Family Team

jan~week 4/366 {birthday, movie nights, and a beau}

2012-02-08T00:42:00.000-06:00

we had a birthday. of mega proportions. my baby is double digits. how does that happen? i mean... i felt i was in the young mom category {interpret as... a mom with young kids} so long as i had a baby in single digits. kleenex?

i've just spent the last hour clicking pictures and home movies on an old hard drive. maybe i'll share them with you soon. provided i can do it without sobbing. uncontrollably. kleenex? please don't remind me that it only gets worse as they get even older. *sob*

for gracie's birthday, she wanted a day with her best friend and her family. we love this family, so that was easy. kids play. adults talk. it's a gift to everyone, really. ;)

note to self: marshmallow cream makes a good frosting for cupcakes, but not barbie's dress. unless you plan to eat it within 53 seconds. otherwise, gravity takes over. it's also flammable. the end.

did you know jason gray has a speech impediment?
gracie loves oranges. {11th birthday possibilities? i'm sure she'd love that. a parent can dream.}
flowers in winter. why not?
hubs was between LA and TN this week. maybe it was harder because we saw him in-between... long enough to say goodbye at the airport.
that called for a girls' movie night with my 'little miss sunshines' and my beau. he looks thrilled, yes?
we watched the shunning. it was a good movie, in that it gave us plenty to discuss, but we were a tad disappointed with the way they left the ending. really?

homeschool on the go. gracie catching up on american girl, while nator is in piano lesson.
one of my favorite memories... singing. squirting whipped cream. eating strawberries. dancing. fun in the kitchen. with my girlies. *sigh*
when beau suckles in his sleep, his tongue stays out. it's the funniest sight. really.
we were thankful to have hubs home on the weekend! we're thankful for a hubs who isn't afraid to brave the grocery store crowds, day before super-bowl! go giants!! woot-woot!!

seriously. is there anything funnier?

we got word that beau's brother was adopted this weekend from the rescue organization we used for beau. yeah!! because if i'm being completely honest... it crossed my mind to go back and get his brother, too. mostly, because i felt bad leaving his sibling alone. hubs already had a cute name picked out for him. so glad he has a forever home now, too.

how was your week? or week 4? or maybe you've already blogged about week 5? it's been a busy day. mama is tired. and may or may not look like beau at the moment. only he looks cuter. i'm gonna hit 'publish' now and hope this post makes sense. mkay? pushing it... now.

jan~week 3/366 {an eclectic hodgepodge}

2012-02-01T11:38:00.000-06:00

it's not even the end of january and i've nearly lost my photo challenge {february is already posted if you want to join} momentum already. this might be why i don't set resolutions for resolutions sake.

lemme just tell ya a little bit of the family team home front news...

enjoying home. taking a break from theater has allowed some down time. thankyoujesus. if we're not counting piano lessons, dance lessons, and trips to the air port {hubs had to catch a plane to memphis, tn}. i really like the 'home' in homeschool. but there is value in theater, too.

my new addiction. carb conscious supreme protein. caramel nut chocolate - resembles a chocolate turtle, without the 500 grams of sugar. valentine's day gift? check. ;)

the peanut butter is pretty good, too. num-num. {thank you again, lisa, for this new addiction.} ;)

we've been sharing a certain lil' gracie's 10th birthday fun with friends. bringing cupcakes to dance class.

mama made a new wreath for the front door, turning down the $99 options pre-made at hobby lobby. crazy.

more birthday fun. thanks to hubs, a second batch of balloons. a wind gust stole the first one. the new my little pony is all the rage now. marble slab. doodling birthday t-shirts. all at birthday girl's request.

see the hubby and beau feet? then there's jasmine... they were all snoozin'. do you know how hard it is to stay awake, being serenaded by snoozes and purrs?

we're trying to get back on track by incorporating science into our routine again. history is next. oi. i'm having the girls read and fill in workbook work together. why does mom have to do all the reading, right? ;)

{can you just stay focused, hmama? one topic per post.
sorry. not how my brain works. ask hubs.}

among other things, gracie likes to hang like a monkey, while waiting on sis during piano lessons. we throw in a little art, too. doodling is art, right?

gracie wore a poncho. mom made zucchini and squash boats. life on the go in this season of life requires phineas and ferb cups of snack mix. notice the temperature setting... winter in texas. dear cold weather, please feel free to visit us any. time.

jazzy wants to play with the cat in the bag. nator's sign attached to her bedroom door. maybe a gift to her lil' sis for her birthday? speaking of which... nator helped set up the gifts outside gracie's bedroom door... after she was tucked in. nator said, 'now i know how santa feels.' she was a tad giddy. too cute.

then there's life with the new kitty... beau. we love this feisty, cuddly ball of fur. the end.

oh, but wait! there's more... now that february is here {how did that happen?}, december's video is finished. who says i'm not on top of things? ;)

{please watch with the knowledge that this was made at 2 am. mama was deliriously tired, which may account for any mispeltings. or other things.}

It's A Boy!

2012-01-27T13:29:00.001-06:00

let's be honest. we have a house full of girls. we're not counting the fish. mama is a girl. our girls are girls. the cat is a girl. the dog is a girl. we've always had girl pets.

with the exception of our first dog. which may have ruined us from ever wanting another dog. or boy. we blamed his misbehavior on his male-ism. crazy boy.

was that fair? maybe not.

then there's hubs. my manly man. poor guy. or lucky. depending on your perception. or time of the month. *ehem*

okay then. you may have heard... mama wanted a new cat. don't ask why. let's just go with the insanity. mkay?

after searching petfinder.com {how we found our jasmine} for several heartbreaking hours, we finally decided to go to our local petco for their saturday adoptions, facilitated by a rescue organization that we noticed on petfinder. their animals come from local shelters.

it's really hard to beat a rescue organization's prices, too. the animals are fully vetted and 'fixed' before adoption. i cringe to think what the final vet bill would be when all is said and done. we only paid $95 for our little bundle of fur.

the volunteers were very knowledgeable about which personality would match our family. i totally went in with the mentality of getting a unique-colored-young-but-not-a-kitten-female-named-sophia.

four hours later, we left with this...

he looks like a cross between a baby panther and toothless {from how to train your dragon}.

i give you... our little 4-month-old-green-eyed-black-velvety-softest-fur-you've-ever-pet-ball-of-a-boy. brace yourself for the cuteness.

we already have a cat named 'bella', meaning beautiful.

so it only seemed natural that we name this lil' boy 'beau', meaning handsome.

he has the sweetest lil' personality. he only bites when playful. bella should take notes from him. he only sharpens his nails on his scratching pads. bella is nail-less {how she came to us}, but tries to sharpen hers, too. de-clawing is so controversial. and seemingly barbaric when you research what they actually do. poor kitties. so far, beau is being a good boy with his nails.

he plays himself to exhaustion. cat toys are a must. i'd forgotten what fun a kitty was. his meow is more like a squeak. he is quite entertaining. curious about e.ver.y.thing. no, we don't go in the dishwasher, sweet boy.

he has the loudest purr. and often purrs, while 'kneading' the floor when he eats. he loves to snuggle, perched on the top of the sofa, behind our heads. my favorite is when i get to hold him like a little baby... and he falls asleep. oh my heart.

hubs had to sit on the idea of a new pet for a while. he didn't get why we neeeded another pet. like i said. just go with the insanity. he said, "watch, this will be the one pet that really likes me."

our other pets like him, too.

beau's first night to roam freely in the house, he chose to sleep with us. favoring hub's pillow, he then groomed his hair in the morning. shower. check. ;) hubs has been welcomed into the animal kingdom.

did i mention he exhausts himself?
and if to extreme, he drools? must be a boy-thing? ;)
gross.
when we first noticed him at petco, he was sleeping on his back. mouth open.

good thing he's so cute. we think he likes that we homeschool, too. more time for lovin's.

after a full week, being careful with introductions, we can happily say that bella is now accepting of this new family member. much quicker than i anticipated. jazzy is cool with him, too.

hahhh... mama's quiver is full.

no, i'm sorry, gracie. you will not be getting a puppy on your birthday.

******************************************

life in general, i've always been a cheerleader for the underdog. pets are no exception. if you've ever considered adopting a pet, i highly recommend petfinder.com. because many of them are being fostered until their adoptions, you can often learn about their personalities and temperaments beforehand.

did you know that black cats {just like dogs} are the highest rated animals to be put down? so sad. the volunteers were quite happy we were taking this little guy. we only hope his identical brother will be just as lucky.

oh... aaaand boy cats are sometimes cuddlier than girls?? sharing their affection among all family members. and actually not more likely to have litter-box issues, as i once believed. i didn't know that until the nice volunteer lady gave me the 411.

even though everyone wants to, i don't recommend going to petco for 4 hours after picking up 2 tired girls from a slumber party... having eaten 3 donuts each for breakfast. ugh.

and that, my friends, is your daily zoo update.

jan {i}photo challenge: week 3/366

2012-01-24T10:08:00.000-06:00

hello, y'all. how are ya? enjoying these unusual winter temps? personally, i want my winter back! crazy, i know. but we remember how hot these texas summers are... totally. getting. gypped. a true texas winter. ;)

continuing the #janphotoaday challenge... it's never too late to join!

15. happiness. a list made by a certain 9 yo of birthday gift possibilities. "american girl doll. shopping spree at justice. room make over!" check one. she's happy. mama is close to tears. my BABY will be double digits. ten. sigh.

16. morning. we've been a little under the weather, so school has been a lil' lax. drive thru history dvds require sleeping bags when you're warming up for a friend's slumber party. all while listening to the construction very near our back yard. grrrr...

17. water. hot tea starts my morning, in my favorite $1 store stainless-steel mug. watching bella observe phoenix, our new fish. kitty hdtv. quite entertaining.

18. something you bought. a haircut. nator's donation to locks of love. so proud of her!!

19. sweet. starting the next level in math. meeting new friends at a sleepover. piano teachers. webkinz to help with math.

20. someone you love. family {sporting a new haircut} & friends. how can you name just one? ;)

21. reflection. i know it's a stretch, but i thought i'd share this lil' goodie made by gracie using stopmotion. there were many {many} more, but this is the one blog-approved by gracie.

if you follow us on instagram, you already know the news of our latest addition to the family team. looking forward to sharing those pictures with you here. ;)

jan {i}photo challenge: week 2/366

2012-01-14T20:18:00.000-06:00

just finished watching the saints game.
i screamed... then nearly cried.
causing my cat {who was sleeping peacefully on my lap}
to fly off completely startled...
and possibly scarred for life.

then i asked my husband why he's encouraged my interest in football. it hurts when they lose.
he simply says... that's part of the game.
brutal.

okay...
now on to the photo challenge.

8. your sky. from my back yard.

9. daily routine. most days usually begin and end with kitty cuddles. the best. next to tea parties and 11 yo learning to cook dinner.
10. childhood. myself-hubs-and our oldest as littles.
11. where you sleep.
12. close-up. took the christmas trees down this week.
13. in your bag. our end of the year coupon from vitamin shoppe. woo-to-the-hoo!

14. something you're reading. fortune cookies. "a passionate new romance will appear in your life when you least expect it." received this the day hubs left for nyc. talk about timing. ha! american girl books. and information about shelter animals. we made a donation of goodies to one of our local no-kill-rescue shelters.

i know. you expected something much deeper than that. right?

15. oh wait... there's no 15. i just wanted to say that hubs is home. but you probably already knew that. new york was going to be extra chilly this weekend. he's home just in time.

16. and last but not least... hubs brought home souvenirs. hubs even remembered the kitty i wanted. only it's stuffed. so i'm preeeeeetty sure it's for the girls. *sigh*

i recently tweeted... "After surfing adorable animals in need of a home & the emergency amber alert just called, you can find me in a box of Kleenex."

you'll be happy to know that the child was found alive. thank heaven for happy endings!

now about the kitty... ;)

{cat} fever

2012-01-13T01:42:00.000-06:00

so i may have re-pinned this picture on pinterest.

it may have accompanied a confession.

i officially want another cat.  i know.  kinda makes you drop your jaw a bit.  well, kind of.  when it dawned on me, i may have dropped my own jaw, anyway.  

not to replace our beloved bella.  no, we have grown quite accustomed to her.

we quickly realized we could look past her flaws.  you know... the biting.  once we thought we were going to have to move and give her up.  

amazing how quickly you come to appreciate what's right in front of you... when you are threatened to lose it.

well, that... and she's learned there are consequences to biting.  and we've learned her triggers. 

basically, petting her anywhere below the neck.  or constantly moving your arm as you are typing, while she's trying to nap in your lap.  

tail-flicking is the first sign of annoyance.  then the ears stretch back.  then she may or may not give an internal growl.  many times, before that point, she gets evicted from the lap.

we noticed early on that she has wobbly eyes, too.  but i've since learned that it could be a trait of the siamese.  of which she is a mix. it doesn't seem to bother her.

oh. dear. lord.   at this very moment, jasmine just made all of my nose hair curl.  oxygen mask, please?  what did we feed her for dinner again?  her big, brown puppy eyes better be extra cute tomorrow.

where was i?

oh, yes.  the truth is... friends of mine are having babies.  or doing other things in which i don't want to participate.  don't get me wrong.  another lil' person would be wonderful.  but mama doesn't function well on sleep deprivation.  i remember those nights.  and i'm getting older.  and hubby travels a lot now.  that means less time to help mama.  just sayin'.

i grew up with dogs and cats.  they feel like second nature to me.  birds and fish even seem a bit exotic.  our last fish lasted a week and a half.  and hamsters?  a little too rodent-like.  sorry, gracie... mama just can't go there.  not to mention, we have a cat in the house.

oh. heavens!! might be blacking out soon.  using my shirt to filter the air.  tempted not to feed this dog tomorrow.   she snores right through it.  thanks, jazzy.

ummmm... yes, the cat.  

to me, there are few things better than the cuddles of a lap cat.

i'm glad our girls are experiencing this.  the warmth.  the purrrrr.  nator especially loves it while she's reading or crocheting.  she's a sweet, old soul.

the problem is... there is only one cat and three of us gals.  we find ourselves competing for bella's affection, especially when hubs is out of town.  the person with the softest blanket usually wins.

i may have mistakenly voiced my desires out loud and the girls may have jumped on that bandwagon with me.  both feet.  gracie wants another dog, too...  but we wouldn't be able to afford the out-of-town pet sitter fees.  we'd have to donate a child.  and that's not happening.  i worked too hard not to hear them called me blessed one day. ;)

cats probably have house parties while we're away.  i'm convinced that's why the house is still a mess upon our return. 

*****************************************

now... for the cuteness meter and your giggling pleasure, i give you another opinion the pioneer woman.

read his little muffuletta, ethereal, kitty love, playful, sleepyhead, the difference between cats and bassets, and why i love my cat.

the pioneer woman rids the stereotype of 'crazy cat lady', yes?  you can't get much cooler than the pioneer woman...  also known as ree.  who is married to marlboro man.  which i'm sure also has a name... 

bottom line.  ree pretty much makes everything look good.  aaaaand, her lovely bloggy gave me the confidence i needed to move forward with teaching textbooks.

yeah, she homeschools, too. 

***************************************** 

anyway, i've convinced myself that hub's next souvenir to me the girls and i should be a cat. maybe a kitten this time? i'll rescue one.  it's a win-win.  i already have a name picked.  going a bit too far, huh?

if hubs reeeeally doesn't like this idea, i can always blame the pioneer woman.  right? ;)

not what i had in mind this weekend

2012-01-09T13:08:00.001-06:00

one word that can and will change your plans at a moment's notice.

lice.

things one learned this weekend... but never-ever desired to:

1. when doused in listerine, a louse will die within 2-3 seconds. apparently, they don't like alcohol. wimps.
2. lice don't like hot curling irons, either. it will send a big-girl louse running. this would be how one might discover this pesky critter existed in your baby's hair.
3. it really doesn't matter how clean your hair is. you won't be immune. {repeat to self}
4. in a hurried pinch, you may have to buy a rid kit, just for the comb. the comb will be worth every penny.
5. it's only recommended to keep listerine on hair for two hours.
6. you might decide to sleep in it. with shower-caps. even if that will be your hubby's last impression of you before he takes a trip to nyc.

