visit Kelly Medina's Blog.

They are ADORABLE!

You're welcome!

11-11-11

2011-11-10T19:43:00.036-05:00

Since today's date happens to be 11-11-11 I decided I might as well blog.

This week I realized it was Novemeber, (no wise cracks, thankyouverymuch) & that I had to kick it into gear & do some Christmas shopping. This month is a busy one with everyone's schedules & the girls have a number of days off from school for one thing or another so I'm limited in the days that I can shop without them around.

If you have "Instagram" & follow me, you might have noticed my constant posting. I have been a little obsessed you might say. Not sure when it became an "obsession" but when we went to Florida in August I took so many pics with my iphone & "Instagrammed" them. I printed those pics & hope to make them into a mini album. (Yes I realize I never posted any vacation pics...still interested?)

I am happy to announce that as of late last night, Joe finished painting the family room. After staying up very, very late cleaning the room & replacing the couches, I can share some pics.

Family Room BEFORE:

and Family Room AFTER:

This wall had a few pics on it but nothing eye catching for the size wall it is.

I've been scouring Pinterest for a nice collage of frames & have gotten ideas. Today I scored a nice assortment of frames in all different sizes to add to this. It might take awhile since I need to decide on which pics for which frames & then arrange them nicely....I have until Thanksgiving. Wish me luck!!

Blogging Rut?

2011-11-05T09:38:00.002-04:00

While scouring Pinterest today,getting my daily fix, I came across this... And realized it happens to all of us, so I thought I'd share.
You can check out the blog HERE.

You're welcome.

October at a Glance

2011-11-01T23:28:00.004-04:00

Took a picture every day this month. Some are more random than others but it's the everyday.

Halloween 2011...

2011-10-31T22:34:00.001-04:00

Can't believe it's Halloween....especially with snow on the ground! We are still without power, hot water, & heat. The kids actually had no school today & tomorrow is a delayed opening with a possibilty of changing to no school. :(

Will blog more soon!

Happy Halloween!!

October Snowstorm

2011-10-29T19:47:00.003-04:00

The weather forecasters were talking about us getting hit with a "Nor'Easter" today. Our area was supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow.....yes I said snow. In OCTOBER!!

Guess they were right.

Keeping this short since I'm blogging from my ipad while on the couch that's in my kitchen (we're painting the family room), oh and did I mention the power went out???

I'm dreaming of a white Halloween...

Girlie Cards

2011-10-27T22:26:00.000-04:00

Awhile ago when I made THIS birthday calendar, I ended up with some scraps that I hated to toss out. I kept them until one day I realized I could use them for some mini cards. I also wanted to play with this stamp that I've had for awhile.

Nothing super fancy, but they'll do in a pinch. I colored them in with pencils, haven't done that in a long time either. I haven't given into Copic markers, only because I don't stamp a lot. Which is very strange considering how many stamps I own. Go figure.

The colors look better IRL. I think it was overcast when I was taking these pics. The pink & green in the paper is actually very pretty.

This is probably my favorite. Might be because of the purple & green combo, or the stickles, not really sure why. ;)

I made a few more cards without the girls, simply because my coloring wasn't coming out nice so I just stamped a quick "Happy Birthday" on them & called it done! And no, I'm not sharing those.... ;) LOL!

Painting

2011-10-24T09:23:00.010-04:00

We've been in the process of re-painting the house. I'm not going to tell you how long ago this started **whispers** 4 years, but it's just recently begun.

Makes sense right?

Four years ago, Joe had me pick out colors for most of the rooms in the house. I think, I wasn't into it at the moment, because I kept the colors pretty close to things now. Basically, I didn't have Pinterest back then. ;) Once I picked out the colors, he went out & bought the paint.

Then things got crazy, busy for Joe at work so things got sidetracked & he never got around to any painting. So when he told me the kitchen & family room would be painted before the holidays, I only half believed him. I mean it's been 10 years since we (Joe) have painted. Ten years. For the most part it didn't bother me, but eventually, of course, it started to. Hey I'm human! Until he ordered the Little Giant Ladder.

See, we have crazy high ceilings in the kitchen/eat in area, plus our master bathroom, not to mention the stairs. In order to paint these areas it would require scaffolding & he didn't have it. Shocking with all the tools the man has, but I can't talk with all the scrappy supplies I horde. ;)

When he told me he ordered the ladder, he was like a kid on Christmas! He couldn't wait for it to get here, so he could paint. Yes you read that correctly. The man likes to paint. He says it relaxes him & that's why he won't hire painters.

Him=painting
Me=craftiness
Whatever.

When the ladder came in, he had to open it up to it's full potential to "show me how it works" (play), but sure enough that weekend he started to paint. It had to be done in sections, since it's a lot of work, cutting in, so he did the eat in area ceiling first.

Now, did you happen to pick up the fact that I picked out these paint colors FOUR YEARS AGO? Well, I have to say, my tastes have changed, in some areas more than others. The color I picked for the kitchen walls was nice. However, if I were choosing now, I'd have picked a slightly darker color. We have "Sand Dollar" (2nd from the top) but now I'd have chosen "Sands of Time" (4th from the top).

Joe painted a swatch of paint onto the wall for me, and I literally watched paint dry.
It was okay, then as it dried it was better. You could definately see the difference between the old & new colors.Of course he loved it. As much as I would love it a darker shade, I have to say the fact that we already HAD the paint, won me over more. Sorta, but I couldn't see letting it go to waste. I didn't tell him that & busted his chops about the color, but I made him swear to paint again in 5 years & not drag it out to 10 years like this time. ;)

The next day he did the walls. It does looks nicer & cleaner. I'm already looking forward to when he does the family room next. I've got plans for those walls....the problem is trying to decide. ;)

Pumpkin Picking 2011

2011-10-22T22:02:00.014-04:00

Late today we took the girls to a nearby farm to pick pumpkins. We've been going there every year since Marissa was born.

I was worried since we went so late in the day that I wouldn't get any good pics, but I managed. I think the girls found their pumpkins in less than 10 mins. Must be a new record!

They are, like most siblings I'm sure, not fond of taking pics together. In fact, Gianna gave me a tough time about it, which isn't like her, but they managed to suck it up for me & let me have my fun.

The smiles are so much different when they take individual pics.

As much as they would have loved to have brought this huge pumpkin home with us, it stayed at the farm. We have no use for it, don't even like pumpkin pie.Every year they need to see "How tall, this Fall?". I can't believe Marissa is almost 5'. She'll be taller than me in no time.

I almost forgot to get Joe & I into the pics until we saw this pumpkin.

Thankfully Marissa can take a decent pic of Joe & I, or I wouldn't have gotten this.
I can't believe how fast October has gone by. Next week is Halloween!

Quick Cards vs.3

2011-10-20T08:03:00.010-04:00

Once again I was playing with my scraps. I guess you can say I'm on a mission to use them up. I'm pretty sure this idea came from Susan Opel, on Facebook. (Sorry couldn't find a link)

The idea is simple. Take various pieces of pattern paper, in assorted colors that go well together. Cut them in various size strips & adhere. Add some sort of embellie & sentiment & you're DONE!

For me the bonus was using up some embellies that were just sitting in my stash. The colors look so much better IRL. It was a cruddy day when I took these pics & I had trouble with the glare. :(

I modified the balloon on this embellie with a punched circle to cover the original balloon color & added a button.

I do have a few more cards (& LO's) that I've done, & will be posting. Eventually I'd like to tackle my cardstock scraps & found an idea on Pinterest that I'm going to try! YAY for Pinterest!!

Birthday Calendar

2011-10-19T07:53:00.007-04:00

Awhile ago I saw THIS post from the girls at eighteen25. I knew I had to make one because I am terrible about birthdays. At least, I am lately. I downloaded the pre-made month pages & as I seem to do lately, I forgot about them.

Story of my life.

Then back in June I think, I came across them & decided to get the pattern paper on it. I used some super old papers...I can not say enough how happy it makes me when I use up some OLD stash!Of course, nothing more came from it. I needed a clipboard & never thought about it when I was out. Eventually I did find one & much, much later I finally, FINALLY got around to blogging it.

So if your birthday is coming up, & you happen to be on my list, you just might get a card in the mail from me....just sayin'! ;)

Quick Cards vs.2

2011-10-18T09:12:00.002-04:00

The other week while watching TV, I felt the urge to multi-task. Since I was on a card kick, after making THESE, I pulled out my pattern paper scraps again. I decided to keep it simple since I didn't feel like carrying a lot of supplies with me to the family room where I was watching TV. I grabbed 1 punch, adhesive & cards.

I went through my scraps & punched out as many circles as I could out of each paper. Then I laid out a rainbow of circles & stuck them on.

Nothing fancy.

I really purged a lot of papers doing this. So, of course, I ended up making a bunch of cards! The next day I stamped on the "Happy Birthday" & called them done!

Now that my pattern paper scraps are in order, I have to tackle my cardstock scraps....should be interesting!

