Memorial Day Parade 2010

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. We took it very mellow & did some stuff around the house.

Today both the girls walked in the town parade with their Girl Scout troops. This was Gianna's 1st time & she was really excited about it! It was super hot outside so by the time Gianna got to us she was sort of melted. You can't really see her face too well since she pulled the hat so far down her face--the stinker!!
Marissa is more seasoned. She enjoys every minute of it & doesn't mind the heat until the end & she's done walking.

I didn't get a lot of good pics of the girls & by the time they were done walking & came back to where we were sitting they were hot & tired & not in the mood for pics.


When we got home Joe set up our little blow-up pool & the girls jumped into the COLD water! (No pics) While they played I planted some flowers around the yard. (No pics)

Very low key.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Little Nest

Last weekend while walking past the main front door (that hardly gets used--our house has 2) I spotted this. The wreath had something in it.I opened the door to get a better look, trying to be careful not to knock it off.A perfectly formed little nest with two eggs inside!
So excited to see what happens with the eggs! The girls were excited too! Will have to keep an eye out to see what happens.

Pre-School Dance Recital

I have a box full of pics that I printed a long time ago. I used to just print what I wanted to scrap & when I got around to them that's what I'd work with. But that's not how I work anymore. Now I plan ahead after finding the pics I want to scrap. I'll pick out the pics I really like, decide on a design THEN print out the pics I like in various sizes--not the 4x6 size that are already printed in the box.

Don't get me wrong, 4x6 is a great size to scrap. I have a few magazine dedicated to scrapping just 4x6 pics BUT I like to mix it up & use different sizes. So back to the pics I came across....

I pulled them out with the intention to scrap them since they were so old (Marissa was just shy of 5!!!). I have more than just these 6 pics but chose the better ones & plan on putting the others in a divided page protector. This way they're in the album but I don't feel the need to scrap each & every pic.

Marissa was at the end of pre-school here & about a week away from her 5th birthday. Such a cute fun age. She looks so tiny yet still so "Marissa". ;)

Not the greatest pics-- :(

Very simple LO. Tried giving it some ooomph by embossing the top with Zing! clear powder & a HA background stamp. The patterned paper & journal spots are both Jillibean Soup.
Little close-up of the title....
Wish you could see the colors better--it's bright but it worked.

Then since Marissa danced twice that night there were 2 costumes....so I had to make another LO for that routine.

This LO started out really quick. Got the design down right away but when it came down to giving it some ooomph I came to a screeching halt. I kept adding things, moving things, walking away from it. Just didn't like how boring it looked. Finally I dug out this Ali Edwards stamp, embossed it with Zing!, punched the border with this punch & added some string. Better.

I also cut the candy swirls with my QK dies-trying to tie it in with the costume theme & added stickles to make it shiny. Layered it with this punch & a scalloped circle that I embossed with my Cuttlebug folder. Used a little Jillibean Soup around the title & some Thickers.

Not my most favorite LO but I had to get it off my desk. Lately I'm just happy to scrap at all!

Party Party Party!!!

Marissa had her birthday party Saturday....correction parties. She had one with all her friends from school at the bowling place again (the girl likes to bowl). There were a lot of kids there!! Just imagine 21 kids bowling & goofing around for 2 hours--very LOUD & chaotic but in a good fun way.

Here's the birthday girl.....

I didn't think of getting a big group shot of all the kids until the end as they were leaving so I have to settle with this as my group shot.

Everyone had a good time & I have to say I really like the group of girls in Marissa's grade. I really hope some of them are friends with Marissa forever.

After the party we went home to get ready for the next round. I decided to have family over too the same day to just get it over with on my part (yes I know how that sounds but KWIM??)

Marissa didn't mind either....it just means MORE PRESENTS!!!!

Marissa had originally wanted just a sleepover with a bunch of girls but I'm not ready for that so we compromised with the bowling party & a small sleepover. She had my niece Nikki & her BFF from school Ariel sleep over. **SIGH**

All is well in the world.

So the kids spent all afternoon long dancing to Just Dance on the Wii & were happy & giggly. Later on the adults (me & my sisters) joined in & danced too. So much fun!! Sorry no pics!! ;)

Now I have to admit I did NOT bake this cake.

GASP!!! Shocking I KNOW!!!

I ALWAYS bake the girls birthday cakes. And I sorta did but I hated how it looked so I sent Joe out to the bakery to pick something up. No I'm not expecting perfection every time I bake something but it looked awful.

I got these cool Cake Tattoos from Michael's made by Duff from Ace of Cakes & it looked easy enough so I tried it. Well somehow it came out looking like I made it with an Easy Bake Oven.

No lie. Look.Marissa even called it that!! But you know what? Despite it looking awful THAT'S the one she choose to eat. I Love that girl.

After the party broke up I was left with the 4 girls (so happy they included Gianna with them!!)By this time it was pretty late & the kids toned it down somewhat. They stayed up until somewhere around 1am-ish & were up around 9am today ready to go for more Wii dancing.