7. following a listerine treatment, vinegar will help loosen the nits.
8. using the special comb repeatedly will become your new obsession.
9. finding a dead louse is less creepy than finding a live louse. {that, alone, sounds creepy.} oh, and 11 lice total is 11 too many.

10. it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between dry skin or eggs. if it blows off dry hair, it is not an egg. nits will be the color of your child's hair. brown. fun.
11. ipad + earphones + weetwoo app = sanity. for all.
12. the hardest part for little ones is having their stuffed animals washed. they have souls. little people might cry and not buy your story of them having a fun bubble bath. you probably could have just tossed them in the dryer.
13. you should check the inside of the shower-cap for dead louse.
14. comb and re-comb. {repeat}

15. swish comb in solution of listerine/water. toothpicks help clean the comb, too.
16. regardless of what you read, you will feel lower than an ant when having to contact anyone your child has been near. but they will be thankful you informed them.
17. store tools in listerine. or you should boil things. but you may decide not to.

18. louse cannot jump, but they are fast crawlers.
19. when you had no symptoms prior to diagnosis, you will now feel phantom louse. and pray they are only phantom. and run for the comb.
20. your daughter my decide to camp out in the loft to escape her room, till it's 'safe'. *giggle*

21. long hair doesn't leave you more vulnerable for louse... just an opportunity to exercise more patience when combing.
22. your pets cannot give you lice.
23. christmas decorations can wait. again.

**********************************************

guess what mama is doing today?
taking a homeschool inservice.
cleaning and combing, again.
repeat.
we'll be surprised if we have any hair left.

this... and toilet cleaning,
not in my 'happily ever after.'

on the positive side, my house will be the cleanest its ever been! can you tell stuff like this brings out a lil' type a personality in me? rhetorical question, of course.

**********************************************

websites that might prove helpful should you ever need them:

mercola

ask dr. sears

home remedies
virtual haircare

disease control & prevention

ehow: treating with listerine
medicinenet.com (pictures)

jan {i}photo challenge: week 1/366

2012-01-08T14:00:00.001-06:00

suppose it shouldn't come as a shock that i'm doing this cute photo challenge a bit different. beautiful {more organized than me} peeps are doing this as recommended via instagram. but i'll just go for the whole sha-bang, at once. it's not too late if you want to join in the fun.

that's my continuous goal.

simply...
what works for us.

balance...
in all things.

hey, it can happen.

1. me
2. breakfast. organic eggs.
3. something i adore. hugs.
4. letterbox. and the 11 yo's first time to try out the key.
5. what i wore.

6. makes me smile. hardware completed in the kitchen. hot tea. my sleeping children. learning on the go. girlies that still ride on shopping carts. messages from my babies letting me know i'm still needed... even if only to fix breakfast.

7. favourite. not one, but two family trips to ikea! a few of our purchases... 2 chandelier {top row} for girlie room makeovers, two embroidered pillows, and shelving... with baskets for storing those pesky shoes that seem to fall off of little people's feet upon entry to our home.

it's what works for our family.

{insert witty christmas title here}

2012-01-03T14:23:00.000-06:00

trusting everyone had a wonderful and restful holiday season. restful and holiday. that almost made me giggle. we are still in the holiday season here. that sounds better than saying recovery, right? taking it slow. as possible. enjoying the christmas lights. still. easing into routine.

our festivities looked a lil' bit like this...

cookies {oatmeal chocolate chip, to be exact} were made for christmas-light-ridin' and santa.

it's all fun and games till gracie takes a pic of mom, playing with the new lens. 50mm. lovin' it! the lens, not the pic. no make-up and a 3 second bun are musts for cooking, yes? ...yes?

keepin' it real. you're welcome.

the important thing is that they were proud of their creations.

santa realized santa wouldn't be able to unload someone's christmas present and have it wrapped under the tree before picking up a certain someone from the airport.  who could?  i mean... when two muscle men had to grunt while loading it in the sleigh.  wowzers.

a certain someone was texted {that's a word, right?} to say merry christmas... and hoped a certain someone and their boss didn't have much luggage to add to the vehicle.

he loved the toolbox! yay. now it's time to finish organizing that garage. fun... sarcasm. check.

a sibling christmas eve gift exchange is a much anticipated tradition.  nator received the 3 in 1 cabin legos.  gracie, a stuffed pinkie pie... which resulted in a happy-hug-tackle. chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast may need to become a yearly tradition.

the girls gasped with excitement at their much coveted {and retired} american girl dolls.  nator received samantha and kirsten {thanks to mama finding a few great deals on ebay over the summer}, and gracie received felicity and elizabeth. 

we cleared away {most of} the mess and started our road-trip.
arriving at granny's, just in time to share christmas evening with 19 total.  roger that.  then we met the rest of the fam further down the bayou.

a little time with family...

distance makes it a challenge to stay close. sometimes, i really don't like that part... but the kiddos warmed up to each other again, just fine.

before we left louisiana, we watched brees set a new record. woot. {if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? i'm starting to get into this football thing. maybe.} gracie's favorite part was watching granny get excited, raising her voice {kicking a leg or two} at the action on tv. granny loves football. just a little. ;)

i'm signing out of this novel now. maybe by the time february rolls around, i'll have you up to date with january. and christmas decorations will be down. one can hope.

merry christmas and happy new year, y'all

2011-12-23T13:43:00.001-06:00

praying you and your family have a wonderful holiday season. share lots of laughter, eat happy food, and make priceless memories with the ones you love.

and try not to have a...

because we'll...

december {so far}

2011-12-22T05:30:00.000-06:00

hi. remember us? we've been just a tad busy.
but i'm sure we're not the only ones. ;)

things to remember...

decorating cute lil' houses with our homeschool group. 

we decided to let this take the place of our annual gingerbread house decorating at home... this year.

fun with the lego advent calendar.

shining moments on stage.  these girlies have grown leaps and bounds.  so proud of them!  not bias at all.  nope.

we met prince charming.  he really can be found at a grocery store.  and he's a nut... cracker, that is.

snuggles with jazzy.  this dog cracks me up.  she and gracie are two peas in a pod.  really.

girlies trying to figure out which number belongs to them {we numbered the gifts instead of naming them this year}.

my birthday.  but not much time for celebrating this year.  

life calls.

mama wore her #1 MOM pin.  she may have forgotten it was there... and wondered why the moms at theater were calling her #1 mom.  *blush*

making {lots of} caramel popcorn for gifts.
gracie sewing lil' pillows for barbies.

busy hands.
full hearts.
curriculum on pause.
tired... all over.

daddy's grillin'.
checkin' the naughty/nice meter.
wooden doll crafts.
playing with rhinestones and iphone apps {photofunia}.
trampoline fun... while waiting for cold weather.

16 dance classes. 

3 theater practices. 

6 theater performances.

1 dance competition team performance.

2 dance christmas parties. 

4 piano lessons.

1 piano christmas recital.

1 spontaneous family-photo-shoot. 

1 homeschool christmas party.

a scrooge production, starring one of our best friends.  

a christmas production, at our local collage.

a hubby's company christmas party {on the same night as dance and theater performances}.

hubby out of town two weeks in a row. 

this week, we are in recovery mode.

watching a lot of christmas shows, while mass-producing hats. 

all before we do more last minute shopping...

after we pick up hubs from the airport. 

holiday crowds make me sweaty.

christmas-day-countdown is in FULL. swing. here at the family team.
 
you?

remembering {the alamo}

2011-12-12T23:25:00.000-06:00

{finally} the end of our thanksgiving vacation. you know... so we can blog about ~~reality~~ our current life.

one cannot go to san antonio without walking through this piece of history.

we opted to make a day of it.
our traditional walk through the alamo itself. no pictures allowed inside.

a trip to the disney store.

a ride through the riverwalk.
riverwalk + christmas lights = a great way to ring in the christmas season.

end of the day celebrated at the hard rock cafe'.

this year, we threw in a little education ~~torture~~.
we made our way through the wax museum and...

ripley's believe it or not. i guarantee that's a stop our girls will remember for years to come. the girls were mostly eager to find the exit sign. i don't blame them. they really should post signs for parents of what's around the corner. ;)

my favorite room was dedicated to the titanic. the picture below shows a demonstration of the leak that took the titanic down. unbelievable.

we rewarded the girls with a lil' ice cream. we're cool like that.

after we said goodbye to our room, it was time to make a mad-dash home. just in time for theater rehearsal. that's how we've been rolling lately.

i wanted to remember these circles in the carpet. gracie walked on these {only} getting to and from our room. seeing life through a spunky 9 year old is always exciting.

souvineers in hand, we had to say good-bye.
or see you later. back to reality.

until next time...

a moderate ride {day 3}

2011-12-07T12:29:00.001-06:00

if your children are not the ride-ridin' type, an amusement park is a must-stop when you go on a lil' family vacay. make sense, no?

at least there's the water-gun-shootin'-game-thingy. winners and non-winners win a cape. super powers might be attached. it's a win-win.

there's the car that runs on a track. employees still have to check for fastened seat-belts when these lil' minors are driving. safety first.

and these famous looney tunes.   gracie's favorite part.   gracie gave bugs bunny the 'call-me' hand signal. he returned the signal to her... then gave me the 'call-me' hand signal.

and that was the day hubs almost knocked bugs bunny out. we kid. maybe.

nator drove her first car. no guidance from a track. just railings. of which she only bumped into once, while looking up for me. not bad for a first drive, right? gracie was happy riding as daddy's co-pilot.

nator wanted to upgrade from the beloved 'shamu express' at sea world and try a moderate ride at fiesta texas. she chose the large rocking boat. during which, she vowed not to ever try again and determined rides were not in her dna.

i seem to be the only willing-coaster-rider {well, so long as it doesn't spin side-ways} in my family, yet i don't have a riding partner. truthfully, the older i get, the less attractive they look. the rockin' boat almost did me in when i looked sideways at hubs and gracie below.

the ferris wheel, the one ride the girlies will ride, is about our speed. so long as the girls don't look down.

okay. secret's out. i married a pirate and gave birth to a neon-colored-wanna-be hippie.

gift shops... and the traditional lighting of christmas tree, being ushered in by carolers {who are not afraid to sing about jesus}, fireworks, and looney tunes? those are always welcome. and fun.

but a night-cap at the macaroni grill? yum. mo.

i suggested skipping the amusement park next time since we don't do rides. gracie said, "but moooom, the looney tunes show!"

so... is coaster-riding in your dna? ;)

evolution of birthdays

2011-12-06T11:24:00.001-06:00

it's funny, you know. the evolution of celebrating birthdays. when growing up, one can live in a child-like bubble of knowing there's a 'big deal' to be made out of the whole day.

while all of my childhood memories wouldn't give warm fuzzies, i do remember a time or two when mom would check us out of school early on our special day {or on the last day of school}. oh, how i loved hearing the intercom buzz my teacher with instructions to send "hmama" to the office for check-out. being free from that stuffy place was the. best. gift. ever. even if it was only 15 minutes earlier than the rest of the class.

i remember a relay race with two lines of friends. it was our goal to throw adult clothes on top of our kid clothes, run around the yard and be back to pass the adult clothes to the next person in line.

i remember a surprise-sweet-16 birthday. mom had arranged all of my friends from church to be at our house when i returned from a shopping trip with a friend. completely unexpected.

mom always did a great job pulling something special together for our birthdays. my brother's birthday the day before mine. her's, the day after. yet, our days somehow managed to feel... individual.

i remember re-enacting the wire hanger scene from mommy dearest with my mother for all of my slumber party friends. so scary, it was downright funny. they loved it. i think my mom liked it, too. ;)

mom has always had a flair for the dramatic. i think that's part of what made her so good at pulling gatherings together, during a season of my childhood.

i'm not a party mom. i wish i were. sometimes, i feel like it's just not in my personality to play hostess to a house, filled with other people's lil' children. please tell me i'm not alone in this. it will make me feel better, anyway. and it is my birthday today. no pressure.

we usually tell our girls they can have a big party, or a big gift. big parties are hosted at other locations. that, i can do. woot. most times, they want the gift and one on one time with a friend. i can do that, too. woot-woot. aaaaand, we take a day off of school for birthdays. including mom's. woots all around!

years later, ladies from the institutional church we served would take me out to dinner on my special day. they took great joy in seeing the restaurant do their birthday production, at my expense. it was all in fun. time would tell me that many of those ladies were not true friends. difficult times have a way of separating the girls from the women. i'm better for it, really.

hubby, bless his heart, is much more gifted at this birthday planning gig than i am. last year, he had arranged for our best friends to meet us for a wonderful evening on the boardwalk.

today, life has been filled with getting things ready for an online class the girls are taking... about the victorian christmas era. dance class. dress rehearsal at theater. i really wanted to go to the chiropractor. mama is hurtin'. age talkin'. sorry.

now that i'm all grown up {hold your laughter}, expectations are not what they used to be. i no longer live in a bubble. i realize, often times, the celebration comes from within. you create your own party. even if that is stirring a heart of thankfulness by remembering the real blessings in life.

you know... when your kids and hubby sing happy birthday to you. hubs whispers sweet nothings into your ear before he leaves for work... "i changed the litter-box for you." gets me every time. sets birthday cards on the table and then starts the dishwasher, too.

love deposits. ;)
those are the best gifts of all.

oh... and there's nothing wrong with tossin' the adult clothes for kid clothes every once in a while. metaphorically speaking. i plan to do that, too. hubs owes me a date night, yes? ;)

if you need me, look for the lady walking with a crook in the neck, wearing the #1 MOM! pin. because my kids think i could totally rock a presidency. you gotta love the cuteness in that.

a traditional {thanks}giving

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-06:00

if you follow my instagram, you already know we didn't have a "traditional" thanksgiving.

it seems we've developed a different tradition 'round here.
thanksgiving = shamu.

we bought passes to sea world and fiesta texas last year that were to expire the weekend of our trip. that, combined with hubby's hotel points made it a fairly budget-friendly family vacation this year.

our room{s} were quite posh. yes, plural. hubs booked the girls a room {with 2 double beds} that adjoined to ours, via a sitting room. i told you it was posh. down-right swanky, if you will. i mean, i finally got to try a 'rain shower'. in 3.5 seconds, i realized it wouldn't be at the top my list in dream home necessities. kinda like showering under a waterfall? {not that i've ever done that} but i like to breathe.

our first day was spent driving to our destination, then getting re-acquainted with sea world for a few hours. we {heart} sea world.

day two, thanksgiving day, was spent watching some of the macy's day parade in our rooms, then we headed out to black-eyed pea for their thanksgiving menu... with all of the other families who didn't cook. ;) the only down side is that you can't snack on leftovers later.

we did our go-'round-the-table-and-tell-us-what-you're-thankful-for tradition. basically, everyone is thankful for everything. gracie made sure to let us know that she was least thankful for... having to eat a few bites of turkey. we're such mean parents. ;)

we spent the rest of the day at sea world. again.
gracie trying to eat over-sized candy canes.
seeing faces in trees. do you see it?
meeting mistletoe-man.
waiting for shamu, while enjoying christmas tunes via saxophone... played by tobey mcguire. at least that's what i thought about him. who doesn't love a good saxophone? *sigh*

we had to visit our friend from last year. the king penguin. i love their waddle. and bad hair days {you know, when they lose their feathers} *giggle* nator has a thing for penguins. all birds, really. i have a thing for her. she's a cutie. and oh so smart.

then there were the sea lion pups. oh. so. adorable.

we watched a handful of shows. shamu being my fave, as always. thus we watched it twice. {i love when the animals decide they want to play in the big tanks near the audience... instead of rotating to the back pens during the show. it's a show-stopper. literally. cute. well, when the babies do it, that is.}

drank hot chocolate late in the evening when it cooled off. listened to christmas music.

gracie's faaaaavorite was feeding and especially petting a dolphin. you would have thought she had met justin beiber in person. her dolphin's name was nikki. full of adorable personality.

now she wants a dolphin.
we told her we'd put it right next to that horse she wants.

it would be easier for them to {one day} work at sea world.
that's always something they dream of when we visit.

who knows... when my day-job changes, i may send a resume' to sea world myself. i'm used to working with animals, you know?