Quick Cards vs.1

2011-10-14T07:59:00.001-04:00

Back in September, I was in need of some birthday cards when I realized I was very low. We were actually on our way to a party when I noticed. Since I was waiting on Joe (shocking-it hardly ever happens), I sat down & made a few of these cards really quick. I remember seeing something by Susan Opel on Facebook, I think, about using scraps....not exactly sure but I think I've seen something like this before & gave it a try.

Since I was more in need of a card for a guy I went with these colors. I used a variety of circle punches & the plainer papers I used an embossing folder to give it some "oomph". I just randomly stuck down the circles until it looked ok to me. Then I stamped the corner & called it done.Since it was so easy to make I made a few more with the same colors.Later when I had some time, I then made more. I found these colors in my scrap stash & punched these. Did everything the same...Including making a few extra....Once again I was on a roll & pulled these paper scraps as well...I also switched it up a little using a different stamp...I'm crazy like that. ;) LOL!!

Seriously, these were so quick to make that it was sad to not make more. The best part was it used up a bunch of patterned paper SCRAPS hanging in my stash waiting to be used (that I probably wouldn't have used otherwise--let's be honest). It was a win-win all around!

Somethin' Witchy

2011-10-13T08:42:00.001-04:00

Awhile back during one of my almost weekly trips to Michael's, I found a paper mache' witch hat. Inspired, I tossed it on my cart. While walking around I found a black boa & some other Halloween-ish items. I knew how this was going to turn out, I had the vision in my head & everything.

Then I came home & left the bag on my counter.
For awhile.

Eventually, I opened the bag to see what was inside & realized I needed to get a move on.
I asked Joe if he could get me some black spray paint on one of his many trips to Home Depot.
Then I got busy & forgot about it...again.

One night Joe brought home the requested spray paint, now I knew I had no excuse for not getting it done in time for Halloween!

I sprayed it, giving it 2 coats. After letting it dry completely, I went to work on it.

I kept it very, very simple.

I wrapped the boa around the center, using hot glue. Then I attached the pumpkin/leaves, which was conveniently one piece. All I had to do was adjust the stem. After gluing that down, I glued on the owl & my masterpiece was done!!
Like I said very simple!

Apple Picking 2011

2011-10-09T20:56:00.011-04:00

Today we took the girls out Apple Picking. We started doing this a few years ago & it's now a tradition.
We go to an apple orchard about 45mins. away. Once there, you can smell the apples! We hike up to the Red Delicious apple trees since those are everyones favorites. Unfortunately, while trying to get this shot there were bees buzzing near the sign & this was as close as the girls would get!
I try to explain what to look for in an apple before taking it from the tree but it doesn't always work with Gianna. She'll choose anything she can get her hands on! She didn't do too bad, but she seems to usually grab the smaller apples.Marissa understands (listens better) & comes away with a better harvest. She goes about it like a pro & goes on talking about baking pies. My future chef!

In no time, we have more than enough apples. Literally, we were done in no time at all!! It took longer to get there than to pick the apples! Oh well, we all enjoyed ourselves & that's what matters.

Before checking out, we headed to the refreshment stand for some cider & doughnuts. The doughnuts were freshly made & still hot...YUMMY!!
As we drove home, we stopped to eat at Fuddrucker's....seems to be another tradition. It was nice to get home, not worry about dinner. I'd say the day was great!

Just Read: Outlander

2011-10-08T23:07:00.000-04:00

Awhile back someone suggested this book to me. I had a few other books to read before I tackled this one...especially since it's 850 pages!!

It tells a story about a woman that travels back in time leaving her husband in one time & finding a DIFFERENT husband in the new time she travels to. It's set in Scotland back in the days of clans & war. I've got to admit that it took me awhile to get into but a few chapters in (once she travels back in time) I was hooked. Apparently, there are about 6 more books in this series...already got the next one downloaded & started!

Streaked

2011-10-07T20:43:00.000-04:00

The girls have been talking for some time about getting colored hair extensions. Marissa's had a blue streak in her hair before & I told her next time she could get 2. Gianna, well she was a bit young so we had told her she had to wait awhile.

Talk about getting extensions flared up again after the girls got their Halloween costumes. Marissa wanted red to match her costume & Gianna wanted purple to match hers. After talking it over with Joe we decided Gianna could get one after all, but only one.

The girls were thrilled with the results & the best part was the smiles on their faces & the big "Thank Yous" we got. Now they are ready to get their treat on!

Decided

2011-10-03T20:36:00.000-04:00

Yes it's early to be thinking about Halloween...unless you're a kid. The girls begged me to take them to look for costumes & when we got the chance we did. They decided pretty quickly too, though I had to talk Gianna our of her costume of choice since I didn't think Joe would like to see his baby girl as Lady Gaga.

So it was settled on Marissa being Red Riding Hood & Gianna as a witch. I can't keep that hat away from Gianna either....she wears it every chance she gets! Doing homework, setting the table, watching TV, you name it she wears it!

Both girls are excited about their costumes, I'm excited that they can wear layers easily underneath to keep warm. That's the mother in me. Can't help it. ;)

Bella Blvd Mid Release Stickers

2011-10-03T19:20:00.003-04:00

Here are the newest stickers from Bella Blvd. So perfect for cards as well as a LO. I really like how they match the Sophisticates line!

Go see all the new mid-releases from Bella Blvd HERE.

Bella Blvd Mid Release #2

2011-10-03T19:17:00.002-04:00

Here's another crazy CUTE new release from Bella Blvd, it's called:

This makes me want to rush through the cold months straight into Spring!! Love it!

To see the rest of this collection check it out HERE!

Bella Blvd Mid Season Release #1

2011-10-03T19:10:00.003-04:00

Have you seen the 3 new releases from Bella Blvd? The first one is called:

It's too stinking CUTE!! Love love LOVE the snowmen!!

To see the full collection check it out HERE....but remember to leave some for me!! ;)

September at a Glance

2011-09-30T22:54:00.001-04:00

I downloaded this app in August & gave it a try while we were at Disney, but since I didn't start at the beginning of the month I never shared it. This month I manged to take a pic everyday of the everyday. It's got a spot for a little journaling as well--gotta love that. If I managed to do this for a year I could totally see this as a mini album....something to think about. ;)

Upset

2011-09-30T11:46:00.004-04:00

It's been a rough, crazy September around here. We've had plans for every weekend since coming back from vacation & it was crazy but we made it through, you know why? Because it was all good stuff (mostly).

The bad stuff had nothing to do with the weekends, really. The bad stuff has been going on with my kids.

Yes they bicker & fight with each other. I'm used to that, though it makes me nuts. That's not the bad stuff. Oh no. The bad stuff is that this has nothing to do with them at home. The bad stuff is that my kids are getting bullied at school.

It's happened to both my kids but not at the same time. Though recently I'm having more trouble with one more than the other. I won't go into details, but I will say that as a Mother, I am hurt, I am devastated, and extrememly ANGRY.

I have taken measures as any parent would, but unfortuanetly it doesn't seem to be isolated with just 1 kid. This is not acceptable, especially that it's happening so early in the school year. I don't want my daughter to end up not wanting to go to school because of this.

I don't run from things, usually I react....LOUDLY. However I can't do that since it involves my kids & they will suffer for it...meaning I'd like to tell off the parents of the kids that are making my daughter's life a misery, but have to be diplomatic about the situation. Besides, I would be stooping to their level. Two wrongs don't make a right, you know?

I've told Joe that I want to move, preferrably to a desserted island, but I know you can't run from your problems, nor can I isolate my kids. I just don't want them hurt from kids that are just plain MEAN that they thought were their friends.

Just needed to vent.

Four Words Can Change Your Life

2011-09-28T22:20:00.002-04:00

Fourteen years ago today, while on vacation at Disney World, the greatest guy I know, changed my world forever just by asking....

"Will you marry me?"

I'd still say yes.

The flowers he sent me today for our anniversary, because he's that kind of guy.

It's sometimes hard to believe 14 years have gone by so fast. He means so much more to me than I can put into words....but I can say that I just love him!

Just Read: The Septimus Heap Series Books 1-6

2011-09-27T23:07:00.003-04:00

Awhile back someone suggested this book series to me or rather to Marissa for reading. I had nothing better to read so I started the series.

It's a kids collection for sure but not bad. It does NOT hold a candle to Harry Potter by far. It's not even comparable. The only similarity is magic.

Being the type of person that I am, once I read one I had to download the next book to see what happened. Like I said, it's a kids collection and I'll read almost anything. Apparently there's a seventh book in the works....

Book #1 Book #2

Book #3

Book #4 Book#5 Book #6

Fall Cleaning

2011-09-22T17:25:00.003-04:00

I don't know what's come over me, but lately I have had the overwhelming need to de-clutter my house. Of course since I am the ultimate procrastinator, I tend to put things off since they might take too long, though when I finally come around to it, I find it doesn't take long at all.

Story of my life.