I wish I had their energy!!

So there was our crazy weekend in a nutshell. Now I need a nap!!

Field Trip/Daisies--Crazy Day!!!

Today was Gianna's Kindergarten class trip. They were going to visit a farm & see the animals. I got lucky & got picked as one of the chaperones. I was thrilled to be able to go with Gianna on her 1st trip!!

I was in charge of 4 kids (2 girls, 2 boys) & our group was in a larger group so it was a lot of kids & a handful of adults walking around with a tour guide. I made sure to take pics of the kids on their FIRST bus ride. Gianna made a new friend with the little girl in our group (both AM & PM kids were mixed in the groups).

Once we got to the farm we got the kids together for group pics. This is the PM class....We got adventurous & went for a group pic with both AM & PM together (38 kids!!) with their teacher.
We saw a lot of ducks, goats, pigs, ponies & bunnies--the usual farm animals. Gianna loved petting the animals! She's been aching for a pet in the worst way but it's not happening in this house.

The kids got quite a show by this extremely scared, vocal pig. It was so scared it pooped all over the tour guide! The kids laughed, the tour guide blew it off with "I'm used to it-happens all the time" & the parents were gagging--bleh!

Oh & did I mention it was frickin HOT?? Yep all our senses were used today!!!

BTW--I brought plenty of baby wipes & hand sanitizer with me--just sayin!!

This was Jellybean--(the goat not the guy).

We finally stopped for lunch (after washing our hands) & towards the end Gianna lost her tooth while biting into her lunch!! Everyone made a big deal about it & she loved every minute of it! This will be a trip she will never forget!

After we got back from the field trip we went home & showered up--did I mention how hot it was? The rest of my day was this....

Home 1:30-3:00

Pick up Marissa from school 3:00

Drop off Gianna at school for Daisies 3:00

Back to school for Gianna's Daisies ceremony 4:15-4:30

Her Daisy troop had this ceremony showing some things they learned this year & all the kids received a special pin.

Later on my friend Samantha had a Lia Sophia party so I went out again around 7pm. I have a TON of stuff to do for Marissa's birthday party tomorrow but hey I need a little downtime too right? It's been a CrAZy day & the weekend looks just as crazy!

She's NINE!!

Just nine years ago today Marissa arrived into the world a whole 3 weeks early. She was 6lbs 1oz....just a little peanut really. At one point she was a chunky little monkey with legs that made her look like the Michelin Tire Man's baby. Now she's a skinny tall beautiful TWEEN!!

I will be freaking out next year when she turns 10 for sure. Huddled in my bed, in denial that I have been a mom for 10 years...but I'm not there yet. I'll save that rant for next year.

Yesterday I took the girls to the mall so she could pick out some clothes (since according to her she has nothing to wear). Her favorite store right now is Justice. I'd still be happy to have her shop at Children's Place but we compromised with Old Navy. She's into anything with peace signs so this shirt was the one she picked to wear to school this morning.Not the best pics but it's been a rainy, cold, cruddy day unlike the beautiful day we had yesterday! ***SIGH***

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY MARISSA!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

1,2,3 Flip

This pic has been floating around my desk for awhile. I just love this pic of Marissa! There are a few other pics from that day but I was more in the mood to do a 1 pic LO. Not wanting to forget those other pics I plan on using a page protector & just adding them to the album that way. Quick & easy!
All I have left to do is print out the journaling from the day I blogged about it. I'm going to add it to the pocket of pics & call it a day.

Used the MM Whimsy line (sorry no direct link) on this & the Slice to cut out the tag & numbers.

Gonna make this quick. Tomorrow is Marissa's 9th birthday & I've got lots to do before her party this weekend!!

Whoo's That?

After all the Easter LO's I wanted to shift gears a bit. I pulled out a few different pics I wanted to scrap & started searching for some papers to match. Just really waiting for inspiration to kick in. Well while I was going through some assorted papers that I don't have a lot of I came across a piece of paper that would go perfectly with a pic I had seen but not pulled out to scrap. Make sense?

The paper was so perfect for this that I could almost just slap the pic on it & call it done.

Almost.

I matted the pic, added some floss & pop dotted it.

It was alright.

Then I decided to add some real stitching to the left side instead of the "faux" stitching, as well as some real buttons to the owl's eyes.

Better.


But then I realized I had other pics that I wanted to include after all. So I tore off the pic & the pop dots (which don't come off without a fight--despite using un-du) & tried coming up with a way to include them all.

I decide to take the pics I had, along with the blog post about the owl & turn it into a hidden mini album.
I also got to use this adorable owl punch I got at Michael's last week. And I used the leftover bits from the border punch to frame the pic in the center since it needed something.

I didn't think I would've turned that pic into a LO if I didn't come across that paper! I just love when something comes together like that!

Need some "Catch-Up"?