day 3 of our trip to come...
see. traditional, right?

mama's christmas stocking

2011-12-03T13:12:00.001-06:00

while our christmas tree is usually hosting gifts tagged for two little girls, it's always fun to put together a little wish list of your own, right? maybe this is simply a {wish} list for the year 2012. ;)

{although... this year, mama tagged the christmas gifts with numbers. we won't reveal the mystery owner of said numbers till christmas morning. it's our personal entertainment. watching the girls try to figure this out. muahahaha...}

in random order...

if i can't seem to get this lil' ol' bloggy in book form {still a personal goal. just need to filter through mama's ramblings. oi.}, i'd like to get my second blog in poster form. instagram serves as my second blog. you know, to capture all those moments that don't seem to make it to this bloggy. it's like blogging on the go! {if you don't have it, check it out here. good stuff.}

speaking of 'on-the-go', i'm thinking this lil' gorillapod gadget could come in handy. could be a great vlogging tool, yes? ;)

speaking of pictures... mama needs a new lens. yes, it's a need. you know... since we skimp on paying for professional shoots. sometimes, that sounds appealing, too. aaaand since one of my favorite 'go-to' lenses busted last year, during our family-christmas-shoot. wind gusts and tripods are not a good mix. just so you know.

speaking of amazon... mama would like to order some school books and videos that have been collecting dust on the ol' wish list. when you homeschool, there's seems to be a gray area as to what is for you and what is for the kids. now that i think about it, i think it's a mom-thing. yep.

speaking of mom... mom would really like some nice jeans. she has wanted to try out some buckle jeans. because when the 'long' old navy jeans are still an inch too short... you might need to try exact measurements. and a little stylish bling on the pockets might help distract from crow's feet. no?

she's also on the look-out for some stylish, flat, comfortable boots... on sale. ;)

and who doesn't have a carpet party on their christmas list? you know... rolling it out to the curb, that is. so, a new floor is on the {wish} list, too. at least, for part of the house. let's just say that kids + pets = a petri dish of a carpet. area rugs are much more fun anyway. hear that, santa?

and last, but certainly not least, a snow day... or two. for the girls. and maybe we can get rid of some of these texas mosquitoes while we're at it.

what's on your christmas list?

counting blessings

2011-11-22T11:52:00.001-06:00

our most recent weekend was not the family-fun-errand-outing-weekend we're used to upon hub's return home from... where did you go again this time, hun? indianapolis? i think that's it.

gracie's symptoms hit her harder thursday night. an early flu? nothing a little knowledge and run to the vitamin store couldn't tackle. friday morning, we retrieved hubs from the airport. needless to say, friday and saturday were good times. did i mention hubs was sick, too? yeah. poor guy. no grillin' goin' on in our hizz-ay over the weekend.

my poor momma and wifey heart.

thankfully, nator was well... and eager to help. she's a handy girlie to have around. nurturing seems an innate quality in this little bundle of joy. she's gonna make a wonderful wifey and mother... one day.

sunday, theater called a 4 hour rehearsal. we tucked dad in at home, while nator and i tucked gracie in at the theater. she was feeling well enough to watch and say a few lines.

we also got word from a dear family member that their health is potentially more serious than your momentary flu. sometimes, life just seems unfair. it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel in those moments.

i have to be reminded that they are just that. moments.

it's up to me as to how i react. i know that. but sometimes... well, i honestly want to throw a good two-or-three-year-old-tantrum. our hearts are tempted to become anxious.

then... i'm reminded of his goodness. god's goodness. and all that he's done for us already. for starters, the gift of his son. it's all perspective, really.

light is to darkness, as thankfulness is to complaint.

so this holiday season, while we are working on a stuff-mart list of wanted-fun-items under the tree, we also remember what's important. the needed things that can never be wrapped...

pure love. cherished family memories. hugs till you can't breath. laughter till your tummy hurts. health. wellsprings of patience. trust. kindness. honesty. true beauty. perseverance. close friendship. seeing the goodness in others... and yourself. hope for what is to come. child-like faith. compassion. loyalty. and joy... unspeakable joy.

and may you have it all. pressed down, shaken together, and running over. completely full.

counting blessings. as numerous as the stars.

or christmas lights.

we three {trees}

2011-11-20T21:02:00.001-06:00

it twas a weekend of christmas-decoration-bliss.  for our trees, anyway.  dusting off bags and containers taking residence in the attic.  yay for husbands who are home to help pull those down! ;)

we played christmas music. one lil' girl wanted to play something else, but she was out-voted. i mean... how can one decorate for christmas without christmas music?

mom adorned the tree with its usual bows, ribbon, and large snowflakes. it was up to the girls to do the rest. they were more than ready. mom was relieved when help was needed to hang one ornament on top. when did they get so tall? and learn to not put all the ornaments on one branch?

children just put a little something extra in the holidays. i love looking at everything... life, in general, through their eyes. such excitement.

frosty, mickey and minnie are waiting in great anticipation to see what will be under the tree this year...

and not to be outdone, the girls have their own trees.  one little gracie is hoping santa will remember them all...

that $-tree in the backyard better start producing.  and quick.  otherwise, santa will be visiting just one tree. as he does every year. ;) 

{doncha just looove pinterest?!}

so thankful to be in stage #1. what? which stage did you think i was in? rhetorical question, of course.

next... 'the pretty tree', as the girls call it. but if you've seen last year's decorations, you've already seen it. really, it looks the same.

creature of habit... or budget.

kick your feet up & grab a cup of coffee

2011-11-17T00:14:00.000-06:00

alternate titles:  life after the country music awards. counting blessings: roadside edition.  never a dull moment at its best.  god bless the good samaritans.  our nutshell life with a bowl full of nuts.

this is going downhill, so i'll stop.

*giggle* 

would you believe that we have already enjoyed our {two} decorated christmas trees for a week and a half now?  still can. not. believe it's this time of year already!

sometimes i get the nikon out.  sometimes, the iphone camera.  but lately, it's been the video camera.  i know.  you can barely contain your excitement, right?  i have to admit... talking to the camera is a bit awkward, at times. ha.

we have a lot to catch up on via video.  feel free to put your feet up and grab that cup of coffee.  or tea.  imma tea gal myself.

{don't judge too harshly.  video is done in the worst lighting and most unflattering perspectives.  especially, the no-makeup-at-all-shots.  although, in this lighting, one can hardly tell when i do have it on.  ha!  have i ever told you that we can't see ourselves while recording?  that would explain a few headless video shots in past vlogs.  ha!}

 

{edit: yay! the entire video is working properly now.  due to my mad technical skillz. ha! and i also wanted to thank youtube for that ever-flattering freeze-frame. nice.} ;)

i know.  crazy, right?  i was nominated for best homeschool vlogger?  *giggle*  {thank you, sweet friend!}  i think voting ends nov 18th @ 11:59 p.m.  if you're so inclined, feel free to click on over to view all of the homeschool blog-o-sphere goodness.

and if you made it through the video, you'll be relieved to know that nator did make it to the bookstore for her much anticipated date.  dad was able to come, too! ;)  

i love that 11 year old. 11 on 11-11-11. ;)

wishing you more moments of kicking your feet up, eating pumpkin cheesecake, yummy & delicious scents, christmas lights... and true happiness {as mentioned in the last 2 minutes of video}.  

have you unpacked christmas in your home yet?

{pix of that to come soon} ;)

{CMA} ramblings

2011-11-10T03:09:00.003-06:00

{otherwise titled: what one does when one's husband is out of town - when one really should be sleeping} 

footloose.  interesting choice.  country awards, right?  it's okay, i suppose.  i like blake.

brad paisley & carrie underwood.  love them.  i still think carrie was the best thing to come from american idol.  

if i die young.  really?!!  i still don't get that song. 

faith hill and tim mcgraw.  such a beautiful couple.  3 kids later.  no fair.  what's their secret?  you know... besides the fact that they work out in the gym together, eat healthy, and possibly have access to several age-defying-procedures?  

keith urban and nicole kidman.  make such a lovely couple.  even if he's a little shorter.  happy for them.

sara evans.  something looks different.  sounds off.  not a fan of the ladies twirling in the air.   no cables?  has anyone ever fallen from those long curtains? country meets circ du soleil? aren't you getting dizzy?  i need to go to the gym.  personal trainer.  chocolate?

miranda lambert.  baggage claim.  i'm glad it's not the house that built me.  are you wearing an over-sized wrestler's belt?  something's on fire.  be careful pretty lady.  you and blake make a great lookin' couple!

kelly pickler.  oh, girl.  here.  have some of my chocolate.  song of the year... if i die young.   are you kidding me?  *sigh*  is it even a country song?  am i the only one who doesn't get this song?

okay, bring it zac brown band.  georgia.  awesome.  how did you know i was from georgia? ;)

rascal flatts.  love those harmonies.  awwww.... Natasha Bedingfield.  you look lovely dawling. oh, wait.  are you wearing a carpet?  nevermind, you guys sound great together.   i'd love to have your range.  *sigh*

actors?  what's the connection to country?  hmmm...  vocal duo is... sugarland.  you needed some great news.  

eric church.  are you in witness protection?  take the sunglasses off, please.  singing... all you gotta do is put a drink in my hand?  that may explain a few things.  i change the radio station when songs like this come across the satellite radio.  can't have my 9 yo singing that.  shame.

thompson square.  i didn't know your name, but have heard your 'kiss me or not' song a lot.  are you guys married?  i've always wondered how that worked with unmarried duets.  

chris allen.  you sound country.  and we can see your face.  thank you.  awe.  you have dimples.  sorry... i'm already happily married.

taylor swift.  i appreciate your modest simplicity.  you almost make me want to play the guitar.  i can't have my girls singing your lyrics though... you always sing of not listening to your parents when in the thralls of puppy love.  why must you do that?

whoa, carrie underwood.  where did that outfit come from?

luke bryan.  i wasn't a fan of that song before... now i'm really not.  i won't be shakin' anything for you.  how much are personal trainers??  fast-forward.

miss piggy.  fun.

lady antebellum.  heather looks pretty next to her new g-q beau.  wait.  is she pregnant?  *googles*  apparently not.

world series mvp?  cool.  not sure what he has to do with country.  but cool.  announcing album of the year... jason aldean.  that'll do.

kenny chesney.  you and tequilla make me crazy.  catchy tune, but it makes me crazy.  

wow, carrie.  who is picking these outfits??

apparently, there's a lot of beiber rumors in the headlines.  i don't watch the news.

little big town, lionel richie... oh, wait!  bring little big town back!  i want to hear boondocks!  guess we'll have to settle for darius rucker.  now we're adding rascal flatts.  interesting song.  where's the country in this?

awe.  country is working to keep music in schools.  gotta love that.  chevrolet and the cma.  maybe i need to buy a chevrolet? ;)

the band perry.  fast-forward.  wait.  i like the classy look of this red dress and back-ground.  but i must. fast. forward.

leann rimes.  wow.  did everyone get extra-extra skinny for this shwin-dig?  vocal group of the year... lady antebellum.  yeah!  it's not the band perry.

sugarland.  is this guy your boyfriend?  where's your usual duet partner?  he has a nice voice, but has a garage band look.  oh... there's your partner.  hi.

brad paisley and carrie underwood sing.  finally.  remind me.  beautiful.  love this dress.

new artist of the year goes to... the band perry.  ugh.  i may need to go on a cma strike.  

scotty mccreery.  at least you're keeping it country, right?  jason aldean.  i think i like this song.   hello, reece witherspoon.  you look comfortable on stage.  and male vocalist of the year goes to... blake shelton.  good for him.  

martina mcbride.  hey, i know her.  well... i attended one of her concerts, anyway.  i'm sure we made eye contact.  i'll take her vocal range, too, please.  a white suite?  she normally wears all black.  she's skinny.  she can wear all white.

a tribute to glen campbell.  sweet.  maybe we shouldn't do a closeup on vince gill's glasses, mkay?  awe.  this is sweet.  

faith hill.  she could be a model.  her makeup is a bit cat-woman-ish tonight though.  i'd like to have her vocal range.  i think my vocal chords are tired from listening to all these ranges tonight.  

more actors to announce female vocalist?  miranda lambert.  really?  deja vu anyone?  

wow.  that's the strangest dress, carrie.  that wardrobe person should be fired.  reba announcing entertainer of the year... taylor swift.  look at that teenage excitement.  cute.  writing names on your arm?  cuter. 

i am clearly no longer a teenager, thus mama needs some zzzzz...  that's a wrap. 

did your faves win?  {if you love the band perry, please disregard this post and chalk it up to delirious ramblings.} ;)

{L}ife {L}ately

2011-11-08T23:23:00.000-06:00

{L}ive performances.

seems we didn't get enough of our own. the girls were eager to watch the other cast in their o{L}iver performance. well, that... and mom was needed to snap a few pix. ;)

sisterly {L}ove. 

the best.

{L}oving others.

operation christmas child.

{L}earning... with our furry side-kicks. 

{L}ong division for a certain 4th grader. the pillars of is{L}am. george washington. shakespeare. beethoven. nations of the world. adverbs. dolphins. and fashion 101.   

{L}ong socks don't necessarily go with shorts.  

mom learns that this is shocking news to a certain 11 yo.

but we let it s{L}ide. because she's so stinkin' cute.

{L}aughing. furry side-kicks bring welcome comedic relief during learning fun. we've really enjoyed having our day-time hours back to fit a relaxing school day. can you tell? ;)

i{LL}ustration.

we've been studying vincent van gogh's {L}ife and works.  here is our interpretation of the starry night.  can you name the artists of the above originals? ;)  

nator calls it "sunny morning". sounds much happier, yes?  mr. van gogh didn't seem at peace with himself.  poor guy. 

the girls thought {L}umping leftover paint colors together just as interesting as any priceless van gogh.  

i love the care-free-playfulness of these 9 and 11 year old girls.  

{L}ittle girl {L}ovin'.

this girlie needed to catch up on some daddy. so... he took her for a treat at non other than panera. quality time was had as they checked off the grocery list, too.

nator and i enjoyed some quiet time at home. ;)

funny how many definitions there are to romance. hubs being home on the weekends to cook breakfast and help with the grocery shopping = ~~sanity saver~~ priceless.

let's catch up, shall we?

2011-11-02T22:24:00.002-05:00

granny came to texas...  {howdy, granny!}

to see her granddaughter's acting debut.

fortunately, nator also had a piano recital for granny to enjoy.  live and in person.

see her at the piano?

*sigh*

maybe next time we agree to playing a duet, we should ask which side of the piano she will be playing, yes? ;)

playing a jazzy tune, they were the most entertaining {spoken like a true mama}...

including jazz hands at the end.

cute.

upon leaving recital, the church was hosting a small pumpkin patch.  we can check this off the list now, too.

right? ;)

cute lil' punkin' heads.

we woke early to join some of our best friends and 15,000 others {give or take a few} in a walk for the cure for juvenile diabetes.

cutie-patooties.  the girls were so excited to raise money for their friend. 

i'm just realizing the greenery behind gracie's head makes her look like she has crazy, static-filled hair. ha!

we auditioned for the christmas production at theater.

then finished our final two productions.

{thankyoujesus} 

think it's safe to say that they love it. 

all of this, and more {you know school-errands-life}, might help explain some of the bloggy absence. and my seemingly inability to remember to snap a picture of jazzy in her halloween tutu. i know, right?! what kind of furry-family-member-mama am i?! i really should take more pictures of that poor doggy. ;)

Trick, Treat, or Unicef

2011-11-02T00:13:00.000-05:00

see their "trick-or-treat-for-unicef-give-to-the-children" faces?  after a few years, they just about have the look down, yes? ;)

hubs and i are so proud of our girlies.  {warning: bragging parent alert.  you know, unlike all the other posts. *ehem*}  

we can chalk up another halloween to spare change for unicef. this year, they managed to round up $42 from our lil' neck of the woods. that makes their grand total, so far, $102.

did we mention how proud we are of them?

we dressed jazzy in a tutu to add to the cuteness. dodged mosquitoes {nator called them vampires}, candy {nator said it made her proud to say no to the candy. gracie was bribed with promise of homemade cookies.}, cars, and a number of people that don't live in our neighborhood.

they managed to evade the scariest of homes.  {their parents were thankful}  our neighborhood really comes to life for this holiday.  crazy people.  

in all honesty, there's not a scary bone in these sweet lil' gurls. ;)

evading scary homes and candy, we made our way to one of our favorite mexican restaurants to load up on calories. {and it was 'kids eat free'... that was a treat!} then mom made oatmeal cookies.  

muy logical, no?