So, of course, I have a gazillion things to do on my to do list & I need a bunch done before Saturday.

Why? Oh, because I'm having a "fence party".

"What's a "fence party"?" You ask?

Technically it started out as a get together with some friends...back in July, but we had to keep re-scheduling the date due to various reasons. We ended up changing locations too & now it's at my house. Since we got our new fence installed at the end of the summer I was so excited about it I kept telling Joe we were having a "fence party" to celebrate my annoying neighbors not being able to spy on our house.

Yes they really did spy on the inside my house & were stupid enough to tell us they did!!

So back to my reality....I am in the midst of de-cluttering my house. I swear it's groaning from all the crap that we have around here. When I say crap I mean kids toys & old clothes. Well some clothes aren't old exactly but they sure don't fit so they are getting kicked to the curb so to speak. The girls' school is having a clothing drive that raises money for the school & of course as my luck would have it, it's on Saturday. So I am going around cleaning, purging, & tearing out my hair.

Be back next week with something crafty!

Just Read: A Discovery of Witches

2011-09-15T08:20:00.000-04:00

I've had this book on my ipad for awhile just waiting for me to read it. I don't remember exactly why I downloaded it. Possibly due to the high ratings it got? Not sure. So I finally read it.

It's about witches.
And vampires.
And demons.

The vampires aren't sparkly at all.

It's mostly about a witch that refuses to use her powers. Ummmm, if I were a witch (ok a REAL witch) I'd definately use any powers I had! Like making sure the light that's always red when I take the girls to school in the morning stays green long enough for me to get through...just saying. ;)

It took me a while to get into it. Not saying that it's bad but it didn't hook me in until 3/4 into it. Supposedly there's a sequel....

What are you reading?

Dressed Myself

2011-09-12T17:01:00.000-04:00

Finally sharing another LO that was just about done before we left for vacation. This started out so easy & I had ideas of how it was going to look but between getting packed for our trip & everyday stuff I didn't get to finish. Then when I had the time the mojo was lost & it took me awhile to finish. Can't win. **sigh**

I swear the colors look better IRL. I was trying to match the colors from her dress & the flower pp from Pebbles matched well.
Something I really need to use more of on my LO's are brads & ribbons. Nevermind all the little embellies I have stashed. I could easily not buy any new product for a year & not run out of supplies, not counting cardstock & adhesive....well the cardstock is debatable.... ;)

Used my cricut for the title & cut it twice in 2 colors & layered them to make them stand out more. The little scallop underneath the pics are the scraps left over from the border punch I used on the side & thought it looked good.

Like I said I have a ton of embellies. That bling-y "G" is old, so are the heart & "beautiful" saying. Had 'em forever!

I love when I get to use my stash. Makes me think that I should de-connect from the computer & just scrap, instead of trying to follow the trends.

Not that it's going to happen.
I'm just sayin'!

Back to School 2011

2011-09-09T20:09:00.002-04:00

Wednesday was the girls' first day of school.

They were excited about going back...so was I!

My only disappointment was the chilly, rainy day. I didn't think I'd be able to take our annual pics. Luckily before we left for school the rain slowed down to a slight drizzle & I had the girls stand in front of the house for the annual pics. Marissa is now in 5th grade & was so excited to get the teacher she wanted. It's also her last year in this school before going to middle school....I hope the year goes nice & slow...I don't want to even think about her in middle school!! I don't know what happened to Marissa's hair but I swear this is not how she wears her hair.Gianna is now in second grade. Hard to believe my baby is growing up. Unfortunately I didn't get the annual pic in front of the school because of the rain, but that's ok....I guess. :( I did quickly snap these pics of the girls before going into the gym to line up. Figured it was better than nothing.

They both had a great first day. Marissa loves her class & sits across from her best friend in class. Gianna doesn't like school but knows she has to make the best of it. I think it's just the classwork/homework she doesn't like but she just lumps it all together.

It rained all day that day AND night. The next morning at 5:45am we got a phone call from school telling us school was closed due to area flooding & the highway being closed. Areas of our town got hit bad by Hurricane Irene but luckily our street was fine. So this second flood in such a short period of time was hard for our town to take. I was a little shocked that we already had a school closure but if you saw all the rain we got hit with you'd understand. Today the school's had a 2 hour delayed opening. The girls were actually upset that they missed school yesterday & were happy to go today. Go figure.

I have a busy weekend ahead with a wedding tomorrow & a birthday party for my neice & nephew on Sunday. I hope to find some time soon to post pics from our trip. I swear they are not all Disney! Shocking I know!!

Garden Girl

2011-09-05T08:07:00.001-04:00

Back with another LO that I didn't have time to share before our trip. And no it has nothing to do with the "garden girls" over at 2Peas. ;)

This LO came together pretty quick. The pics have been sitting in my "to-scrap" pile for awhile. When I was looking to break away from the school LO's I came across these & went to it.

The pics aren't the best. I kept waiting for some good lighting but finally just went ahead & took these. The papers are old but look prettier IRL. I've been trying to be better about using older product, I mean, I liked it enough to buy it right? And for some reason I have the hardest time matching green cardstock to my LO's, and red, and blue....maybe it's me. ;)

I wasn't sure how I wanted to lay out my title but I finally cut out these semi circles & "pretend stitched" around the edges. Why pretend stitch? Because I don't own a sewing machine....wouldn't know how to thread one if I owned one. Need to fix that.
I ruffled the ribbons to add some interest.
I hope you are enjoying Labor Day, whatever you're doing. We are handling some last minute errands before school starts on Wed. Keeping it very low key since Joe has been handling the mess at his shop from the flood. He got about 18" of water inside his building & it's ruined lots of games & equipment, nevermind papers & such. Lots of trash, & we are supposed to get more rain towards the end of the week. He is taking it pretty well since there's not much we can do about it, but clean up. Luckily, our house didn't get any water damage but other parts of our town did. Just thankful it wasn't worse.

Now to get the girls haircuts & some new sneakers!

Things To-Do and a WINNER

2011-09-03T13:08:00.010-04:00

Sorry I didn't get to post the winner of my blog-o-versary giveaway yesterday. I've been running around with errands that took too much time yesterday. ANY-WHOO...

The winner is #4 Sutty!! Please Peamail me your address HERE & I'll get your box of goodies out to you.
(I used the random search website but have no skillz when it comes to taking a picture of the computer screen-sorry)

Thanks to everyone that left a comment...I really appreciate the feedback!!

Now for something scrappy.

Obviously this LO was from last month. Most of the things have been done with just a few that have moved onto my new list. I was in a sherbert-y sort of mood when I made this so these are the colors I chose.

ETA: I have to mention that this LO is something I've been lifting from the great LAURA VEGAS. I just make a new one every once in awhile & forget that it might be taken as my original idea--IT IS NOT.

I like making these sort of LO's once in awhile. It's interesting to see how many things were on my plate at the time, but if you saw my list now, your head might spin!!

4 Years of Blogging

2011-08-31T08:26:00.007-04:00

Just got back from vacation at Disney. Have a lot to share--lots of pics of course, but that's a whole other post! ;)

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that it's been 4 years since I started blogging. I never thought I'd blog as much as I have (yes I know that doesn't include recently!!). I know, I've lost the blogging mojo, but some days I feel like it all gets said between Facebook or Twitter or there's just not much to say. Then there are days that I could talk for hours. Just depends on my mood, I guess.

All in all, I appreciate everyone that stops by to visit. Whether it's the loyal or the casual--I appreciate your interest in my life.

Sometimes I wonder if I should call it quits & close up the blog. I think, "No one out there cares about my life. They don't know me." But then I didn't start this blog for the comments, I started it for me as an outlet about my life. There are lots of blogs I read about people I don't know that I now know so much about them & consider them friends. And sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself (and I do that quite a lot), but for those out there that actually stop to read--THANK YOU!!

In honor of my "blog-o-versary", I have a box of scrappy supplies that need a new home. Some stuff I've been purging that I've outgrown & needs a new home.

So if you're interested, leave a comment telling me something about yourself.

Anything.

It could be the book you're currently reading, the awesome new app on your phone, what you like to search for on Pinterest, your favorite scrap tool, what kind of posts you like to see here.

You'll think of something.

I'll pick a random number & post it on Friday after settling back into regular life. ;)

Counting the Days...

2011-08-18T14:37:00.005-04:00

We are at the point around here that I'm ready for school to start.

I'm looking forward to having a schedule again, but NOT looking forward to the homework battles.

Looking forward to running errands by myself & having them not take up so much time by herding the kids in & out of the car.

Looking forward to peace & quiet for a nice part of the day.

So I'm counting down the days. It's 20 days from today before the girls start school.

Pray my sanity holds out that long.

Thinking of my Dad

2011-08-15T22:54:00.002-04:00

Today would have been my Dad's 72nd birthday.

He's been gone for the last 17 years but never forgotten.