OK I finally caught up on some of my blogging. Posted a few things that I haven't had the chance to blog about until now, but I posted them on the dates that they should've been posted on.

So if you're up for a little reading.....


Easter Continued (recent--just didn't want to have it get lost)

Tea Party/Sock Hop

Art Show

Music Show

Easter continued....

I have been an awful blogger lately. Not by choice but I just haven't been in the mood (to do much). Trying to be better.

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Mine was good, Joe & the girls made me pancakes for breakfast. Then we went to this 4 story mall in upstate NY, had dinner, did some shopping & went to see Iron Man 2. Um....Robert Downey Jr. is just HOT in that movie!!

Now onto some scrappiness!!

What can I say? I'm crazy! After the last LO, I started cleaning up & came across a few MORE copies of the same Easter pics. Since my supplies were still out I decided to go for it.

Yeah, there might be a screw loose somewhere....

Used the MM Flutter line again. I got real annoyed with myself on this one. I sorta had a design in mind & sketched it out--looked good, so I took my 1 & only piece of the scalloped circle paper & cut. Only to find the design wasn't working IRL. URGH!!! So I made another cut (EEE!!!) & STILL didn't like it! At this point I walked away.

Later, much later, I shuffled things around until I was happier with things but still wasn't loving it. I would do a little something to the LO then push it aside & work on something else--it wasn't working for me so I was un-motivated to finish it. KWIM??

Finally the other night I got the idea to pull out my Slice in the hopes that I could fix & finish this. I was over it already & wanted it off my desk! I think that's just what I needed to finish it up!

I like that I'm done with the LO but I'm not "in love" with the LO. Maybe because it took me so long to do & all the bumps along the way...but like I always say....It's DONE!!!

I tried curling the flowers like Suzanne.....& I pop dotted the larger butterflies.

Now my desk is cleaned up .....and there weren't anymore Easter pics to be seen!

Till next year.....you know.....to do the Easter pics from THIS year that still aren't done!! LOL!!!

25 Things I Learned from my Mother

25 reasons I owe my mother

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. 'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION _*. 'You better pray that this will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL _*. 'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC _*. ' Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC _*. 'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT _*. 'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY *'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS _*.'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM _*.. 'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA _*. 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER _*. 'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY _*. 'If I told you once,I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE _*.'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION _*. 'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY _*. 'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION _*. 'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING _*. 'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE _*.'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP _*. 'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR _*. 'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT _*. 'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up...'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. _*'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS _*. 'Shut that door behind you.. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM _*. 'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: *_My mother taught me about JUSTICE*'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.

Mother's Day Tea & the Sock Hop (related right?)

Today Gianna's Girl Scout Daisy troop held a "Mother's Day Tea" party for us. We were escorted inside by our girls (dressed in handmade aprons) & sat at our tables. They had placemats, a menu & decorated mugs waiting for us.

This was my waitress. She asked me what I'd like to drink & delivered my (iced) tea without spilling a drop! Then she asked what I'd like to eat & proceeded to bring me a chocolate covered strawberry along with a cookie.

It was so cute! She had a lot of fun serving me (I liked it too--nice change of pace!! LOL!!) At the end we got to keep the daisies that were decorating the tables. Gianna really loved the "special" time with me & I don't have to tell you how much I LOVED it!!! ;)
About an hour later all the troops in town had a "Sock Hop". A lot of girls went dressed in theme with poodle skirts. I went with more of a "bobby sock" sort of outfit. (she's the one with the pink scarf around her neck) Marissa was going until she found out most of her troop wasn't going.....so she didn't bother getting changed since we were just dropping Gianna off. Then once we got there she changed her mind & wanted to stay (despite not being in "costume"), so I got to stay & chaperone. This gave me a chance to take pics!! Loved it!! :)

There was a DJ playing music the kids all liked (I liked it all too!). She got them to get up & dance. The girls all had fun dancing together, showing off their moves. ;) The DJ really got the girls moving & tired them out! It was a fun & eventful day!!

Let's re-visit Easter....

As always I have a habit of making LO's for Disney or Holidays twice, one for each girls album. Yeah, crazy I know but I like to think of it as using more of my stash....so it makes room for MORE!! LOL!!

I've had this LO sitting half started on my desk for over a week, but I wasn't feeling it, so I kept away from it. Yesterday since it was NSD I attempted to get it done. I re-did the title, added some embellies & liked the direction it was going.

So this LO is for Gianna's album. I stuck to the same design as this one but used the MM Flutter line instead....and my Slice! I didn't realize it until I was done that I sorta did the butterflies like Heather did on her wall--so cool! I want to try that!!

For the title I used the Flutter journaling notebook page since I wanted to add the "umbrellas" to the page as a nod to the parasols the girls were carrying. And I layered two strands of ribbons together for pop.Cut the journal spot with my slice then stamped the lines on it & outlined it with a thin marker.Used pop dots under the butterfly wings for dimension...Gianna got a kick out of that! ;) Makes me happy when the girls like their LO's! Makes it all worth it to me!