{grace} under the influence of hormones

2011-10-27T20:51:00.000-05:00

when hubs called, i informed him that he almost lost a child yesterday. {of course, i'm kidding.  please don't get your bowels in an uproar (as pops used to say).  our kids are well taken care of.  promise.  just ask us.  not them.  ha!}  after he giggled {wait.  do men giggle?}, i mean... belted a manly chuckle, he asked what happened.

let me just say that when you have all girls fluttering about the house, some things are completely open to discussion... at any given moment.

and it had been a trying day.  it seemed that after several weeks of daytime theater rehearsals, simply jumping back into a 'school' routine was being met with several grumbles.  

*gasp*  i know, right?  

i confess.  we try to make school fun, but sometimes schoolwork can feel a bit dry when you're trying to just 'get through a few things'.  such is life.  i figure that's preparing them for the future, too.  not everything in life is a walk through the park, right? ;) 

mama may or may not have given a speech on the privilege of education... and homeschool.  and the fact that "extra-curricular" activities (theater, dance, field trips, etc.) can be lessened if studies are met with complaint.  mama's not playin', y'all.  mama is tired from said activities, although great distractions when dad is out of town.

we consider homeschool a major blessing.   truthfully, non of us would have it any other way.   just felt the need to put that out there.  ;)

so, since we have such open communication, we were discussing how little things that normally bother you... well, reeeeeally bother you A LOT when hormones are running amok.  which may or may not explain why mama spouted an earlier speech {while tripping over toys, bedding, and cups} in search of a girlie's missing grammar workbook... only to be found where it was supposed to be.  on her shelf.  oi.

this ended in a group hug.  mama needed it.  maybe we all did.

{nator throwing water on one of her friends! this part of the play cracks. me. up.}

we made it through schoolwork {thankyoujesus}.  honestly, they enjoy our educational discussions and songs, once we dive in.  

before i headed downstairs, i noticed 6 or 7 cups that needed to be returned to the kitchen.  without giving a speech, i told them to bring their cups downstairs when they came down.

then gracie spoke one of the forbidden phrases one should not say when someone under the roof is slightly influenced by hormones.

are you ready for it?

"i'll be glad when your period is over."

wait...  did you *gasp* or *giggle*? 

and this, my friends, is where grace steps in.

 mama took a deep breath.  told gracie them were punishable words. warning noted.  then proceeded downstairs.  just walk away, hmama.  walk. a.way.

mama may or may not have dove into a dark chocolate bar for comfort.

i shudder to think what it will be like when all three of us are raging with hormones.  menopause around the corner anyone??  better yet, hubs {poor guy} should just enter the house initiating hugs and carting dark chocolate.  great idea, yes?

and i record these words because hubs told me to. he thought it was stinkin'. hilarious. as did i. once i took 5 or 50 deep breaths.

good thing she's so cute. you know, with that deep dimple of hers.

and her innate need to belt out the star spangled banner while showering also brings a smile to my face.

name that play

2011-10-20T22:38:00.000-05:00

wednesday was a day of painting theater props and piano lesson.
by 5:00 pm mama was ready to call. it. a. day. really.
i'm not getting old... and i may or may not be in denial.

today, gracie and i woke together, just shy of the alarm going off.
i was greeted by her big smile, as she leaned over to snuggle and wish me good morning.
love that.

waking to the sound of an alarm is an annoying way to start the day anyway. agree? unless you're nator. she's a light sleeper and only needs the smooth sounds of a light-classical-piano-alarm to wake her from behind her eye mask. cute, yes?

she's always been that way. getting that girlie to nap when she was younger was a monumental task. the slightest noise woke her. gracie on the other hand, needed 'white noise' for sleep... and a rock, bounce, pat motion to do the trick. to this day, gracie is known for falling asleep before we finish a movie. nator will see it to the end... like her mama.

i digress.

we started our thursday with a full run-thru of the production.

then it was off to diffuse a little drama happenings at theater {imagine that. ha!}. late lunch. edit pictures, taken during rehearsal. {i always take too many!} print theater invitations for the girls to hand deliver. drop off girls at dance. order a handful of 5x7 pix for the theater. clean kitchen. feed dog. change litter. take out trash. talk to hubs via cell. pick up pictures ordered. pick up girls. prepare dinner. initiate showers. blog multiple ramblings {aren't you glad?}. eventually crawl to bed.

now... aren't you tired, too? soooooo it's not my age, it's this daily grind thing wearin' mama down. *ahem*

in our home, we are currently housing bet, charlotte, orphans, old sally, old lady {not me-the play, silly}, flower seller, and a milk maid. which play am i?

oh! and thank you so much for all of the well wishes. i have passed them on... and they were received with a big, thankful smile. :)

consuming life lately

2011-10-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

birthday party for a bestie-friend turning 12.

each of the girls made her a throw pillow to match her new bedroom. {i hope it matches} the stitching is a bit rough, but it's the thought that counts, right? no, really. i think they were giftable... is that a word? anyhoo, the luvable webkinz we brought will match any lil' girl's decor. ;)

i'm in complete denial of the fact that my oldest will be turning 12 in 5 months.
not. believing. it.
and my youngest double digits in 3 months.
lord. help. me.
tissue?

theater. we are using a different (much better) theater this round.

the hard part? day-time practices [3 hrs (extended to 4 hrs lately)/3 days a week + driving time] and performance prop preparation, which has been eating into our normal school hours; however, the experiences gained?? priceless and irreplaceable. the girls have grown so much and have looked forward to each rehearsal.

{i'm so glad you're not checking my horrid grammar. you're not checking that on this blog, right??!}

i've determined to pause schoolwork this week due to the logistics of theater performances, piano recital preparation, in combination with dance schedule, hubs out of town, and honestly... exhaustion.

i've also determined to bring my good camera soon.

pretty sure a few of the kids don't care which camera is used. ;)

dance. dance team competition. dance solo for competition.

yes, the show must go on, in all departments. even if one girlie wears a knee and ankle brace and watch from the sidelines, as recommended by our wonderful chiropractor.

at least we are finally experiencing fall temperatures. fi.na.lly. this has made us all giddy!! i'm pretty sure i looked at the employee in academy like she had two heads when she said she hated this cooler weather. is it just me, or is something wrong with you when you want triple digit temps all of the time??

jazzy is excited. more car rides. however, she is apparently disturbed when 6 kids crowd around ~~her personal space~~ the window to ask me a question about her. she growls. and gets in trouble. this is her mama-just-fussed-at-me-but-i'm-still-keeping-an-ear-on-those-kids-out-there face. notice how she sometimes sits in the seat like a person. one of us really should tell her she's a dog. geesh.

i wish i could tell you more that been filling up our days, but this pretty much sums up my bloggy absence. the daily grind. *hangs head in shame*

tomorrow is our last day-time rehearsal... and school will resume in full-speed. i'm sure the girls are excited. {insert mad scientist laughter}

so, what's new with YOU? i've missed making my rounds in blogdom. hoping to catch up with you soon!!

dancin' in the rain

2011-10-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

today, we enjoyed a relaxing-family-day!
and guess what?!
it's been raining aaaaaall day.
i'd almost forgotten what those rainy dayz were like.

oh, how i've missed them!

when taken for granted, rainy dayz have the potential to be cumbersome...
in the midst of the daily grind.

when they are few and far between...
mom might tell you to go outside.
and you might look at her, like... huh?!

then...
one free-spirited child might dash out the door, without hesitation.
the other might contemplate it, then decide it would be okay...
with umbrella in hand.

these pictures captured our second shower over the summer.

there were maybe 3, total.

this one lasted 5 minutes.

literally.

then disappeared as quickly as it came.

the first shower, very light, lasted 2 hours.

and we wonder why our grass is not the plush lawn of our dreams?

even a 5 minute rain shower is something to get excited about in this texas drought.

today, the girls played on the trampolene for a few minutes. rain was no deterrent. then, they had an unexpected play date, when a friend needed me to keep her kids.

all had a blast this afternoon...

in the midst of the rain.

i'm purdy sure we started a new year

2011-10-05T01:36:00.000-05:00

our last homeschool year seemed to blur into the next.  it wasn't quite planned that way, but when unexpected summer plans throw you a bit off... and you plan a lil' getaway... 

well, let's just say... life happens.  

we schooled light through the summer, now we're easing back into a routine, as best we can.

we've started our new history.  we're rollin' right along in math {lordhelpme}.  we've memorized all 53 prepositions.  states and capitals are nearly down, as well.  the girls have read various versions of oliver twist.  science... it's a work in progress.  we've enjoyed anatomy, but i guess we must crack open the new book.

our newest venture?  sewing.  by hand, so far.  {be afraid, be very afraid} we fit all this in, best we can, between a crazy theater schedule, piano lessons, and dance.  

oh, and there's picking up dry cleaning, buying a leotard, cooking groceries, airport runs {yes, it's just us gals this week}, driving through gas stations, looking for a lost sewing needle only to discover it wasn't lost, taking out the trash, picking up mama's hair color to give the appearance of youth, vacuuming, mt. everest piles of laundry... you know, the usual.

so, it would be understandable if our official back-to-school pictures were delayed just a tad, right?  

okay, good.

*ehem*

in that case, here's our new 6th and 4th grader.

brace yourselves for the abundance of pictures. 

that one in the middle, bottom row, is not in 6th grade, but might as well be. mama is re-learning a lot! or maybe i'm learning some of it for the first time? who knows.

i know. she loves that silly dog. getting one dog and one cat were the best-pet-fits for our wee lil' family. {i passed on accepting 8 rabbits today. you're welcome, schmoopie.}

oh.  and jasmine is happy, too.  cooler temps.  hallelu-yer!  {shout out to madea!}  that means more car rides.  and snout art on the windows.  but who can resist those big-{old soul}-brown-puppy-eyes?

*sigh*

as soon as i get all of my ducks in a row, i'll give you a heads up on what we're using this year. ;)

photos: mama.

cuteness: girls.

backdrop: thanks to neighbor's {overgrown} willow tree hanging in our back yard.

school year: 2011-2012 {holdme}

the post that will never be and spilling beans

2011-10-02T23:18:00.000-05:00

most of my {favorite} online communication often comes through email. there, it can be made more personal.

remember quite a while back, i mentioned posting a Q & A regarding the emails i'd received from people related to ministry?? institutional church ministry, to be exact? i know. it's been a while. it's okay if you don't remember. honestly, i was hoping you'd forgotten. ;)

truth is, i just haven't been able to put words to the heart of this matter. it's a delicate dance, this subject of church.

truth is, while i do my best to share words of comfort with those who've been wounded by the institutional church, {hear come the beans...} it's not the reason our family has not regularly attended a church in nearly three years.

i heard that *gasp*.

it's okay. just a handful of years ago, i would have gasped, too.

truth is, we are all at different places, asking questions, and making sense of theology passed down. many have their own interpretation of biblical standards. i'm not here to say who's right and who's wrong. only... i'm there, too, asking questions. we only know that what we do {after 20 yrs of institutional church ministry} works for our family.

besides... sometimes, i wonder if the lord must grieve or giggle at our seemingly elementary theologies and judgmental thoughts {sometimes... backed with criticism}.

{to know me is to know that a critical conversation tires me more than doing a full afternoon of laundry. i'm pretty sure, anyway. let's not test that for the sake of this post, mkay? ;) you know... we shouldn't call out the toothpick in someone's eye when there's a 2x4 in our own. agree?}

the older i get... *ehem* in all of my studies, and more importantly, in listening to my heart, the theology that makes the most sense to me is that god is a god of love. we've barely begun to scratch the surface of his unfathomable love. and for that, i am eternally grateful. {a scene from toy story just popped in my head. sorry.}

living love is more powerful than a sermon.

{the following video is not suitable for young viewers...}

may i always be willing to see people with {unconditional} love. loving people where they are and not where i think they should be.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

Mother Teresa

thoughts?

still gonna be my friend? ;)

{oh... recently, i deleted my personal facebook account. *heartpalpitations* it was my last connection with several people we knew from our days of pastoring. it was time. but... i opened another one under my blog name. *nevermind. i just deleted it* you can visit me on twitter. twitter friends are better than google search. just sayin'.}

reflecting on 3rd & 5th... with a few links

2011-09-26T22:02:00.000-05:00

sometimes, in the logistics of the daily grind, a homeschool mom wonders if she has prepared her children. sanity in-check. ;)

at the end of the day, has she given her children the life experiences needed to fulfill self-confidence? instill kindness? remembering to use their manners?

meeting the educational milestones needed for continued education? giving back to those in need? remembering to floss - when without mom? *gulp* sewing jumpers? okay... maybe not that last one. *giggle*

it can be overwhelming when considering how to organize the many logistics of homeschool into a daily schedule... so stepping back to take in the bigger picture is sometimes needed. a report card of sorts, if you will.

while many parts of susan wise bauer's book can easily overwhelm me, i do love her analogy of placing pegs... as a foundation of knowledge. each nugget of knowledge is placed on a board as a peg... and everyday, as we learn, we are simply hanging more knowledge on those pegs. wait. did that make sense?

so... here are several "pegs" of knowledge from our year through various avenues of learning.

brace yourself...

andrew jackson. eleanore roosevelt. richard nixon. jfk. ada lovelace. charles darwin. the beatles. oprah winfrey. helen keller. mark twain. louis armstrong. sally ride. ludwig van beethoven, judy blume, jane goodall, ann frank, william shakespeare, benjamin franklin, elvis, christopher columbus, mlk jr., amelia earhart, thomas jefferson, george washington. john adams. mary and lincoln. roald dahl. fdr. thomas edison. beethoven. marie curie. lewis and clark. mozart. pocahontas.

multiplication. improper fractions. quadrilaterals. writing a check. temperature. time zones. long division. measuring. probability. roman numerals. money amounts. radius. diameter. decimals. percentage. angles. polygons. perimeter. area. metric system. negative numbers. and so much more.

chapter books. several of them. nator read 66 alone. including, a little princess. the tiara club, a favorite of gracie's. poetry. spelling. cursive. vocabulary {e.g. delectable, scurry, enamor, bliss, whimsical, resident, elegant, smitten...}. past/present/future tense. punctuation. capitalization. by/buy/bye. to/two/too. direct and indirect quotations, topic sentence, suffix, prefix, noun, pronoun, verbs, i or me, we or us, adjectives, friendly letters, business letters, addressing envelopes, adverbs, double negatives, homonyms, antonyms, synonyms, prepositions, interjections, abbreviations, commas...

nomads. nile river. hieroglyphics. the sphinx. embalming mummies. tombs. pyramids. sargon the great {or not so great, as the girls say}, mesopotamia, jews. joseph. ziggurat of ur. hammurabi. gilgamesh. a citadel. sahara desert. lei zu and the silkworm. china. the shang dynasty. yin-yang. king tut. poytheism. monotheism. hatshepsut. phoenicians. ashurbanipal. hanging gardens of babylon. nebuchadnezzar. crete. greek pottery. homer. women's suffrage. cyrus the great. life in athens. greek gods. alexander the great. romulus and remus. buddha. great wall of china. confucius. julius caesar. celts. cleopatra. augustus caesar {octavian}. jesus. christianity. catacombs. attila the hun. barbarians. visigoths. romulus augustus. fall of the roman empire. olympics. pharaohs. civil rights. dreidel. cuneiform. mesoamerica. 7 wonders of the ancient world. hinduism.

teeth. apple mummy. penguins. dolphins. horses. dogs. pollination. mitosis. fitness. tornadoes. cats. organic food. squids. pandas. hiccups. dna. neurons. circulatory system. periosteum. collagen. marrow. ligaments. coccyx. gluteus maximus. and, yes, even flatulence. atrophy. carbohydrates. proteins. cuspids. pepsin. vitamins. scurvy. conchae. larynx. alveoli. arteries. white blood cells. adrenaline. phagocytes. antigens. chambers of the heart. cerebellum. dendrites. myelin sheath. endocrine system. vertebra. olfactory glands. cilia. inner and outer ear. cornea. sclera. epidermis. melanin. carotene. medulla. hypodermis. lymphatic and immune systems. antigens. amniotic fluid.

painting canvas. degas. thanksgiving lapbook. 50 presidents memorized. online safety. recycling. bullying. email and IM. the blues {music}. color.

sprinkle in a lil' dance, dance competition, piano, family time fun, field trips, and theater {okay, maybe a lot}... and i'd say we had a very full year.

one of the biggest {and most important} pegs mama has learned this year in homeschooling has to be this...

not to compare my worst day to someone's best.

my homeschool will not... and does not need to look like another to be successful. it just needs to work for our family team. {repeat}

which means... if learning the complete language of latin is not working for one's family,
it's okay. really. it's. o.kay.