This pic might be from before my younger sisters were born I'm not sure. It was my sister Marie & I goofing around with my Dad. I'm wearing the awesome plaid ensemble that blends well with the couch. When I mock my Mom for the clothing styles she dressed us in back then she tells me "At least they were clean!!"

At the time, we had no fashion sense, but we were loved. My Dad spoiled us rotten whenever he could. We were his princesses, whether there were 2 of us or later on his 4 girls...we were adored by our Dad. To say we were devastated when he died from lung cancer is an understatement.

No matter how long it's been since he's gone, he is not forgotten.

Happy Birthday in Heaven Daddy.
Miss & Love you.

Blast from the Past!

2011-08-09T13:49:00.002-04:00

This week we are having a new fence installed around our yard. Since I have to be around I decided to take the girls' old baby photo albums & convert them into pocket photo pages. Did Gianna's yesterday & converted 6 albums into 2. So much better!!

Today I am working on Marissa's 7 albums (no idea why I'm working backward!) & I came across this. It just may be my very first attempt at Scrapbooking.

OMG right?? I've come a long way since then...

School Kits Kindergarten Miss G

2011-08-01T12:19:00.004-04:00

I have had these laying on my desk for too long & finally made a point to take pics so I have something to blog. ;) When I get these done the last thing I do is the journaling. Since I handwrite it, I procrastinate about it.

Now I only have to work on THIS school year & I'll be done until next summer!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel & I'm excited about it!

Gianna's Kindergarten year was the same year that Marissa was in 3rd grade & I must have volunteered a lot that year in both classes (or they had a lot more going on) because I had to make three LO's for this year just like Marissa's. I tried to limit the number of pics but part of the problem was they were already printed & since I hate to waste prints, I went with it.

LAYOUT#1

Once again the banners find their way on the LO's....

I try to use as much of the kit that I can without using it all & then have nothing to last for future LO's. (got that??) The border stickers that come in the kit I use in small amounts. Wish there were more of those in the kits than just 2 sheets. On the other hand, the photo corners & fasteners I have plenty of & use as much as I want--they were plentiful in the kit.

LAYOUT#2
This LO was obviously made when I was lacking creativity. Looks like I just slapped the pics down & call it a day, but since it's done, I'm not stressing over it.
I knew I was going to use the banner stamps on the journaling card but it looked sorta plain (still does) so I added that little owl.

The second page I use more of the border sticker that came in the kit plus a border punch.

LAYOUT#3
I think I redeemed myself with this LO & made it pop more. I think when I limit myself to "just" the kit the ideas freeze.

I can't seem to make a LO with a border punch involved. A few select ones never leave my desk.I tried using more of the alphas instead of just the numbers on the MM Tiny Type stickers. It's not even funny how many sheets I'm messing with just for numbers. Now I just need to print off Gianna's 1st grade & Marissa's 4th grade years & scrap those, then I'll be caught up!! YAY!! My goal is to get them done before vacation. Wish me luck!

School Kits Pre-School 4 Miss G

2011-07-31T22:02:00.007-04:00

This summer seems to have been dedicated to scrapping the girls' school pics. I'm tired of them, but I'm **this close** to being all caught up before school starts in Sept. So that's my goal..we'll see what happens. ;)

Here's Gianna's second year of pre-school. Again I tried to stick mostly to the school kit (& the QK dies). I also seem to have an addiction to banners. I've been using THIS stamp set from Maya Road. So perfect & fun for these LO's, I think. I keep it simple by just stamping onto different papers or cardstock, then cutting them out. Easy.

I can't tell you how many packages of those MM tiny type numbers I've been using for these LO's. Everytime I go to Michaels I add a few packages to my basket. I go through SO many "1's" that I finally printed my own to "match". I think I need to print a sheet of "3's" next....

This is the second LO for the year. I used THIS cricut cart for the apple. So cute, right?

I seem to have a hard time coming up with filling in the "blank" spots without making them all look the same. I don't think she was learning math in pre-k but it fit & looked good enough for me.

So the pre-school days are done. I feel confident that I can get caught up to date. Wish me luck!! ;)

Sassy Swinger

2011-07-29T17:59:00.000-04:00

In case it's gone un-noticed, I've been taking a lot of pics lately with my iphone.

These pics were totally un-planned, which is why I love them. Gianna & I were just hanging outside while she was on the swings & I started playing with the Photobooth app on my phone.

Being the stinker she is, she started being all sassy. I got pics of her dirty little feet, & blurred shots but truth be told...this IS Gianna! (Except the dirty feet, not true all the time. HA!)
I used Echo Park for this & the colors are so much better IRL. The title letters are Doodlebug. Very simple LO, but the moment is captured & scrapped. Happiness. ;)

Stopping By

2011-07-26T17:58:00.002-04:00

Frame made with Frametastic App

Just stopping in to show that I haven't abandoned the blog. I've been on summer hours, which means being lazy! ;)

I've got some LO's to share but need to take pics of--which I hope to do today.

Meanwhile I'm dreaming of vacation.
Can you guess where???

Summertime

2011-07-12T18:38:00.002-04:00

The girls are all about going in their little pool & splashing around.

Made with the Frametastic app on the iphone.

Today while they splashed I worked on going through my old scrapping magazines. I'm behind from 2008, but I'll get caught up!

Now to make the requested lasagna for dinner!

Today I Love

2011-07-10T23:54:00.002-04:00

Today I Love...

How Joe came to my rescue to kill a creepy, black spider. (EEWW)
How Joe did my weekly paperwork for me.
Watching the girls during their swim lessons.
How many cute pics of the girls I got with my iphone today.
Finishing a LO that I only just started. (a record for me)
My iphone.
The relaxing time we spent outside.
The sunkissed look I got from hanging outside.
The super easy dinner I made (pulled pork sandwiches)

What do you love??

Bowling Party

2011-07-09T22:06:00.008-04:00

Today was Gianna's birthday party with her friends from school. She wanted a bowling party like Marissa's had in the past. I love these kind of parties since they are simple & easy.

Gianna could not wait for her party, even though she had already celebrated on her actual birthday & then again with family. This is like the never-ending birthday!!

Here is Miss Happy Go Lucky with my neice Nikki. I took a pic of Gianna with each of her friends, now I just need to scrap them!! ;)

Everyone had a great time, but I must say for 7 yr olds, they are so competive!! They were all checking out their scores constantly!

There was a minor hiccup where Gianna, while reaching for a ball, got her hand stuck between the ball & the machine. She was crying, I was panicked & couldn't figure out how to get her hand out, while another mother there was trying to help. Luckily, Joe was there & he stayed calm through it all & realized if he pushed the ball back into the machine, Gianna's hand would be free. PHEW!!! He is my hero!!

Luckily, her hand was not damaged, just red & a sore. Unfortunately, I am not good in emergencies & my reaction time is horrible. Needless to say, Gianna was embarrassed by the whole situation & needed some time to herself before re-joining the party.

The party would not be complete without cake & the birthday girl was happy once again!

Make a wish my sweetheart!

Apparently, her wish came true with all the presents she got! She was happy with all the new toys & goodies from her friends. Now her birthday is officially over!!!

Our 4th

2011-07-05T22:07:00.001-04:00

Our 4th of July was pretty mellow. We skipped going to the parade we usually go to. Instead we had my sister & her family over for some BBQ. It was pretty relaxing. So relaxing in fact that I didn't take a lot of pics!!

Got these of the girls hanging out on the swings after dinner...

My nephew Tyler thoroughly enjoys his ice cream. He's a chocolate freak...just like Gianna, must be why they get a long.

My neice Nikki, chilling out after having her ice pop.

After hanging out enjoying the backyard, the guys were in "movie mode" & went to figure out what movie to watch. My sister & I requested something we could ALL watch & we narrowed it down to "You Again". What a funny movie!! We all enjoyed it--even the kids!

Part of the plan was to have my neice & nephew sleep over. The kids always talk about "sleeping over" so it was the perfect weekend for it.

The next morning Joe stayed home a little later to make the kids breakfast. Not only did the guy make the kids waffles & pancakes, but the guy also made "bacon pancakes"! He is a real gem, knowing how I'm not a morning person & I was up late the night before.

Knowing the kids would need to be "entertained" I had planned some painting activities. I set them up outside & let them have fun.

Of course being a scrapbooker I needed something to commerate the day, so I had them do "handprints". Gianna chose green to stand out against the bright yellow.Marissa went with a multi-colored print.Tyler opted for red.

While Nikki went with the opposite of Gianna.They painted a little while longer with a few swing breaks but it soon got too hot & they all took refuge inside.

They watched a little TV & had lunch. Then played play-doh...but not until I got a group shot. They look so wound up it's not even funny!! LOL! I took this (& lots more)with my iphone so I could email them to my sister at work.

They had so much fun together! We definately need to do this more!

School Kits Pre-School 3 Miss G

2011-06-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

As burned out as I feel about these school LO's I am determined to get them done & in the albums. This is just the start of Gianna's school years, but with all the ones I've done for Marissa, I'm starting to feel the need to put these aside. Problem is I know if I do I won't go back, so I'm pushing through it, taking my time so I don't feel blah about them. Got that?