*deep breath*

if you are in need of homeschool encouragement and/or a simple booster shot, try these links:

why do so many parents think they can't homeschool their children?

opposition in the homeschool

our homeschool via the happy housewife

why we homeschool: trusting the feet

HELP, I'm Homeschooling... Now What?

An Open Letter to New Homeschoolers

i tried not to mention the dog {hangs head in shame}

2011-09-21T14:12:00.001-05:00

we are plugging along, but currently... in sssllllooooooooow motion.
between theater, a vet apt, and someone getting a lil' sinus makeover
{fancy word for cold, eh?}, we are taking things down a notch.

you'll be happy to note that jazzy is currently bandage-less.
yay! for not having to wrap that bad-boy-bandage in plastic every time she needed to circle the backyard for the perrrrfect spot. {wet ground. yay! #texasdrought} we only have the stitches to remove this weekend. woot.

although, she wants to make an immediate exit at the vet's office, looking for the door-or corner, she handles it quite well. interpret that as, she doesn't growl or nip anyone. she lets the vet do his job. good girl.

to help with separation anxiety, mama is now carrying the keys on her hip. all over the house. especially, many trips to the front door. let's just call it 'jingle thereapy'. or desensitizing therapy. we left her in the house for 30 minutes yesterday. on video {yes, we videoed} she only whined some, but stayed staring at the front door 99% of the time. i'm also going to buy her a thundershirt. take her on more {short} walks on our street. and give her rescue remedy.

have i covered all of my bases? ;) anything to help entertain her while we're away? animal planet on tv can be traumatizing for my girlies. and just so you know, never ask a petsmart employee if they carry dvd's for dogs. they might giggle at you. and you might feel like they are justified in their giggle. but you don't care. you love your dog.

seriously, after researching dog behavior, i'd say i still have a pretty good dog. she doesn't have near the amount of quirks i've read about. wowzers. there's some doozies out there.

anyway... this wasn't supposed to be about jazzy.
*ahem*

when one girlie is under the weather, the other always takes the opportunity to ~~create cards~~ do art. homeschool. check. *wink* complete with comics {thanks to brain pop} attached. sweet, yes? and the fact that my sick girlie is comforted by wearing mama's big fluffy robe.

okay... i'm off to take the healthy girlie to piano. and wake up this sleepy dog for more desensitizing drills. jingling of the keys + a short walk + stitches in paw = one worn out pooch.

have a great eve, my friends!

time with the hubster

2011-09-18T13:33:00.004-05:00

we picked up hubs from the airport on thursday. he worked friday.
by friday eve, mama. was. drained.
{seems to be a theme lately}

being the intuitive guy hubs is, he took the girls on a lil' daddy/daughter outing...
per mama's request.

while mama ran off some stress at the gym, daddy had fun with his girls.
after picking up gracie from dance, they hit the book store, pei wei, vitamin shoppe, tarjet, and a second grocery store.
hubs was earning some brownie points.

saturday, his boss called.
which required us to do a favor for him... on the other side of the big city.

{crocheting on the go}

it's more because hubs is a friend, too. i get that.

{packing for the boss-man}

which meant we were driving by the cheesecake factory.
aaaand since we had to eat dinner anyway,

{hershey's chocolate cheesecake-cake}

we had to order a piece of cheesecake.
it would have been a sin not to; i'm pretty sure.
so we ordered one piece to share between the 4 of us.

the girls only put their forks down for the picture;
they were still scraping the plate.
at home, they may have licked it.

i believe there was an arm wrestling match, too.
we're quite refined, yes?
{*googles etiquette schools*}

we eventually hit the hay for a night-time nap.
awake at 5:15 a.m., my internal alarm went off.
why would i get up that early, you say?
to take hubs to the airport.
because that's how i roll these days.

for the saints game. because i'm a good wifey.

at least he opted not to leave on saturday, meeting all the guys at the ufc fight.
it just feels like he's barely been home much this month.
*sigh*
they're getting him the rest of the week...
they have to share, you know?

many of my sweet bloggy friends are quite complementary about how i handle hubs being out of town so much. {you guys are too sweet.}
truth is, we do okay.
some trips are harder than others. especially those that invade our weekend family time.

but we deal with it by....
remembering to be thankful for his job, during a time in which many have lost jobs.
girlie movie nights. nail painting. dining out. and, to be completely honest...

{sitting pretty}

jasmine. she's my buddy, especially while hubs is away. i guess that would justify the bazillion posts about her? maybe. she's {at least} entertaining, right? ;)

i think she may even have a lil' fan club brewing. *giggle* for those who've asked, her paw is doing seemingly well. she is no longer limping. even runs, at times. she thinks one must continue to let the cat know who's boss. her bandage comes off tuesday. she's really excited about that... and the fact that another kennel has not taken the place of the old one in our home. ;)

okay... gotta run. i'm feeling a bit like jazzy in these last pix. i sent my girls to clean their rooms, but all i wanna do is sleep. i forgot that cloudy, drizzly days do that to an already tired person. {thankyoujesusfordrizzle}

{pretty exhausted}

and that one would have to tape one's bandage in plastic, due to wet ground.
go saints!

an {un}eventful day

2011-09-14T22:40:00.001-05:00

do you really think i'm joking when i tell you that my house is a mess?

i spared you pictures of my laundry piles.

do you really think i was concerned about it?

after these past weeks, with hubs not home to relieve some of the pressure, i'm learning to embrace life's messes. {i may need to repeat that last part for my own sanity.}

today, we did very little.

we had a lazy morning of crochet {nator}, building crafty things {gracie}, and growing roots on the sofa {raising hand}.

of course we did school.

what kind of mother do you think i am?

i popped in dvds... drive thru america, and for the people to give an overview of our government. from my sofa i managed to answer questions like...
what is an abolitionist, monarchy, democracy, diplomat...?

even a lil' science for good measure.
what would happen to packaging peanuts, if you put them in water?
they dissolve, in case you were wondering. ;)

it twas a lovely day, with little to no sibling rivalry.

we only got out of the house for piano lesson.

of course, jazzy came with us.

we are kinda kennel-less right now, anyway.

and, frankly, i don't trust my harry houdini dog in them like i used to...

after yesterday's episode.
mama needs a solution soon.
it's still too hot to leave her in the car during errands.
*sigh*

i did manage to uproot myself from the sofa to visit with some sweet friends. they read our lil' bloggy and made jasmine cards. is that not the sweetest thing?! ever? they even remembered to put a bandage on jazzy's foot... and include a pic of her getting puppy foam. clever kiddos. love it.

after dinner, the girls gave us moms an american girl fashion show.
{it was muy posh. right, brenda?} ;)

okay... mama is off to lala land herself now.
i'm plum worn-out from all of the activity today.

at least one of us is.

so {this} is how you age in dog years

2011-09-13T22:42:00.001-05:00

within months of marriage, hubs and i adopted a puppy.
is there a word exceeding hyper?
that's what he was.
fortunately for him, he was cute.
i vowed that if we ever owned another dog,
we would do our homework a little more thoroughly.

when we decided it was time for the girls to have a pup.
we opted to skip the pup-phase, and extend an act of kindness to a rescue dog.
so i hit the world wide web, and found jasmine.
yep, she already had that name...
and it fit her just fine.
it was better than all of the hannah-montana-themed names the girls were dreaming up at the time. we're way past that phase now.

did you know that black dogs are labeled as least likely to be adopted?
they look more intimidating.
it's sad, really.
because we can't imagine not having jasmine in our lil' family team.

only...
she has one fault.
that's all that comes to mind, anyway.
*ehem*
after today, i think it's safe to label it as extreme separation anxiety.
{oh, yes, i've researched plenty of things to try.}

she even goes to the back door when she needs to... ummm... throw up. sorry. just want you to see how eager she is to please her pack leader. but she's protective of her pack, too. takes her a while to warm up to new people. *sigh*

we look forward to colder temperatures when she can ride e.very.where. with us.
she does so well in the car.
she mostly wants to know if we've brought any left-overs.

during the warmer months, at home, it's a different story.

we kennel her in the house, when we are away.
always have. it was agreed upon in our adoption papers.
so we haven't tested any other alternatives.
i'm beginning to question that.
but i like my sofa in tact. you know?

today, the girls and i came home from theater class only to find her paw mangled inside the wire door of her kennel. {she's hurt her nose before. wore out her old wire kennel. this was the second time in the new aspca one.} i'm thinking of renaming her houdini... i couldn't figure out how she managed it. the rim of her plastic water bowl was also bitten to pieces, while holding blood. a sight we hope never to see again.

i sent the tearful girls out of the room and called our pet-sitter at work. she told me to get someone to help me load the entire kennel in the car and take her to the vet. {sometimes, you just need someone to tell you what to do in an emergency}

looking outside, i'd never been so happy to see a garbage truck.

yep, you betcha... i ran down the street like a crazy lady, flagging down the garbage men. they ran with me to my house and loaded the kennel in the car. one asked if the dog would bite. ummmm... she's stuck INSIDE the kennel. i'm not complaining. i was thankful for the muscle help.

driving as carefully as i could, as to not jolt the kennel, i called hubs. yeah, remember? he's out of town.

our vet's office took her in right away. we counted 5 people who came out to tell us that jazzy was given a sedative and that the wire was finally removed from her paw... via bolt cutters. we left her in good hands, but it really put a wrench in our studies. we accomplished a few things, simply for distraction, but our minds were elsewhere.

her prognosis:
no fractures.
no broken teeth.
{blood from possible tongue wound on water bowl. more than likely happened due to panic when paw became injured.}
antibiotics.
pain medication.
lots of limping.
stitches.
bandage.
follow-up visits.
try to avoid taking drugs for anxiety.

our prognosis:
wiping tears.
huge sigh of relief.
arguing over who 'gets to' feed the dog dinner.
9 yo sleeping in mom's room as to "not have jazzy sleep alone."
very empty pocketbook. ouch.
investigate natural remedies to help jazz with nerves.
maybe for mom's, too. ;)

we ended the day with everyone {including jazz} watching marley and me, the puppy years.

think i may ask hubs if he wants to switch jobs for a week.

{please insert your own witty title here}

2011-09-12T00:55:00.000-05:00

we have been relieved... humbled... and blessed with the outpouring of support for our recent... ummm... kiddo-grandmotherio fiasco. we are doing much better. a huge {texas-sized} thank you to everyone who sent a lovely email, and/or comment. your concern and compassion continue to touch my heart. thank you for trusting me enough to share your stories with me, as well.

there's nothing like a great hug, or 107, to nurture the heart.

heart hurts are a parent's greatest challenge.

high fevers, too.

yeah, i remember those.

on friday, we all wanted to sleep a little longer.
the girls went to theater, while i took the opportunity to have a chat with their dance teacher, sporting my swollen eyelids, of course.
the talk went great.
she only confirmed that i handled everything with the crazy grandmother as i should have.
i think i kinda forgot to mention that the grandmother yelled at me at the dance studio.
mama wanted to put her head in the sand, like an ostrich.
they do that, right? ;)

i treated the girls to chili's since we were exhausted.
we missed our chili's {kids-eat-free} dinner thursday.
why do coupons have to expire? boo.
that was a rhetorical question, i know.

at least the library is free.
you know, as long as your kids don't forget to return a book.
nator thinks she's won the lottery when i announced this field trip.
{read: mom is too exhausted to do any other schoolwork today}

speaking of coupons, have you seen tlc's extreme couponing show?
apparently, it has gotten some negative press.
i have mixed feelings about it anyway.
who has that kind of time to clip, window shop for sales not advertised, clip, and clip some more.
it's like a full-time job.

speaking of jobs,
i'm so very thankful for hub's job.
just wish they would let him stay on the ground {at home} a lil' bit more.
when crazy grandma had me shaking in my boots, he was in the air, landing at his next destination.
that makes parenting challenging, too.
kuddos to all the single moms and dads out there!

hubs was home over the weekend.
he grilled. yummy!
we shared it with friends, talking for hours! so much fun.

hubs went to the store for us, put gas in the car, air in the tire, and we whisked him off to the airport again.

it's a good thing mama has pumped up "girlie movie nights."
thankfully, the girlies look forward to them.
{games. manicures. giggles.}
but we're running out of movies we can agree on.
kid-friendly,
but entertaining enough for mom...
{read: we haven't already watched it 78 times}
suggestions???

{disclaimer: it is 3 hours after mama's bedtime. she should have gone to bed an hour early, so make that 4. read: mama is deliriously tired and if none of these ramblings make any sense, we can blame it on 'delusions of productivity while extremely tuckered-out.'}

chicken soup makes everything better, right? right?!

2011-09-09T01:07:00.003-05:00

it was supposed to be a fun-theater-school-dance-day,

ending with a kids eat free coupon at chili's.

we had a busy-fun day...

that ended in a need for comfort food, even if from a can.
chicken noodle soup, to be exact.
grilled cheese, made with ezekiel bread and rice cheese, to compliment. ;)

{i had most of the details of our day typed out, ready to post... but i chickened out just shy of that intimidating publish button. believe me. it's better this way.}

let me simply give you an abbreviated version.
{you're welcome}

theater.
{yeah!}
resale shop.
{yeah!}
lunch at home.
{protein shakes will do}
school.
{yeah! minus our first day of 'dictation'}
snacks.
{yumm!}
dance.
{yeah! until tap class.}
12 yo girl was mean to my 9 yo girlie. possible bully situation brewing. long story.
{whoa, wait a minute!}
tried to have an adult conversation with grandmother.
{she didn't act like an adult}
grandmother yells at mama.
{where's the nearest exit?!}

i know it's hard to reeeally know someone from a blog, but trust me when i say that i am not a confrontational person. i'm a slide-under-the-radar-kinda-gal. the quiet one in a crowd. seriously, i was the 'smile and nod' pastor's wife. {although, looking back, sometimes i wish i would have spoken my mind. but then again, knowing me... i wouldn't have done it differently.} ;) but... sometimes, you just have to speak up and defend... your lil' kids.

let's see...
copied hubs the texts grandmother sent to mama tonight.
{hubs said this lady was... well... dumb}
he made me laugh with his unexpected response.
{i needed that laugh}
grass fire near our home today. it was contained.
{thankyoujesus}

we forgot to go to chili's.
we forgot to return our redbox movies.
mama forgot to eat dinner altogether.
but the girlies... they got comfort food.

and several exchanges of hugs, kisses, and tears.
i tucked them into bed...
praying that the events of the evening would only strengthen us.
and not cause any permanent damage.

i think i've finally stopped shaking...
and crying.
the fire dept could have used me today.

crazy grandmother.
{did i say that out loud?}

{s}chool, {s}weet tooth, and {s}ore muscles

2011-09-07T22:33:00.001-05:00

slumbering out of bed from a night of, well...
not enough sleep,
{sometimes, that happens while hubs is away}
i managed to get another day of schooling logged.
despite the fact that i'm still feeling my way through the dark,
so to speak.
mama is taking baby steps in the organization department.

i'm realizing procrastination has not been my friend.
*ehem*

organizing, while teaching...
and shuttling between 2 piano classes,
trips to the airport,
3 theater practices, and the start-up of dance?
completely planned on purpose.
yes, that's it.
*ehem*
excuse me.

*hangs head in shame*

hi, my name is h-mama,
and i'm a home-body.
no, really.
i am.

believe it or not, we have homeschool friends much more scheduled than us.
i. just. can't.

oh... seems someone in our house has a sweet tooth.
{notice how i change the subject?}
a complete weakness for whipped cream.

she even knows the sound of our hand touching the can in the fridge,
before it makes an appearance in the kitchen.

one. smart. pup.

if only she knew the exact moment to catch it.
*giggle*

i'm not drowning all of my worries into a bowl of sugar.
i'm pumping it at the gym, too.
proof is in the fact that i haven't been able to completely straighten my arms all week.
can you say, ouch?!

of course, i make it look completely natural by bending my arms on purpose.
*ehem*

when reaching for something, the body must follow...
thereby exerting more energy.
thereby confirming my need to take in a few extra {good} calories.
{muy logical, no?}
like organic blueberries {ummm... just trust me. they're in there.},
a tbs. {or 6} of whipped cream, and some ezekial 4:9 cereal for good measure.

it's my indulgence of choice, as of late.
jazzy, too.
well, at least the whipped cream.
she may have even held a short-lived grudge after i cleaned her face.

so what's your 'go-to' yummy dessert?
maybe i should ask... low-sugar? ;)

the start of a new {school} year

2011-09-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

it seems every year the girls jump for joy when the hope of fall temperatures fill the air.
they literally run in the back yard... and twirl.
soaking up the crisp coolness.
we have finally halted the triple-digit-temperature-record-breaking.
{thankyoujesus}
hubs is even cooler, enjoying canada's atmospheric conditions at the moment.
{was trying to avoid saying temperature again}

*i should warn you now that i'm deliriously tired.*

the drought has been rough on texas.
our grass, azaleas, and potted plants are but a few tragedies.

today, we awoke to the schedule of three-hour-long-morning-theater-practice,
{while mom hit the gym and tarjet}
a run to the post office,
and school.

although, filled with mostly review,
today is what we're calling our official first day.
4th and 6th grade, to be exact.
oh, my babies.

we're easing into it.
{that's a nice way to say... mom has more copying and organizing to do}

the official grade pictures will have to come later.
{mama barely has enough energy to type, at the moment}
as will the list of what we're using this year.
some things are still undecided.
what can i say?
i'm a homeschool mom.

hi, my name is h-mama,
and i ~~over~~ analyze curriculum.

while cleaning up the dirty dinner dishes {say that 3 times fast},
i expressed my strong desire to "clock out" and go to bed.
nator said, "even when a woman sleeps, she's working."
she's a wise, old soul if ever there was one.
i love that kid.
both of them.

oh, and did i tell you that i was asked to write full-time for a lovely homeschool website
several moons ago?
being asked was such an honor!
i know it's hard to tell by looking at my lil' bloggy that i might actually know how to write.
it's okay. you can giggle. i can't hear you. ;)
truth is, i love the play on words.
because of this, i also know how much time i would put into it...
time that needs to be devoted elsewhere, for now.
saying no is sometimes hard. *sigh*

completely exhausted.
but i wouldn't have it any other way.

h-mama, clocking out....

[so how are you doing? ready for fall? ready for a new {school} year? did september sneak up on you, too? how are your atmospheric conditions?]

school, sleepovers, books, jazzy, and a video

2011-09-04T15:50:00.000-05:00

the plan is to start the official new school year this week. hubs has been home some this weekend, so i suppose the planning will get done tomorrow? *crossing fingers* until then... we have been chipping away at math. finally finished our last chapter in history: the ancients. aren't you proud?

we survived a girlie sleepover. with no drama. the best kind. there were only giggles, makeovers, manicures, and a lil' choreography planning {for our upcoming theater performance}.

they wanted hello kitty nails. oh so cute.

girlie chatter is quite entertaining, you know.

i watched the movie years ago. the secret life of bees. the book was... okay. i found myself wanting to skim over parts. lady of chains, anyone? ;) of course, i'll have to watch the movie again soon. the help was great... do you have any other book suggestions?

i just can't get enough of this picture of jazzy. cracks. me. up. either it is really cute. or i'm easily amused. *ehem*

thanks to hubs bringing home the ~~bacon~~ new external hard-drive, we bring you this zen-filled video {she says tongue-in-cheek} from our trip to alabama.

did you make it to the end without hitting the mute button? ;)

money saving: {girlie} nails edition

2011-09-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

sometimes, i get lost in you tube.

forgetting the clock.

that can be a bad thing.

unless...

one stumbles upon some money saving tips.

when there are 60 nails in the house that beg to be girlied up,

who can afford such a salon treat on a regular basis?

can you say... cha-ching!?

mama got a french mani/pedi, with a lil' hello kitty on one finger.

achieving a french mani is really not hard at all. acetone {salon formula. bought mine at sally's beauty supply} melts polish like buttah! and makes it so easy to work with. there are several tutorials on you tube to show you how. {this is the one i used.}

the girls each chose to have these cute, glittery hearts. {i used a black nail pen to make the hearts.}

except gracie wanted these lil' mario mushrooms on her toes. too cute.

other nails we intend to try? zebra stripes, converse shoes, and many more...

not forgetting the ever popular newspaper nails {thanks to pinterest}.

so maybe the fingernails don't last an entire week. they never do. unless you get fake nails. not really my thing. but the toes? they look maaauvelous dahling. ;)

whatcha think? wanna try it? let me know how it turns out.

post vacation life

2011-08-31T16:35:00.000-05:00

confession:
living life and blogging in real-time are the same as singing your abc's backwards,
while solving an algebraic equation.
at least, as far as my bloggy is concerned.
*sigh*

we hit the ground running. daddy had to go out of town again.
{excuse me while i grab a klennex. really. the overtime has been a bit much lately. only he doesn't get paid by the hour. okay, i'm moving on... thankful he has a wonderful job.}
so, the girls and i hit chili's for kids eat free. {woot!}

dental appointment.
a minor repair.
insurance covered.
thank you jesus.
donkey-kong anyone?

this is how we cope with missing dad.
silliness is the key to distraction in our home.
{and, apparently, no makeup - with some sort of pepples flintstone ponytail.}

piano lessons resume.
as do visits to the gym.

i upped my gym membership city-wide so that i could utilize the time the girls are in theater to get my workout in.... but feeling 'at home' in a new place takes time.

mama is not lacking in the cardio department.
each visit has resulted in an hour of full cardio... because someone may or may not be intimidated by the people in the weight area.
*sigh*
or maybe it's the tv's that are attached to the cardio machines.
pandora via iphone plus tv with subtitles... i could stay there all day.
maybe.
i won't be testin' that theory.

oh.... and we had rain! rain, people!
that's exciting news around here, y'all!

after a hard workout, mama needed some green tea,
so jazzy caught up on some puppy whip.
she would make a great spokesperson for puppy foam. dontcha think?

and ummm... nothing like one of those visits to jolt you back to reality.
seems my severe pains {you know the ones that leave me blacking out and ultimately throwing up? TMI. i know. sorry.} have baffled the medical community.
the only diagnosis they can give me is a complication with my PCOS.
i was warned there may be more {pains}.
PCOS is now dead to me.

as if the infertility issues weren't enough years ago...
or the fact that i seem to be able to look at a piece of cake and gain 5 lbs?
geeesh.
good thing i lost 3 lbs since my last appointment.
a year ago.

grilled goodness.
this means daddy is home! :)
we've enjoyed evenings of him coming home at a great hour this week.
rare treat these days.
even a few family games.
{love}
cookies {made with a stick of butter}. broccoli.
hmmm...
which do you think was mom's idea? dad's? or paula deen's? ;)

which are your family's favorite games?

a break

2011-08-27T12:03:00.002-05:00

it was well over a week ago, but since we hit the ground running,
it feels like an eternity ago.

i was going to get my hard drive situation cleared up before i posted, but...
photoshop won't let me edit,
much less save anything new on the hard drive.
mama's computer is officially maxed out.
but the days are turning into weeks, so here are several pix.
mostly unedited.
oi.

on saturday, after the girls finished theater auditions {the second round},
we hit the road. minus daddy.
*sigh*
ironically, he's been working crazy hours here at home.
as his office is in transition, changing their physical address, merging with other offices.
a huge project.
so leaving with us is out of the question.

the girls and i met up with granny and the fam in louisiana.
then loaded up our 2 cars to complete the trip.
orange beach.
less beach, more pool.

a lovely, relaxing week.
lazy river.
breakfast on the patio.
complete with panera bagels we picked up on our way there.
hazelnut cream cheese.
mmmmmmmm...
lazy river.

reading the help.
lazy river.
fun card games.
and the lazy river.

i made one trip to the hotel's gym, for good measure.
but swimming in the lazy river was much more fun.
and can be quite the workout when going against the current. ;)

the girls had a blast on the slide.
but we had to share with the adults, too.
right, uncle b? ;)

we ventured out very little.
to eat...
lambert's cafe and the hangout {next door to the beach}.
and shop...
gracie picked a feather for her hair, t-shirt, and a fashion designer notebook.
nator picked a small space shuttle, t-shirt, and an owl bank.

we also found a great sale on books at books a million.
nator spent some time gasping to the point of nearly depleting the room of oxygen.
too cute. so fun to see kids excited about reading.

hubs flew in on friday to join us.

2 full days with everyone there.
before we hit the road for the long trek all the way home.
which, thankfully, didn't feel as long as we thought it would.
road trips induce great conversation.

there's video, too...
but the hard drive is not ready for that download.
soon.

all of the memory capturing, uploading, burning of dvd's, dumping of old files, etc... is stressful. am i the only one who worries about that chore?
mine may have something to do with having lost a whole year of our lives in pix and videos,
due to a hard drive crash years ago.
since then, i have issues with deleting pictures.
even though they are now saved on dvd's.

confession: i currently have 3,779 pictures in my iphone. non of which i shared in this post... because of the can't-upload-to-hard-drive-issue.

just call me h-mama, the bagel-eating-lazy-river-riding-beach-lovin'-picture-hoarder.
*hangs head in shame*

where there's a family team, there's a road trip... and errands

2011-08-11T00:53:00.002-05:00

i think i remember how to do this here lil' bloggy thingy.

but then again, it's been a while.

before i catch you up on our current events, i must say a huge {texas-sized} thank you.
from the bottom of our hearts.

thank you.
for all the wonderful warm wishes at such a heart-heavy time.

so... what have we been up to?

we made our way down the bayou for pop's funeral.
sometimes, you just put aside your schedule for more important things.
theater camp would have been a blast for the girls, but there will be more next year.
for now, the need was with family.

it's funny how the seemingly important things in our busyness seem less important when much bigger worries come to pass.

hubby had to travel many miles to florida after the funeral services.
{insert tears}

the girls and i traveled many miles to and fro granny and grandma's houses for the rest of the week in louisiana.
we handed out lots of hugs.
shared tears.
and had conversation that still has my head reeling.

attended a cajun wedding reception.
of which i could create an entire blog post.
but i shall refrain.
let's just say...
nator has determined that alcohol will not be served at her wedding.
mama had some splainin' to do.
and mama wanted to put some adults in time-out.

then we made our way back to texas.

road trip.
i believe gracie ate an entire plate of grapes before we were 30 minutes out of granny's driveway. grapes are her weakness.

just in time for nator's first lego camp.
piano lessons.
gracie's fashion camp.
picking up hubs from the airport.
and jasmine from the dog-sitter.

a homeschool swim party with sweet friends.
celebrating august birthdays.
gracie shocked us all when she went down the big slide into the deep end.
{last year, she merely made it half-way up the stairs before returning.}
nator is thrilled to have a slide partner.

the party was meant to welcome in the new school year.
of which i'm not ready for.
as seen by our unorganized school room.
but will be.
soon.
next month is soon, right? ;)

that's what ensues when life happens.
priorities shift,
but we eventually get to all of the important things on the list, right?
just smile, nodding your head in agreement.
it makes me feel better.

and mama ended the week with a bang.
remember the mystery pain that took mama's breath away last year?
it happened to poor mama again, friday night. this is no walk in the park, people.
mama had to lie on the floor to keep from passing out from the pain.
mama finally had to wake the sleeping papa to help when mama got sick.
not pretty.
but at least mama kept it neat for papa.
mama loves effecient cleanup. ;)

guess mama will have to break down and go back to a doc again soon.
*sigh*
*ugh*
*insert more random complaining*

mama was slow moving {with a heating pad} for nearly 48 hrs. was well for a day. then came down with severe body aches. better the next day.

and that's the end of mama's geriatric story.
wow. aren't you glad i blogged again? ;)

i'm sure there were many more stories to tell, but that's about all mama's got for today.
mama needs a vacation.
of which she and the girlies will take soon.
sooner than our school room will be organized.
road trip, baby!
*crossing fingers that daddy can meet us out there*

and for any who've missed the added vloggy...
the girlies have missed it more, i believe.
they enjoy watching all of our past videos.

oh sweet memories.
and beautiful blessings.

how are you guys doing? are you enjoying the pool this summer? or are you ready for cool temps just as much as we are?

moments with pops

2011-07-25T22:54:00.000-05:00

he often told me that the first time i ever met him i asked, "and how old are you?"
a bold question for a lil' 8 year old.
i don't remember that, so it couldn't be me. ;)

there was quite an age different between he and my mom,
but they always kept in touch through my growing up years.

i remember receiving dolls from various countries in his travels.
today, i'm wishing i knew what ever happened to those dolls.

my birth-dad died when i was a baby. i never knew him. the stories of him are few. his life was taken too young.

my second dad died when my brother was but a toddler. i can't imagine the heartache mom must have felt. two husbands gone, now left as a single mother... with two children. our little family of three relied on other family members to help us through rough patches. there were quite a few.

mom went on to marry again. twice. but those turned into more heartache than can be shared on a blog.

then... mom and pops reunited again. this time, we all knew that this reunion would finally end in "i do's." mom and pops married months before hubs and me in 1992.

i had a dad.

before i married, i remember walking in any given room in the house to simply... chat.

sometimes, i goosed him. *giggle*

we didn't solve life's problems in those moments, but i was thankful to have spent time with him. he was always present in conversation. he never made me feel as though he was more interested in watching a television program, or running an errand.

when hubs and i married, we moved out of state. staying close from such a distance can prove challenging when you rely on real face time. our visits, when traveled across many miles, have always been genuine and engaging.

during those visits, he was always proud to show us his woodwork.
pieces that will always be cherished.

his beth {his granddaughter they adopted as a baby}.
fruit trees.
boats he sold.
and his dogs.
he had a thing for boston terriers.
and the name tony.
all of his dogs were named tony.
I, II, and III.

we never realized our last visit would be our last. christmas 2010.

sunday eve, we received word that he wouldn't likely make it through the night. a couple hours later, he breathed his last.

i would have liked to have had more face time with him. but i will have to save that conversation for when i see him again.

we will.
see him again.
our tears are temporary.
what a joyful day that will be.
reunited with my hubby's sweet dad, as well.
we miss him much.

many years ago, i'd never felt the comfort of god more real than in a quiet moment of tears regarding the history of fathers in my life. his words to me were not chastising, but beautifully healing and full of pure love... "what better father can you ask for than me?"

i'm thankful pops is resting in the arms of our father.
rejoicing in a new body that will never again betray him.
there's no need for medications because there are no symptoms of alzheimer's there.
but i'm sure he knows that by now.

missing you, pops.

one of these things is not like the other

2011-07-23T00:23:00.000-05:00

we took the girls to see their friends, who were performing in the sweetest lil' play.

they had our girls at, "do you want popcorn?"

the girlies will be performing with them soon.

and our wallets will be shrinking in half.

but at least hubs left with a souvenir from a friend, right?

his friend is really into this kind of thing.

he's actually in a club.

a beer club.

who knew?

i was uncertain with what to do with it, so i simply stashed it in the fridge.

right next to the organic eggs.

hubs is only disappointed that i didn't get a picture of the label which read...