This is Gianna when she was 3 in her 1st year of Pre-School. She was so tiny!! I can't get over that she's now going to start SECOND grade in the Fall!!

As always there are 2 LO's for each school year.....

I've been modifying the library pockets that come with the kit a little, but I like that I'm using a lot of the kit. There are a few pieces that never seem to "gel" for me when I try to use them but for the most part the kit is being put to good use. And of course, my QuicKutz dies have been put to good use. The A B C letters are the Diesel Alpha dies. Great set! I get such a good feeling when I put my stash to good use! ;)

Little Nest Update

2011-06-28T23:09:00.011-04:00

While getting ready for Gianna's family party I happened to take a peek at the nest (which I do when the mama bird is away.)

I spotted a hatchling!! But squealed like a girl in a horror movie since it looked gooey & gross. Bleh!

Since we were having company over & didn't want my F-I-L disturbing the nest, we covered the window on the door. By the time everyone left the baby bird must've had time to fluff it's downy feathers because this is what I found. Awwww!!!

The next day I spotted another baby bird! But the first birdie didn't look so good...not sure if it survived or not.

Later that day a 3rd little bird hatched, and the 1st bird was gone. Not sure what the mama bird did with it. She took it away somewhere, because it wasn't outside the nest, neither was the eggshell. She's a tidy mama bird.

The next day all 3 birdies were gone as were their eggshells. Just 1 egg remained, but no sign of mama bird. I have a funny feeling she ditched the nest & abandoned the egg. I wonder if she & her mate built a 2nd nest for the hatchlings. Now I've got to deal with the nest. :(

Favorite Things LO

2011-06-27T13:24:00.001-04:00

I like making lists.
I like to read about people & what they're into.

So when I saw THIS LO on Laura's blog I got right to it & made this.

I think it's great to have something of ME in our albums that my kids can always look back on & learn or remember things about me.

I kept to the basic design but I flipped it & went with rectangles instead of circles, simply because I don't have any luck with my circle cutter.

I have been really bad lately about using my stash, so I chose some OLD KI Memories papers for this. It's not even funny how much paper I have....the need to purge is building up steam. ;)

FYI--I have several posts in limbo that I need to add pics to before I post them so I will be randomly be adding them over the course of the day. I'm not trying to confuse anyone, just playing catch up. In case you need something to read.... ;)

Gianna's Family Party with LOTS of Cake!!

2011-06-25T23:26:00.012-04:00

We had family over today to celebrate Gianna's birthday.

Gianna requested chocolate cake...and sunflowers. So I made this.

I didn't like my sunflowers at all. When I asked Joe for his opinion I got an "it's ok" from him. So I did what any other {insane} mother would do.....

I made another cake!! This time I used vanilla cake, that's how I rationalized it, one chocolate & one vanilla. I free-handed the flower & like it much better. Like I said {{INSANE}}, but I didn't want Gianna to think she was getting an "ok" cake when her sister got a "love it" cake. Yes I know I'm nuts. Turns out Gianna loved them BOTH! But my wish of having a girl happy with her cake was fulfilled.

Gianna is always a ham & not just for the camera. She loves attention...can you tell??? She was telling everyone she was "77"....the knucklehead, and yes my nephew Tyler & her are like partners-in-crime. Currently they're both 7, until Sept. anyway.
See what I mean? Knuckleheads. Love 'em! As long as she's happy, I'm happy...and she looks pretty happy to me!

This is the sort of thing that makes me happy....Love my family!Then of course, it's present time!! Gianna went & built herself a little nest, or throne to open presents on. She just cracks me up.

She got all the things that make a 7 year old girl happy. Play-do, Barbie's, clothes for her American Girl Doll, a Scooter. Yep, happy!
Next is her party with her friends from school & I'll be partied OUT!

Yes this is the never-ending party....

School's OUT & a Birthday Re-Cap

2011-06-24T15:43:00.012-04:00

Yesterday was not only Gianna's birthday but it was also the last day of school.
YAY!!
Summer is HERE!

The girls' & I are all so over school already.
The getting up & out the door craziness in the morning.
The homework.
Just done with it all!

So we were all very happy for the last day.

The only downfall was the rain that came down as the kids were getting out. (It's been pretty rainy lately!) Here's Marissa all smiles as she hurries to get cover under my umbrella.

Gianna strutted out all smiles in the shades she got from her teacher.

They had swim class later on & I gave them the option of skipping it so they could take it easy, but they were firm in their wanting to go. That's the great thing about swim class--they LOVE it!! In other activities they've done, they usually don't want to go by the end but swim class is a whole different story!

Marissa's class is first (each class is just 30 mins). She's currently in Level 4 & already passed to move up to Level 5 for the next swim session (every 6 weeks). That's her with her arm in the air.

Then it's Gianna's turn (she' in Level 1 & 2), she's had a phobia of the water for a long time, but she's come a long way from when she first started in March.

When the teacher found out it was her birthday, he takes her out to the middle of the pool so she's facing the other kids & they start to sing "Happy Birthday", but they made it extra fun by splashing her in between every line of the song! To avoid it she stuck her head in the water--too funny! (I videoed it but can't seem to get it to work on here-sorry)

After swimming, the girls showered up & Joe came home early so we could go out to dinner. Birthday Girl chose to eat at Fuddrucker's. Then we came home for cake & presents. (We kept it simple with a quick cupcake)

Me & my girl...

Birthday girl loved her American Girl doll! She has a few "knock-offs", but has always wanted one that looked just like her. She named it "Sophia".

It was a great way to start off the Summer!

My Baby is SEVEN!!

2011-06-23T07:42:00.027-04:00

A year in pics of my baby.
Whose turning SEVEN today.

I mean wasn't she just in diapers??

This is the day she turned 6. She was just finishing Kindergarten. I was sad to see "5" go.

This pic just captures the true Gianna. She never stands still & is always moving around.
A few years ago she had a mishap in a pool & would never go in beyond the steps unless someone was holding her. This year she got brave & would float around in swimmies & a noodle.

Posing for me after dinner at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Hotel at Disney. We love to pass the time in the grand lobby now & then.

Wanting to experience Typhoon Lagoon like a big girl, she wore that life jacket around without complaint. Funny to see her wearing it while playing in the sand.My little princess all dolled up, with a rockin hair do. First day of First Grade.
Marissa took this pic with her camera & it's fun to see how willingly Gianna posed for her. Love the toothless grin!

My little pumpkin.

The supermodel all glammed up for the school Halloween parade.

She looks so stylish.

Another perfect shot of Gianna's personality. She's a bit of a comedian & likes the attention.

She'll pose for me with a little extra flair.

She just makes the most out of every moment.

The snow princess. Doesn't take much to make her content.

My little cookie, helping her Girl Scout troop sell cookies. Isn't she yummy??

Once again getting a make-over on another Disney trip. She loves playing dress-up how ever she can.

She's a joy to be around & I miss her when she's not with me. She's simply a great kid, and she's mine!

Happy 7th Birthday Gianna!

I love you!!

Just Read: From This Moment On

2011-06-22T10:52:00.000-04:00

First off I want to say how much I love Shania Twain's music.

Next I want to say, stick to what you know best.

I've read a few auto-biographies & usually find them very interesting, especially when it's about someone I like. So I really thought this book was going to be much more intersting than it was. It was written in her own words & she jumped around a lot, & adding things that just weren't needed to the story. I had a hard time reading this & wanted very much to just stop, but I'm no quitter. I pushed through it & now I'm warning others. ;)

In my opinion, find something better to read, or just listen to her music.

Little Nest part 2

2011-06-20T10:46:00.003-04:00

Remember THIS post from last year?

Well nothing ever hatched. I was bummed, but it was partly my fault. You see, I told my father-in-law about the nest & in his nosy-ness, he TOUCHED the eggs & nest. I told him he wasn't supposed to touch it but he was all: "it's fine".

Hmmmph.

My F-I-L is a "master breeder" of pigeons.
Don't laugh.
I'm dead serious.

However he is NOT apparently a "master breeder" of sparrows, or whatever the bird was that built the nest.

So when I spotted another nest this year I was so excited!
And I made the girls pinkie swear, that this was a top secret & to NOT tell Grandpa or they wouldn't see the birds hatch. They agreed.

What's more exciting that the Mama Bird is always sitting on the eggs. See her there in the top diamond on the door? I was in my kitchen taking this so I wouldn't disturb her & zoomed in as close as I could. (it was nightime when I took this pic) But she flew off anyway. So I took the opportunity to take pics of her eggs from inside the door. There are 4 eggs & 1 of them is heavily spotted.

I find myself avoiding the hallway by that front door so I won't scare the mama bird off. Yes, I tiptoe through my house to not disturb a bird. I know how wacky that sounds. ;) I just really want her to stay with her nest & not abandon them again.