"no preservatives."

healthy, right?

sounds like life to me

2011-07-22T02:36:00.000-05:00

you've heard it said, or sung...
mama said they'll be days like this.
somehow, knowing that doesn't really prepare one for the feelings that ensue when those days co-exist in the mirage of perfection.

sometimes, the laundry feels never-ending.
pictures turn out below par. sorry.
the dust settles against my disapproval.
the gas tank empties.
termites make an unwelcome appearance.
groceries need to be bought.
tempers flare.

and children.
well, regardless of what we teach in our homes,
we know they will make decisions that leave us scratching our heads.
but, sometimes, those decisions will break our hearts.

i had a dose of that today.
and thought...
may i please have the middle-of-the-night-feedings-insomnia-back?

truly, they are their own individuals.
and not an extension of ourselves.

or am i the only one who felt that way, upon leaving the hospital with baby bundles?

cute, lil', sweet baby bundles.

it's been a day around here.
if you follow me on twitter, you may have heard a hint of it.
i'm certain the events of today will have me buying my next box of hair dye
sooner than expected.
i know. you thought i somehow managed to bypass the gray-hair-fairy?
no such luck.
at least i buy close to my natural color.
*ahem*

it's all good, you know.
because when mom is upset about something...
she usually cleans.
today, this meant the kiddos get to help mom sand and prime table and chairs.

physical labor develops character, right?
or at least makes the kiddos thankful for the little things.
like air conditioning.
we were a sweatin'.
workout. check.

we ended the day with a shower.
little house on the prairie, game night, and beauty and the beast.
we're looking forward to daddy coming back home tomorrow.

someone should tell disney that happily ever after doesn't always look like this.

the bad feels worse.
but the good is so much gooder. ;)

eggs, brains, and cell phones

2011-07-21T00:19:00.000-05:00

how's that for a title combo?
well, it has to be better than this combo...

unless you really are into dipping your cookies in beer?
*shivers*
honestly, i didn't realize i lived right smack in the middle of redneck-ville.
who knew?

we looked for eggs.
or the people who stock them.

when organic is on sale,
it's a big deal.

we've done it in fashion.

tutus are always in style.
side ponytails are 80's, but don't tell gracie.
she's bringin' it back.
she's also into half shirts, layered on top of other shirts.

we've painted pottery.
seems we're always thinkin' of ice cream, you know.
with sprinkles.

we've exercised sibling generosity.
gracie bought nator a gift with her own money.
a token of appreciation for nator having done this before, as well.
this is a bigger deal than eggs.

we've made brains.
these girls understand much more in education than i ever did at their age.

we bought the girls their first cell phones.
we always told them they'd have one when they needed it.

when you have 2 kiddos, so close in age...
two phones are more for the parents' survival, you know.

with a few activities away from mom, we feel better knowing they have easy access to us...
they just... ummm... look so young for phones, ya know?
*sigh*
many youngsters have them these days.
up until now, we'd say if they needed mom, they only had to look to their left.

they were sooo excited.
we told them we were getting dad a new phone.
*giggle*
we're sneaky like that.
imagine their surprise.

no, really.
imagine it.
because i can't seem to upload my iphone movie into imovie.
mama needs an updated version.
mama also needs to be less tech-challenged.

we went to a splash park.
{ignore the roof caving in. the mom-wagon is getting some tlc soon.}
it was a homeschool-planned field trip.
minus all the other homeschoolers.
imagine our surprise.
we played anyway.
we were hot.
we came home.

and that, my friend, has been a sliver of our july, thus far.
how's yours going?
are you ready for cooler weather, too?!

downtown

2011-07-15T10:24:00.001-05:00

our official last day.
you do know what i'm talking about, right?
i know.
you thought my last post was my last post.
*giggle*

it was saturday.
we weren't allowed to check in at the airport till 9:30 p.m.
what to do... what to do.
we hadn't had an opportunity to really explore anchorage during our stay in alaska,
so this was the perfect time.

unfortunately, it started on a foul note.
as we drove around downtown, looking for a good parking place, we noticed several roads blocked off. what was going on?

due to the blocked roads and one way streets, we were forced to pull into jcpenny's parking garage. this was as good a spot as any in our book.

we were told in the elevator that there had been a bad accident outside. in my mind, i was thinking a lil' fender bender, at best. keeping in mind that i've just experienced one of my dream vacations. my head is kinda in the clouds.

as we walked out of jcpennys, and onto the sidewalk, we noticed several police officers scurrying people along. and then... and then...

we saw it.

a body lying in the street. mostly covered in a white sheet. we quickly scurried with the others, trying to get past the yellow tape an officer was tying. needless to say, my heart was heavy for several hours. for peace of mind, i had to know what in the world happened... and only moments before we walked outside.

turns out... there was a gay pride parade. really? who knew?! the lady driving the car carrying the grand marshal accidentally hit a man walking in front of her car. {read here} needless to say, the parade was canceled.

we watch csi..
but in person?
it definitely feels different.

times like this, you just have to move on and make the best of it.
*thinking happy thoughts*

from there {trying not to focus on the above mentioned tragedy} we walked down to the annual-summer-saturday-market. their 19th year.
"outdoors" is what alaskans do during the summer.
there's food, clothing, jewelry, and unique hand-made items by local alaskans.

we were tickled by the guy selling t-shirts
kinda making fun of texas.
he wanted people to know that alaska is bigger.
i get it.
even your mosquitoes are bigger.
i only believe that because i've seen them.

i had to sneak a picture of this big-hand-fed-diapered-puppy. funny, huh?

it's not unusual to see many people riding bikes, walking dogs, carrying backpacks...
even within downtown.

you won't see that in our downtown.
the heat, alone, would do you in.

you should see alaska's produce.
and various flowers, as well.
huge, i tell you.
huge.
apparently, it's due to the longer daylight hours they get this time of year.
i might even be able to grow something.
*giggle*
i said maybe.

how about a lil' concert via the army?
yes, thank you.
they did quite well, actually.
the guy down front was cuttin' a rug.
or grass.

even though i was trying to blend in like a local...
well, minus the nikon.
we figured we'd better take the city tour via trolley.
it's a tourist "to-do."
as well as, buying an ulu.

it's always neat to hear narration from a lifetime local.
especially the events of their 1964 earthquake.
it's amazing to see how the impact of this event reshaped the land.

as you can imagine, seeing aircraft is quite common.
during the tour,
you realize you're not in kansas anymore when you witness parking like this.
car and aircraft together.

after the tour, we...
shopped for souvenirs.
ate at the glacier brewhouse one last time {*wiping tear*}.
cleaned our friends car.
did you know that automatic car washes shut down during the winter?
i mean, what's the point, right?
it would freeze.
then, we turned in the car at million air, waiting to go to the airport.

while waiting for our ride to the airport,
we watched some of batman begins in the theater room at million air.

of which we certainly are not.
hubs simply knows the ins and outs of travel...
that's all i have to say about that.
we almost fell asleep.

looking back, we should have.
sunday was full of flying to seattle, houston, then new orleans.
driving to granny's house to gather the girls and hand out souvenirs.
and driving back to texas.
yes, all on sunday.
we're overachievers.

here's just a lil' peek of our adventure.
when i managed to remember to video anything, that is.

i admit it.
there's not a lot of glamor to this fairy tale called life.
hollywood lies.
shocker. i know.
but our week in alaska was pretty special.
one i will remember...
for the rest of my life.

i'll have to reflect on the memories after cleaning toilets.

i'm curious...
say if your hubs travels a lot and has built up air miles and asks you where you want to go...
which destination would you pick?

our last day of exploring in the mountains

2011-07-12T21:30:00.001-05:00

after a full week, we were tired, y'all. so we slept in. past the hotel's breakfast time. hubs told me about a place that sold pancakes bigger than your plate, so i had to see it for myself. crazy, right? hubs and i split one. they were pretty yummy.

next we took another short road trip along the scenic seward highway from anchorage to the wildlife conservation center. a center caring for orphaned and/or injured animals.

although... i did wonder how they accumilated so many deer skins to sell in their gift shop.
were these animals they couldn't rehibilitate??
inquiring minds want to know.
or maybe we don't?
*gulp*

we watched this orphaned kodiac cub play in the water
like any clumsy house pet we've ever owned.
so stinkin' cute.
but no worries.
you won't find me feeding the bears.

there is a tiny wire fence separating us from most of the animals.
we watched this moose eat for quite some time.
he didn't let us disturb his lunch.

when getting eye level with one of the big caribou,
i was reminded just how tiny the fence was.
he must not have liked that.
when he stood up, inches from my face, i suddenly realized this lil' wire fence wouldn't hold his massive frame back... if he really wanted to come after me, that is.

he didn't seem to mind me reaching in to touch his huge antler, though.
i couldn't resist the temptation.
it felt soft and fuzzy. kinda like kiwi.
good thing they shed those occasionally.
the weight of it would have me dragging my big head around.
for sure.

so after reading this sign...
do you notice anything funny about this picture below?

i was kinda hopin' the fence was left open on purpose.
yeah.
that makes me feel better.

wood bison.
they're pretty important to alaskan history.
between the fur, to keep you warm
and the fact that they are great grazers.

after visiting and reading about the animals that reside here,
we headed over to girdwood to visit the alyeska resort
and ride the tram up the mountain.

it was the warmest day, yet we found ourselves standing in snow.

crazy, right?

so much fun.

but you had to be careful up here.

there were drop offs and hiking trails.

not to mention the bears.

we saw a black bear from the tram on the way back down.
apparently, it's not uncommon to find one roaming the resort.
ummm... i'll pass.

hubs made me move for fear that i would fall down the mountainside,
trying to capture the perfect shot.
*giggle*
we headed inside for a bite to eat with these crazy beautiful views.
apparently many are great for skiing.
that's something i've never tried.
maybe one day.

we headed back down to anchorage to meet up with friends
at the glacier brewhouse.
yummy.

friends that loaned us their car for the week.
again, so thoughtful.
and generous.
one of the many blessings that made this trip affordable.

{day 1}
{day 2}
{day 3}
{day 3 part 2}
{day 4}

we interrupt this alaskan series to bring you a {real} post

2011-07-09T16:35:00.002-05:00

and by real, i mean... keepin' it real.
since we've been back in town, i've had a little trouble picking up where i left off.

hubs was out of town this week.
he left on his birthday.
good thing we ate at marble slab the night before.

we celebrated last night.
three days later.

outback.
yummo.
we normally like to make a week out of birthdays, anyway.

yes, this is breakfast. yes, the clock is right.
that's how we've been rolling lately.

we are sloooowly wrapping up some loose ends in school.
initially, i wanted to school year-round this year.
you know, the full sha-bang.
we took june off due to summer activities.
i'm only committing to finishing up our last chapters in science and history in july.
and ummmm...
i guess we can count this as art, too.
the full sha-bang will resume in august.
that's year-round, right?

it's schooling for me, too.
i'm learning to relax in our schedule.
learning is more than a lesson plan.
if you make those, that is.
i don't.

i had to have a talkin' to a little girl who was being mean-spirited to one of my girls, and her friend. this girl was at the same inflatable-fun-room we attended.
only she came with a karate camp.
that could spell trouble.
we've had a bully issue before... even in a christian homeschool group.
so i'm quicker to act when issues arise.
by the time we left, the young lady was nice enough to apologize for her actions.

this is an apron hubs gifted me for valentine's day.
even though it was something i really wanted,
i used it for the first time this week.
now i'm officially addicted to aprons.
especially cute ones.

my girls are, too.
but we are window shopping for now.
window shopping helps save money.
my girls have saved more than they ever have before...
since i have started making them 'think a night on it' before they buy.

i'm not a fan of the dentist.
we need them, i know.
and i bring my girls to all of their check-ups and more,
but i'm waaaay overdue a check-up.

my girls were eager to work the concession stand at one of our dance fundraisers, a community concert... of course, that means mom gets to, as well. it's 102 degrees.

hubs was at a baseball game with co-workers.

i may have complained a time or two that i was ready to go back to alaska.

and that's all i'm confessin' for now.

except for the fact that the family is waiting on me to get dressed so we can go to the store.
i'm still in my pajamas.

the day in which we wore every jacket in our suitcase

2011-07-07T00:20:00.001-05:00

the 127 mile stretch from anchorage to seward is quite breathtaking. unlike many places in america, you will often find large 'nooks' off the side of the road for parking. picture taking is expected. and a must, at times.

it also serves those adventurous souls who enjoy the numerous hiking trails or rock climbing within mere feet of the road. we didn't stop. the purpose of our adventure was to explore kenai fjords.

so we loaded in a small boat with a handful of other adventurous souls. some of them booked this expedition through a travel agent. so, i guess we got lucky... because i simply found them online. it's a family owned business, but they have two ladies manning this lil' ship.

all in all, it was a great experience. i'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

flying in a boat + glaciers = glacier water = freezing one's fanny off.

this is a 95 foot boat. this is a big glacier.

when it calves, it sounds like thunder.
everyone is quiet...

taking it all in.
amazing.

we saw humpback, fin, and {of course} shamu. ;) unfortunately, they were all a bit shy... so they didn't breach the water. we forgave them.

this lil' guy was checkin' us out. i think he regretted leaving his camera at home.

after an entire day at sea, we were all looking like these little guys...

apparently, we were lucky. they say that the weather isn't always so clear, and the glacier so active. we saw eagles, whales, puffins, otters, sea lions, dall sheep, lava rock... and lets not forget the glacier.

before leaving, we witnessed the weighing of several halibut that had been caught. the winner was a young lady. her fish was 50 lbs.

it's a different world there, y'all.
simply amazing.

a couple more of these posts and i'll be done. promise.
i mean, my everyday life is much more entertaining anyway, right?
you don't have to answer that. ;)

{day 1}
{day 2}
{day 3}
{day 3 part 2}

behold, the cuteness...

2011-07-05T21:27:00.001-05:00

still on day 3 {this series will end at some point. promise.}, we ventured through wasilla, ak. it is a seemingly self-proclaimed redneck capital. this might explain something about a certain former vice presidential candidate's grand-baby daddy. *ehem*

while i agree it didn't leave a posh impression, it didn't really strike me as more redneck than other places i've ventured into in the lower 48.

lower 48. alaskan talk. *giggle*

i was only disappointed that there were seemingly only chain restaurants. mainly only chili's. and fast-food. chili's it is then. it's all about the food in the end, right?

mainly....

i wanted to visit this place.
the iditarod headquarters.

if there's one thing you're sure to see this time of year in alaska,
it's people walking their dogs.
i imagine this doesn't happen much throughout the winter months.

so, if one is going to get a true taste of alaska,
one must see what this dog-driven sport is all about.

we were greeted by the father of the iditarod, joe redington sr.
well, his statue, anyway.

he was truly passionate about dogs.
and how they could perform.
something that he must have passed on to his son.

his son, joe redington jr., took us on a lil' ride.

you can see mr. redington's dark hat floating above hubby's shoulder.
it was attached to mr. redington. i promise.
we saw him, but he didn't talk much. he smiles.
maybe you befriend quiet on those long rides.
his wife was kind enough to take this great photo with my camera.

these beautiful dogs seem to enjoy their line of work.

chomping at the bits to run.

the dog on the back row, {your left in the picture below} helped mr. redington jr. win 7th place last year.

we were moving fast in no time at all on the well-worn path.
they knew just what to do.
and what the seemingly foreign commands were being called out from behind us.

ummm... our dog knows the sound of whipped cream from a can.

and the jingle of the car keys.

and when i ask her these questions:

do you wanna go for a ride?

do you wanna go for a walk?

are you starvin'?

are you hungry?

are you ready to eat?

she gives me that cute-tilted-puppy-head-expression.

race registration was starting the week we were in alaska. hubs passed on the opportunity. personally, i don't think i'd have the heart to work a dog quite like that. maybe that's just me?

among other things, i always feel sorry for the doggy's feet.
apparently, these help.
lil' booties that velcro around their cute lil' paws.
if you squint real hard, you can see the tree behind us in a picture above decorated with these adorable booties.
so stinkin' cute.

when the dogs are not looking for another customer to pull,
you will find them... resting.
hahhh...

this retired lead dog, anna, came out to say hello to me for a brief moment.
she looked too tired to socialize and quickly went back in her lil' house when she heard the pack of dogs bringing the last customers around the path.
she's purdy, huh?

hubs made a friend, too.
as hubby walked away, this fellow jumped down in hopes of getting even more attention. he was a friendly chap.

oh...

but the cuteness...
i die.

this lil' bundle whimpered a sweet puppy breath whimper,
until it snuggled its nose into my jacket.
and then it fell fast asleep.

is there anything like holding a 2 week old baby...
then handing it back.
you know, before it poops.

in short,
i'd love to learn more about this sport.
these dogs are amazing.
and seeing the sport in action would be quite exhilarating.

i have puppy love.
the end.