This is another shot of the eggs the next day.

Any guesses on what kind of bird they are?

Stay tuned.....

Father's Day

2011-06-19T08:13:00.001-04:00

Did you ever look at a guy & think "He'd make a great dad?" Not everyone would be a great dad, but Joe is one of the great ones.

He goes above & beyond for his little girls. He's the type of guy that will make both pancakes AND waffles if the girls want both on the weekends. He stays home a little later than he should to get them up & going & get their breakfasts ready during the week.When he comes home at night,whether it's before or after dinner, he'll check math homework. No matter how tired or hungry he is.
He's the sort of guy that will give piggyback rides even after a long, hot day of walking the parks while on vacation. He'll also go on rides over & over to make his girls happy.

If the girls are in danger of getting in trouble for not finishing their dinner, he'll "help" them out by eating it for them when I'm distracted. (oh the stories I could tell!!)

He is their knight in shining armor. There's a saying that goes....

"A girl's first love is her Daddy."

So true.

Happy Father's Day Joe!!

Hope all the Dads out there enjoy their day!

From Daisies to Brownies

2011-06-17T22:45:00.013-04:00

Yes this is my second post of the day...

Went from Hiking to Bridging.

Gianna's Daisy Girl Scouts bridged over to become "Brownies". It was planned to take place at a local park that has a bridge but thanks to the downpour that happened after school it was held at the house of one of the leaders.

The girls came out & read some Girl Scout laws.
Then they went around into the foyer & back out this door to symbolize the "bridging".

Then a different Brownie troop "crossed" them over to become "Brownies".

They are now "Officially Brownies" & will get new vests next year.

Guess now I should really catch up & sew on the patches she's gotten recently....

4th Grade Field Trip

2011-06-17T22:06:00.017-04:00

Marissa's 4th grade class went on their field trip today. It was to some "Ecology Center". I signed up to chaperone, since I like to be with them when I can.

Little did I know that we would be hiking.

I think the teachers purposly "forgot" to mention this part, in fear that parents wouldn't volunteer.

I don't hike, but yet I find myself to have hiked twice in one month.

How is that??

When we get there our tour guide tells us we'll be hiking to a stream. (Marissa's in the green jacket)

We passed this pretty little spot. Shortly after we rounded a bend & there was a oddly dressed lady sitting on the ground meditating or something. Strange.

Still not to the stream......and we're headed UPHILL.

We finally get to the stream & the guide tells the kids to pair up & scoop the stream for micro-organisims. Soon we hear the kids yelling about their "discoveries". I stayed at a safe distance....especially once the boys started collecting worms. bleh!

When they were done, the guide told the kids about their finds. Then a different tour guide took on on the "real" hike.

Great. Can't wait.....to go home.

We set off on a pretty decent pace, but soon enough me & the other moms were far behind. They stopped for a short water break & we met back up with them, but once we started again we ate their dust. In our defense, we were making sure we didn't step on any snakes. (that's my story anyway)

At one point it was pretty steep & we were all huffing & puffing. The sun had come out & though it was shady it was starting to get warm. We were sweating like nobody's business! I was praying my deoderant wouldn't let me down (though I think it was too late for that) & trying to remember to close my mouth as I huffed & puffed my way up...so I wouldn't catch any bugs.

That kind of extra protein is just not necessary.

We finally hear the kids & see the top.....but we're still a climb away. Some time before this I had kicked it into high gear....so I could catch up to the damn tour guide & toss her off the cliff!!

We finally make it to the top. When we can breathe again, we drink water & take pics.

The view was beautiful. But, not for nothing, I could have googled the view & admired it safely from my computer...at home. I admit to having mean thoughts about the guides & even the teacher around this time.

Then we have to quiet down so we can listen to the wildlife around us. The guide telling us to listen to the birds & nature. After a long while she asked if we heard more birds at the beginning or at the end...blah,blah, blah. Eventually she got to the best part: Going down! (Mean thoughts, I know. Sorta sorry.)

She explained we how we would gain momentum as we hiked down so we should side-step or zig zag our way down. I was paying attention to this part, since I was happy to get down to civilization (though I did get great cell service up there).

Sure enough, the kids blew past us (though we hung back to make sure no kids were left behind). Shortly after taking off there was a slippery boulder on the trail that I was maneuvering down, when I slipped & fell. Landing ever so gracefully on my ass & right hand. My hand taking the brunt of the fall, but the pain, oh! the! pain!, was in my shoulder. Of course, the parents were all there & the teacher, along with a few kids to witness my fall. Marissa was worried, but I made light of it to not scare her.

I was stunned & had the wind knocked out of me, so I sat for a minute & yes, I'll admit, blink back a few tears of humiliation. The grown-ups gave me a hand up & Marissa's teacher took my bag the rest of the way down, though once I got up & stretched I knew I was ok, just sore. I was able to lift & stretch my arm though it was painful, & stiff to do it. I was determined to get down without further drama, so I made light of it & carefully made my way down.

At one point, the 4 of us parents were far behind, taking it slow, when the guide came back for us. I guess she thought we were lost, but she wanted to make sure I was ok & gave me an ice pack, which felt so good! She guided us down the rest of the way since the kids were already down & boy did I stick to her like GLUE! I tried putting my feet in her footsteps to be safe. I was not taking any more chances!

Eventually we make it back & after cleaning up we have lunch. A lot of the kids kept coming up & asking me how I was feeling---apparently news travels FAST!

I found out that we would have hiked that even in the rain, (which had come down hard early in the morning), so I was thankful that it had stayed away. Shortly after we ate, thunder started rolling & then all of a sudden the skies opened up for a quick shower. It was over as fast as it started, but it was enough so that the next part of our trip was re-arranged to be inside a building. Yay!!

Apparently it was the reptile house, or something, & a guide talked to us about turtles & snakes from the area. They brought out a box turtle, then a small snaker, then a large snake that looked like it was trying to escape it's cage. eewww!!!!

Disclaimer: I won't post close-up pics of the snakes, in case you're like my sister that can't even look at pics of them, so don't worry. BUT there is a smaller pic with a snake coming up.

The kids passed around it's snake skin that it had recently shed then as we left, if the kids wanted to touch the snake they could. Marissa was a brave soul. Me? I made sure she used a baby wipe afterward.

We left right after that. I found my seat on the bus & wearily looked forward to taking a shower back home. Marissa sat with me & every now & then would put her head on my good shoulder.

It's moments like that that make the whole trip worth it.

But I wouldn't say no to a foot rub either. ;)

Just Read : Tiger's Quest

2011-06-15T15:22:00.002-04:00

This book is the second in the series of books. The story line continues where the 1st book left off & doesn't dissapoint. The book has romance, action & mystery--my kind of book. Something to get lost in without thinking too hard.

While it's a great story, I like the 1st book better but I can't say why without ruining it for you. ;) You'll just have to read it yourself!

NJ Day & Daisies

2011-06-10T21:02:00.001-04:00

Seems like every kid in NJ studies NJ when they reach the 4th grade.

I did.
Not that I remember much....
Marissa's class did too.

They had to "invent" something to display on "NJ Day" at school.
AND they had to come up with a game, based somehow, on NJ.

The invention had to solve a problem. This made me think of all the un-used hangers I've got making a crazy mess in my closets. So I gave her the idea to make something to house all those hangers. We brainstormed it together with Joe--since he's "Mr. Handyman" around here, & they sketched it out & came up with an idea.

For the game, it could be any existing game based somehow on NJ & Marissa came up with a "Memory"-type game. We googled places in NJ, found pics of certain areas & printed them onto cardstock.

BTW--Googling "Jersey Shore" does NOT bring up areas of the shore anymore. It brings up that wretched TV show, on what to do with your life when all you can accomplish is being drunk & stupid on TV. I despise that show & all other shows making the people in NJ look stupid.

ANY-WHOOOO.........The kids were to display their inventions & games at school & all the parents were able to come in to oooh & ahh over them all.

This is Marissa's "Hanger 'Hangar' 2011"........

It's now sitting in a closet storing all my extra hangers!

This is her memory game. It's not all laid out since there wasn't a lot of room for her to spread out all the cards.

It was over around the same time as they got out of school which was handy since she had so much stuff to bring home.

-----------------------

Right after school, Gianna's Daisy Girl Scout troop was going on a hike around a nearby lake. Before leaving, they were going to plant some daisies in front of the school, so I hung out taking a few pics of the girls.

One of the leaders had her older daughter that's Marissa's age & a friend with her. While we were all talking, they were trying to figure out if they had enough room in their cars for all the kids. So I offered to take the 2 older girls to my house for a playdate with Marissa. Long story short, the leader had to leave early so she would need her daughter back before I was due to pick up Gianna from the hike.

Still with me??

By this time, Marissa just wanted to hang out with her friends, so I just went with them to the lake.

To hike. Which I don't do.
In. flip. flops.

I was leary at first, especially about my footwear, but then I remembered all the other possibilities, namely poison ivy, snakes, bears & bugs. I had bug spray from spraying Gianna before leaving, so I sprayed myself & Marissa before we started.

But I was planning on staying close to the park ranger.
He had a gun.

At the lake, we met with the ranger who talked about things found around the parks in our town. I actually learned a lot.

Like how there are a mating pair of Bobcats in one park near my house.
Didn't know that about them.

The ranger had a variety of animal skulls & a deer pelt that he talked about, while the kids had a snack. One leader brought "S'mores" & thanks to the heat were pretty gooey & perfect. How do I know? Gianna gave me hers. ;)
Also learned how poison ivy grows like a vine & when left to grow, has a thick, hairy, trunk-like vine that can strangle it's host tree or plant. Lots of it around the lake, "stay on the trail" became a chant of all the adults.

But it wasn't all bad. While the weather was hot, we mostly stayed in the shade. The bugs weren't an issue either thanks to the bug spray. By the end of the hike the ranger told us we had walked 1.1 miles.

BONUS! I hadn't exercised yet!! ;)

How a Job Changed My World

2011-06-07T07:56:00.009-04:00

Did you ever think how starting a new job could change your world forever? Well it did for me.

In January, 1994, I took a job in the Parts Dept of a Coin-Operated company in the Meadowlands, doing data entry. I was 19. I answered phones, did data entry & filing. It was a job that paid well & had benefits, for a 19 yr old this was like the lottery!

I slowly got to know the customers that called looking for parts for their video games & vending machines. Sometimes if the guys taking the orders were all on the phone I'd talk to some of the friendlier customers while I did my work. No flirting or anything like that, just being friendly.

Eventually when the local customers came to pick up their parts I'd put names to voices & meet some of them. This is how I met Joe. My first opinion of him was that he was a jerk. I soon learned he wasn't, I was obviouslly too quick to judge & was having a hard day at work.

At the time, we were dating other people & we were just friends through work. Nothing more than that.

That May, my Dad was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. By November, he was gone.

My boyfriend at the time (of almost 4 yrs) was there for me during the funeral & the months afterward. But what stunned me was the response from work. So many co-workers came to the viewing & funeral. What was a real shocker was when I not only saw flowers from Joe (a customer), but when we came to my father's viewing.

When he heard about my dad being sick, he offered to be there for me if I needed to talk. Reason being? His mom had died a few years prior from cancer. He understood what I was going through. I thought that was so nice of him, but I never took him up on it.

By March 1995, my boyfriend & I were over. I was sad, but at the time I knew it was for the best--we weren't on the same page. When I was ready I slowly started dating again. At some point during this time, Joe broke up with his girlfriend. By now I was thinking more of him than just a customer, but was too afraid of the age gap between us, so I let it go. We're thirteen years apart.

My boss at the time, John, & another co-worker, Bobby, were really good friends with Joe (still are) & John would tell me all the time how I should date Joe. I always protested how he was too old for me, blah, blah, blah.

Things eventually did go from just talking on the phone during work, to flirting. Eventually he asked me out & I said yes.

He took me to dinner, & we talked easily. It was never weird between us, either that we knew each other from work or the age difference. Right away it was like we had always known each other. It was an instant connection.

During dinner, I saw a commercial on a nearby TV, for "Braveheart" opening in theaters that weekend & mentioned how I'd like to see it, not expecting anything, just talking. He offered to take me that weekend--no playing those mind games that most guys play, just straight-forward. I agreed & we went that weekend.

Not sure when I realized he was "the one", but I do know it happened early on in our relationship. He was just so interesting & great to be around. We both wanted the same things in life & we spent as much time together as we possibly could.

--------

Fast forward to today & we've been together for 16 years.

SIXTEEN.YEARS.

Today is the anniversary of our 1st date. He is still the same guy I met all those years ago, but better...... He's mine!

Taken on our wedding anniversary this past weekend with my iphone.

To read the "in-between" part of our story (if you're not sick of hearing it) you can read THIS POST. Much shorter & to the point. ;)

12 WONDERFUL Years

2011-06-05T07:55:00.003-04:00

Twelve years ago today, was one of the happiest days of my life. It was a beautiful day to get married to the greatest man!
One thing that stands out in my mind is how at the end of the night, my face hurt from smiling so much.

Looking back on how long we've been together, of course not every day is a piece of cake, BUT Joe "gets" me. We finish each other's sentences, we enjoy spending time after the kids go to bed together, we agree on so many things, he makes me happy.

And I'd still say YES!!

Happy Anniversary Joe!

I love you even more today!

Just Read:The Help

2011-06-01T17:33:00.002-04:00

This book is another one that I've heard about for awhile but hesitated to read. On a night out to the movies they played the trailer to the movie & it looked good. So good in fact that when I got home that night I downloaded the book to my ipad.

The story is about a white girl down in the South who writes a book about black maids & their opinions of the people the work for. Such a great story. I would read this again as well as see the movie.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-30T17:35:00.012-04:00

Most people take Memorial Day weekend to relax. When I was in high school it was all about going down the shore. That's the beach but here in Jersey we say "down the shore", but that's a whole different post. ;)

I spent my Saturday re-organizing my pantry. It's been a disaster lately but I didn't have time to do it before our trip so I dedicated the afternoon to it. I started at the top & emptied it shelf by shelf, wiping down the shelves & adding those wire racks to create more room.

I have to say I'm proud of the job I did. So proud that after coming home from dinner that night I opened the door just to stand back & admire my work.

Yes I have no life. ;)

Sunday morning we got up bright & early (for a Sunday), & headed to the parade in our town. Gianna was walking in it with her Daisy Girl Scout troops & we got to cheer her on.

Seeing this float in the parade always gets me. The lump in my throat is instant.

Eventually all the area Girl Scouts head toward us. As we see Gianna's troop, I walk out to take pics. Here she's digging in her bag to pick out certain candies for Marissa & Joe. She knows what they like & wants to make them happy. See her with the blue bag??
She really gets into tossing candy out, and boy does she have a good arm!

Shortly after, Joe heads over to the pick-up point to get Gianna. We usually sit near the end of the parade so it's easier to get her. She comes over, looking all tired & hot & I make sure she has some water while we watch the rest of the parade.

When it's over, we headed home for a quick lunch then we went to a local nursery & bought some hanging baskets for the yard & some other flowers for me to plant by the front doors. We didn't do a lot but boy did the weekend fly by!

Harry Potter & Universal Studios LONG Post

2011-05-28T23:50:00.000-04:00

For the first time ever in all our trips to Florida, we went outside the Disney World parks. We went to Universal for a day mainly to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Joe actually went there back in November while he was in Orlando for a convention & snuck over to the park to see it. He does the reconnaissance to see what it's all like & reports back to us--which we of course love & want to see.

So we made plans to go the day after Marissa's birthday. We take a cab over & it's nothing like Disney, where each park has a landmark as a hub of the park & you can travel around it all. Universal is straight. You have to walk through the whole park & then backtrack to make your way out. So to get to the Harry Potter area you have to travel through other areas first & you definately have to hit the Harry Potter area first since the lines are CrAZy long!

As you reach the area the 1st thing you see is this. The entrance to "Hogsmeade" the fictional town outside of "Hogwarts School". The sign says "Please respect the Spell limits.", just as if you're a visiting witch or wizard.

Right as you pass under the arch, you see the "Hogwarts Express". It's not a ride & doesn't move.

This is a basic view of the area with the school all the way towards the left side at the back. Which is where everyone is rushing to since that's where the ride is, inside of Hogwarts.

As you get closer you see the school. They really did a fantastic job on the school. It's beautiful!

The ride is considered a "robo-coaster" & how I managed to go on still amazes me. I did it to myself actually. I was trying to get pics of Marissa for her birthday & told her if she let me take decent pics I would go on a ride with her during our trip. I should have said this privately, because Joe heard me & suggested THIS ride & Marissa held me to it. Damn it.

As you're on line to ride you actually go through parts of the castle & you see the "House Points", "Dumbledore's Office", the "Marauder's Map", etc. It's really cool. I had to lock my bag in a locker so I didn't get to take good pics but I used Joe's iphone to take some pics of these areas.

The ride was very smooth & not jerky which would definately have been bad for me. It was neat to see all the effects & it really does feel like you're flying around. I made sure to buy the picture that they take of you during the ride, as proof that I really went on, because I highly doubt I'll be doing it again. ;) Don't go judging me in this pic, either. I look bored, but honestly I'm trying not to think too much about it all so I don't toss my cookies. And I'm squeezing my feet together to make sure my flip flops don't fall off, causing my legs to look chunky. Great memories. ;)
There are a few other rides, but since we were only visiting the park for 1 day we wanted to see as much as we could. Besides I was over it & a bit queasy so we went around to some of the other shops.

Had to visit Honeydukes, which is a candy store & has all of the sweet mentioned in the movie. Very cute place.This Snow-witch & owl were so cute.
The "Three Broomsticks", just like in the movie....

Inside of "Zonko's"....the store is super tiny & crowded, but cute.

When we left the Harry Potter area we went to this attraction called "Poseidon's Fury". It's not a ride but you walk through & there's a "tour guide" that leads you through an "expedition". It was really good.

We went through the Dr. Seuss area. This ride is just like the Dumbo ride at Disney BUT you get wet. Perfect for the hot day it was.

As we're leaving "Island's of Adventure" & heading into "Universal" itself.

While we were there we went on a few more rides (after I grilled the people working there on what the rides are like before going on.) like Men in Black, which was really fun! It's similar to The Toy Story Ride at Hollywood Studios. We rode the E.T. ride & we saw the Terminator show. It was all good. The best ride was a rapid river sort of ride, "Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges" & when I say we got wet I really mean we got SOAKED to the SKIN! Of course like good marketing right outside the ride there are 2 stalls that will blow hot air at you to help dry off for $5 for 5-ish mins. We paid the 5 bucks--we were that drenched.

After a long day at the 2 parks we went to eat at "Pastamore"an Italian restuarant on City Walk which is like an outdoor mall, full of shops & restaurants.

All in all, we didn't see everything or ride everything like "The Hulk"--which will NEVER happen in my lifetime & despite Gianna's wanting to ride it, she won't be riding it while I'm around. That sort of thing just shouldn't exist in my opinion. And there was no doubt that I wasn't going on the "JAWS" ride--I'm insansely terrified of sharks BECAUSE of that movie. **shudder**

So would I go back? Yep, but I'd make sure to bring sunscreen--we were toasty by the end of the long day!

Just Read: The Witch's Daughter

2011-05-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

I read this book during our recent trip. It got me from the beginning. It was interesting & suspenseful. The book moved back & forth from one time period to another, which was a little hard to keep track of since I was reading it in short spurts, but it was good.

What are you reading??

Field Day 2011

2011-05-26T18:41:00.013-04:00

Today was Field Day for the girls at school. I think every kid looks forward to this day. It's a day spent outside, running around, playing games. What more could a kid want?

It was scheduled for yesterday but the night before we had some heavy storms so they had it today, and man was it HOT! I made sure the girls had sunscreen on but by the time I got there in the afternoon, they were ready for more.

They played the standard races, same as every year. Marissa looks like a natural athlete in this pic, but she's far from it. She's more like a newborn colt, all leg & awkward. I've seen her standing still & falling over herself, but I love her so much. I think Gianna was losing steam at this point. She took it nice & slow. Slow & steady wins the race was her motto I think. ;)
The last game of the day is always the "balloon toss". This might be everyone's favorite. The site of those balloons (kept cold to beat the heat) brings a gasp of happiness from all the kids! Gianna's got a great throwing arm.
Marissa & her teammate were careful to make the game last as long as possible.
As the kids were done, they were able to go off to get a refreshing icepop to enjoy outside. Then for the last hour of school they got to watch a movie in their classroom. They had so much fun & the beautiful weather made it even better!

Disney Birthday {aka Favorite Vacation Moments}

2011-05-26T15:11:00.032-04:00

Since I'm sure you're all sick to death of the amount of Disney I blog about, I'm going to combine my favorite pics from this trip, with Marissa's birthday, since my favorite pics ARE from that day.

And just a little FYI, I only took 256 pics this trip.
A record for me!

Shocking, I know!

We found this treat in the room the night we checked in. It was a perfect start to her birthday which was the next day.

Before going into breakfast at 1900 Park Fare we posed for this pic. I can't wait to hang it up, {{despite how dark my hair looks...}} At breakfast, Tigger made her day by signing "Happy Birthday" in her autograph book. When we made our reservations we told them about it being Marissa's birthday & they made sure she was celebrated "Disney Style". During breakfast they brought her this monster cupcake....guess it's a great pick-me-up for the long day ahead. Next we headed to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for the girls' make-overs. Marissa's sash was different from Gianna's & said "Birthday Princess".By the time we were done, it was time for lunch at Tony's Townsquare. After we ate they brought over a sundae for her & we sang "Happy Birthday". She loved it!When we headed outside, we watched the parade for a bit.Then we headed off to hit the rides! LOVE this shot of Gianna (in yellow) holding Joe's hand down "Main Street".Marissa wanted to drive we went on "Grand Prix". I helped her a bit (Joe rode with Gianna) & I am not looking forward to this girl driving. SCAREY!! Good thing she's got a few years to practice!

We hit the Teacups & as usual they all tried to make me toss my cookies.....stinkers! Joe & Gianna went off for Space Mountain & Marissa & I went on the Buzz Lightyear ride a few times.

Dinner was at Tony's again--what can I say? We LOVE it there!! How do you like my "bling" that Marissa asked for me to wear during her make-over?? I needed the extra "sparkle" apparently.
When we went back to the room Marissa was willing to pose for some pics before bed.
I still can't believe she's TEN!
Taken right before we left to go to the airport.
Feels like our home away from home.
Kinda. Sorta. ;)

I'm sure there are a few more pics that take my breath away but I'll try not to make this post any longer than it is. Besides gotta leave something for the next trip!! LOL!

School Kits 3rd Grade Miss M

2011-05-25T23:25:00.000-04:00

We're back from Disney World! It was great! The weather was HOT & SUNNY instead of the chilly, dreary rain we left in. And the best part?? We celebrated Marissa's TENTH birthday there! She had a blast, but more on that later...

Since I've been gone awhile, I figured I'd share the last 3 LO's of Marissa's 3rd grade year that have been sitting on my desk just waiting for me to take pics of. As always, there were a lot of pics to choose from so instead of 2 LO's for the whole year, I ended up with 3 LO's. Somehow fitting since it's for 3rd grade. Work with me....

Used Studio Calico "Natalee" (??) stamps for the title on the library pocket. I think they're my favorite stamps.Can I just say how much I love banners???These are the last ones for Marissa until the end of this school year. Then I can do 4th grade & be all caught up. YAY!! But I don't plan on making 4 LO's for 4th grade. They're starting to look alike to me & while I want them to have a consistancy I don't want them to be all the same. KWIM??

Now I get to start the ones for Gianna!

Passwords

2011-05-20T09:21:00.001-04:00

Awhile back I made the girls THIS Password book to keep track of all their online websites' passwords. It was the perfect thing for them & they share it between them easily.

Recently, Joe asked me for a password book too but nothing fancy. I knew it was going to be more "Guy-like" & nothing fancy. I him if I could use nuts, washers & duct tape to decorate it with but I got "what did you bump your head? Look", so I kept it very, very simple.

I took some chipboard & trimmed it just bigger than 3 1/2 x 5 inches. I used Studio Calico (Natalee??) stamps for the cover & then just outlined it in marker.
I printed this off the computer onto blank index cards. Then I punched holes on the side & kept it together with book rings & called it done.

VERY simple. Joe likes it & that's what matters.

TEN Years Old

2011-05-18T07:53:00.007-04:00

1. Her favorite color is Blue.

2. She LOVES to read. She's read the Harry Potter books 3 times this year.

3. She's been growing like a weed!

4. Wears a size 5 shoe.

5. Is in full-fledged "Tween" mode.

6. Moved up in her swim class, when we were told most kids repeat the class for a few sessions.

7. She's obsessed with Owls. (See #2)

8. Likes wearing her hair down, despite my many requests to wear it away from her face.

9. Likes playing "Moshi Monsters", & "Club Penguin" games online.

10. Is officially a decade old.

Happy 10th Birthday Marissa!
You make me proud to be your mother.
I love you!!

The Almost 10 yr old, The Owl & a Party

2011-05-14T23:34:00.001-04:00

See this Owl?

It's Hedwig from the Harry Potter books. Marissa's pretty obsessed with both the books & the owl.

When I was thinking about her birthday cake, I mentioned making an owl cake & right away she specified that it had to be a white owl like Hedwig.

She's demanding a bit.
She's also lucky I love her. ;)

I sketched something out that I thought was do-able & showed it to her. She had ideas that seemed very elaborate & I figured it would be a good idea to wait until she went to bed to start the cake.

Like I said, she's demanding.
And opinionated.
Did I mention I love her?

The cake came together much easier than I anticipated it would, considering I freehanded the whole thing.

I'm pretty happy about.
She is too.
I love that girl.
Everyone was excited about their blue tongues after eating the cake.

I made a card for her in record time. Seriously about 10 mins--the fastest card I've ever made. And some pieces were scraps just lying on my desk. I think what made the card come together so fast was the fact that I made it to match the cake. Didn't plan on it, it just happened. I just hope she doesn't mind that the owl is not white like Hedwig.

Did I mention she's a nit picker about details?

We had a simple party with family & friends over to celebrate. She got a lot of nice gifts. Since she is such a big reader (& we're running out of room around here) we got her a Kindle. This will be perfect for vacation since she tends to load up on the books she takes with her.

She was thrilled.
We were happy.
And "Owl" always love her!