{day 1}
{day 2}
{day 3, part 1}

alaska day 3: helicopter ride and hurricane gulch

2011-07-01T16:24:00.001-05:00

these are marathon posts, so i commend you...
even if you've been 'skimming'.
not that you {nor i} ever would. ;)

wednesday, we stopped by era helicopters to thank them for setting us up with such great adventures the previous day.
unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating,
so for safety's sake, they had to postpone/cancel flights scheduled for the morning.
again, no glacier tour.
*sigh*
while chatting, they offered to let us ride with the pilot to do a 'weather' check. sweet, right?

hubs hopped in the back seat, while i hopped in right beside the pilot.
behind the controls.
one does not want to accidentally touch the millions of buttons.
i am not a co-pilot.
roger that.

even though the cloud coverage proved that customers would not be landing on their glacier immediately, bill made sure we got a lil' mini tour.
he searched for any signs of wildlife.
they were hiding.
and showed us victory falls.
as well as numerous glacier made rivers.

the pictures don't do this excursion justice. i was kinda busy looking for bears.

and, again, one is thankful to have an experienced pilot.
thank you, bill.
it was a smooth ride!

this is where we ate most of our quick denali meals. subway. we're classy like that. it's home of the $9 foot long. denali park also sells $5/gallon gas. ouch.

but denali makes me feel young. there are a lot of seniors taking advantage of the land and sea cruises. sweet, yes?

it was time to say good-bye to our spectacular mckinley chalet views.
three nights in alaska. three different beds.
but this was, by far, the best view.

seriously.
this was the view upon opening our door.
i loved the sound of the nenana river.
fresh, cool air first thing in the morning.
hahhhhh...

on our road trip, headed back south toward wasilla, we stopped to soak in a little scenery at one of the road-side stops. it happened to be hurricane gulch.

the view was quite spectacular.

i can't wait to share what our wasilla visit held.
be prepared to oooh and aaaah at the cuteness.

denali: mckinley to the nenana {day 2}

2011-06-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

we ventured into denali state park.
beautiful landscapes at every turn.
with mt. mckinley viewable at various mile markers on a clear day.

you can drive 15 miles in on a paved road with your personal vehicle.
until you reach the savage river.
after that, the road turns to gravel and taking a bus tour is the only choice.

we opted for the first 15 miles.
we couldn't commit to the day-long bus tour.

spruce trees abound.
it's like christmas everywhere.
wildlife roaming an unfenced land.
they say your chance of seeing wildlife are better the further you drive.
we saw a spotted mama moose, with her calf, at the entrance.

awkward looking creatures, yes? sort of a cross between a horse, a donkey, and a... ??

it's all fun and games till someone disturbs your breakfast.
or calls you awkward.

we toured the park's science display. there is much about the pioneer days which demands respect. it is a different way of life, indeed.

there was even a recipe from one of our great pioneers, fannie quigley. we ate this at cabin night the previous evening... one of the main characters was fannie herself. ;)

it's not written like any pie recipe i've ever read before. agree?

there were several places to stop and breath in the beauty, oxygen, and pictures.
amazing.
you wouldn't want to go venturing off on your lonesome, at least not without a cell phone...
in case you get lost , as two employees did {from the very hotel we were staying at}.

alaska is a feast for the eyes.

we were on the list for the helicopter glacier tour, but were pulled off at the last minute.
that can happen when one is on stand-by.
i may have shed a tear.

instead, we were invited to take in the view of mt. mckinley from denali air.
a tiny plane, indeed.
i made a conscious choice to ignore any of the risks involved.
knowing our pilot, joe, had 30 yrs under his belt helped.

the sensation is different from that of a larger plane.
sitting behind the pilot, i gauged his body language for any signs of distress.
he was calm, cool, and collect.

mt. mckinley is breathtaking.
its peaks peer above the clouds.
a beautiful distraction.

alaska is full of land... untouched.

when measured base to summit, mckinley is actually taller than everest.

interesting, yes?

we felt so close, yet we were still 20 miles from the mountain.

joe said the cracks we see in the mountain are big enough to drop a house into.

crazy perspective.

as soon as we touched the ground, we got another call.
white water rafting.
neither of us had ever rafted quite like this before.

the most adventure we'd encountered together was a "double" wave runner and canoe.
both of which i do not like to this day, due to negative encounters.

we decided to once again throw caution to the wind.
i mean... when would we get such an invite again?
white water rafting... in alaska!

due to hub's connections, we soon found ourselves as paddlers.
ummm... i thought i was just along for the ride.

after our scary "do this, don't do this if you fall out" speech, we were on our way.
notice my readiness expression.
i did not want to fall out.

wait. there's a pocket to slide your foot into? why didn't you say so to begin with?
we're ready to rock this boat now!

during the calm water patches, we had an interesting view and dialogue of alaska's early train track construstion with our guide, pat.
if you're ever there, look him up.
good times.

he did confess to flipping a raft early in the season.
thankfully he kept that golden nugget to himself till the end.
the lady behind hubs may not have appreciated that info.
she was convinced she was falling in before we took off.
i finally had to tell her that she wouldn't...
while secretly hoping i wouldn't either.

see? good times.
if ever given the option to paddle, go with the paddle.

and just so you know...
the front row gets the most water.
and the most fun.
we think so, anyway.

you're given the option to go for a swim toward the end of the ride, but we found the comfort of the boat suited us just fine. that water was cold, y'all. if i had been warm, i might have been tempted... you know... there's no fish in the silt-laden nenana river. which means no predators either. music to my ears.

after we took off our teletubby-meets-star-trek-suites, we took our hungry-stinky selves to the salmon bake for another yummy dinner.

one cannot eat enough fish in alaska.
have i mentioned the fish before?

{day 1}

once upon a time... in alaska

2011-06-29T18:25:00.000-05:00

one would think that i've been really busy...
thus the bloggy absence.
not true.
i've merely been sleep walking since returning home.
trying to adjust to this time change.
three hours, west to east is exhausting.
jet-lag ages me in dog years.
but i'm catching up.

thankfully, hubs has been understanding.
helping me load the dishwasher.
taking us out to dinner.
ignoring the laundry pile.
he's sweet like that.

we drove to granny's house.
spent the night.
presented daddy with his father's day gift the next morning.
a picture book of many memories made.
between a dad and his girlies.
they grow too fast.

granny and the girlies dropped us off at the aiport.
tearful goodbyes.
*sigh*
tsa pointed me to the older metal detectors.
hubby to the 'newer' machines.
he doesn't opt out.
i'm not a fan of radiation inducing machines.
maybe that's just me.

after {finally} landing in houston for a plane change, we rushed to our next gate.
delays make me nervous.
we landed again in washington, but stayed on the same plane.
one can feel cramped even in first class on long rides.
and in airplane bathrooms.
i feel bad for anyone taking this flight in coach.

but the views...
oh, the views make it all worth it.

mountains.
i love them.
and cooler summers.
we're deprived of both where we live.
we hope to one day remedy this.
convincing our girls and an employer might prove difficult.

it was around 3:00 a.m. our time, yet around midnight alaskan time when we arrived in anchorage.
outside, it was light, cool, and misty.
we were not in kansas anymore, toto.
it felt good.

we settled into our hotel.
obviously, the alaskan taxidermists isn't hurting in today's economy.
hgtv has not influenced the decor of alaska.
but i like the lodge-y feel, too.
room darkening curtains line the windows of every hotel...
and home, i'm sure.

on monday morning, we made our way to wally-world and REI.
we were on the hunt for jackets.
when it's 102 degrees where you're from, you may forget to grab your jacket from the coat closet due to the crazy to-do list that's been whirling in your head.

i noticed many people walking with backpacks.
homeless? you decide.
there seems to be more of a hippie mentality in alaska.
if there's any pioneer in you, alaska will bring it to the surface.

and we were told that one can get in trouble with authorities for giving money to homeless.
they have programs they prefer to use.

time for our road trip up to denali state park.
a friend let us borrow his car.
very sweet and generous, huh?
so grateful.

alaska brought out the pioneer woman in me.
i admit it.
but i'm not looking to backpack this long trip.
or any other.
if i can help it.

there really are igloos near the north pole.
or retired hotels??

the scenery was breathtaking.
clouds covering the highest mountain tops.

we kept trying to snap pictures of the numerous mountainsides along the way.
little did we know, we'd soon be completely enveloped by their beauty.

we made it. so peaceful.

exploring the river running behind our bed for the evening.

before driving to the local {and ever popular} cabin nite dinner.
it was more of a dinner theater.

hubs was spared.
he has a few connections, you know.
when his ticket to the dinner said 'teresa' instead of... his real name, we thought we were in for an interesting evening.
come to find out, he was supposed to get called out...
hubs was relieved he didn't.
and i was camera ready, too.
*sigh*

and the food...
oh, the food.
i want to move there for the fish alone.

day 2 coming soon...

what a week!

2011-06-17T20:50:00.001-05:00

"mama, what are you gonna do?
an evening at home all by yourself!"

ummm...
feed the dog.
inhale some dinner.
upload pix while doing above task.
quick edit.
really quick.
blog {quickly} about current events.

noticing a theme here?

most of my blogging has been quick lately.
i apologize.
complete sentences are hard to come by this week.
complete sentences have been hard to come by since having two kids.

mama is in a hurry.
so i'm gonna be short and sweet here.
gotta go pack.
ah!

nator enjoyed tennis camp this week.
more than she realized she would.
we're not lookin' to go pro,
but we had fun.
four days worth.
and she gained a new friend.

no pictures of the action.
i dislike coverings on fences.

but i guess it's necessary for providing a little shade.
when you have 110 degree heat indexes.
thankfully, we met early.

gracie had a great time at dance camp.
between her exhausting afternoons and nator's early mornings,
we've had really early bedtimes.
that's new for us homeschoolers, you know. ;)

they distributed a total of 4 trophies.
she received one for being the most accomplished in hip-hop.
apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
ehem.

if they had noticed her leap, she may have won one for that alone.
in my book, anyway.
do you know how hard it is to get that back leg up??
it's hard.
i may or may not have tried it.

straight from dance camp recital...
time to get ready for the daddy/daughter dance.

where's dad, you say?
he arrived home from dallas just in time to change clothes.
bless his heart.
the girls waited patiently.

yes, these are the same dresses from last year's dance.
they are pretty.
and they still fit.

but we did buy new hair accessories.

and shoes.
better for dancin'.

from what i see via text,
they are partying it up with corsages, masks, chicken dance...
who knows?
maybe there will be a carriage ride, too.
i just know there will be memories made.

****************************************************

thanks so much for all of your sweet comments on our bedroom makeover. you guys crack me up. for real.

okay.

i'm signing off.

wish me luck.

i'm kinda nervous-excited.

nervous about the travel.

excited about alaska.

alaska!!

{still can't wrap my brain around that one.}

bedroom makeover {revealed}

2011-06-15T14:59:00.002-05:00

it recently dawned on me that i had completed a project...
and completely forgotten to fill you in.

that's a bloggy sin somewhere, i'm sure.

my master bedroom. my poor-poor master bedroom.
it's the room that fell victim to piles of paperwork... and laundry waiting to be folded.
it's the room that we collapsed in each night.
the exhaustion was the only thing that kept me from becoming a complete basket case from having to look at said piles each evening.
that... and the hope that it would one day be as i envisioned it in my head.

it's supposed to be the most relaxing room, right?

*insert uncontrollable laughter*

for years i've wanted new bedroom furniture.
why, you ask?

feast your eyes on this...

i should warn you.
it's brutal.

and the mess?
i forgot to take a good 'before' shot, so this is a 'middle' shot.

middle is always worse, right?

you feel my pain now?

i should also tell you that i'm fighting back every urge to run these two pictures through photoshop to edit them black and white... you know, so they would look... ummmm... less messy? and brassy brown?
i fight the urge for your viewing pleasure.

we needed something budget friendly, so buying all new furniture has not really been an option. the used furniture i searched through was too expensive for the quality. so i sanded, painted, and placed polycrylic on my own. updating the hardware was a must. oi.

so after a lot of good ol' fashioned elbow grease...
enter our new {shabby-chic} relaxing room.

these are sooc {straight out of camera}, so please excuse the poor lighting.
mama is a lil' busy this week.
ah!
but i think i adjusted the wb {white balance} in camera enough to display an accurate color.

as you may remember, hubs and i made the headboard with used cabinet pieces bought from habitat for humanity and painted them, along with the remaining lumber that was needed. there are several websites which give instruction on how to make headboards out of doors or cabinets.

ummm... excuse the dust. it shows up better on dark furniture? ;)

the vinyl was bought on clearance at tarjet. i cut some of it to come from behind a picture over our bed.

excuse the doggy bone. jazzy hasn't learned to pick up her things, despite my best efforts.

silver platters found at the salvation army.

i had several frames that were not being used, so i spray painted them white, and put a coat of polycrylic, as well.

my sweet little bird came from hobby lobby.
in their clearance aisle.
i love that aisle.

keeping the glass in two of our white frames, hubs and i can write messages to each other.
using dry erase markers.

yfa.
yours for always.
it's part of a song we sang to each other at our wedding.
this acronym has followed us ever since.

i splurged on curtains and a duvet, buying them a little at a time
@ bed, bath and beyond.
don't you just love the smell in there?

my curtains smell yummy.
i sniff them every now and again.
clearly, i have issues.

i bought a yummy smelly thingy there, too.
technical term, i'm sure.
my room smells like the store now.
hahhhhh...
relaxing, indeed.

my bedding was pieced together.
marshalls, kirklands, and target.

i made the bedskirt.
that's why it's extra long.
don't laugh.
i was going for the 'draped' look on purpose. ;)

this off-white frame was given to us at our wedding...
18 years ago.
gracie made those signs when she was practicing for dance competition.
"if you fall, get back up."
it's a good rule to live by, yes?

plates were an overflow from our kitchen.
personalized in permanent ink from a 9 and 11 year old.
"yfa" frames came from hobby lobby half off.
i love half off.
and accents of zebra.

if nothing else, jasmine is clearly impressed.
even her bed matches the room...
but sometimes the floor looks relaxing, too.
when you're a dog.

it's now my favorite room.

just one {or two} more {quick} thing{s}

2011-06-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

tennis.
nator believes she's found a new hobby.
love the smile a new challenge brings.

she looks rather cute in her tennis uniform, yes?
the 8 inch purple egg on my tibia from practicing with said tennis player yesterday and her newly discovered backhand?
not so much.
ouch.

i'd do it again to see her gain a little confidence in making contact with the ball.
but not today.
hurts. too. much.
i shall not grimace in front of her.
she feels bad.
it's all good.
or will be.

comes with the parental territory.
you know... like choosing to let your baby throw up on you vs. the carpet.
parents do things like that.
{huh, hun?}

makeup.
i've been putting this off.
unfortunately, i can do this no longer.
and i waited until the busiest week in our summer to start lessons.

she will be left to her own devices when getting ready for her mini-recital on friday.
a teenager helped her last year.
she wants to do it herself.

i'm reminded of her two year old self.
"no, i do it."
*sigh*

if she comes out {not} looking like a clown with black eyes...
i will consider these lessons a success.

she even lured me out to the swings for a few minutes.
she lures me with her cuteness.
and the little girl voice she musters up for times like this.

tibias, tennis, dance and makeup...
have a great week, y'all!

life is not always this busy

2011-06-14T06:53:00.000-05:00

i'm not one to usually over-plan my days.
possible case of denial.
i'm a parent.
busy comes with the territory.

but you know... i like quiet.
quiet doesn't always come with the territory.

our girlies have been looking forward to their 'summer' activities all year.
it's here.
as well as the much anticipated mommy-daddy get a way.

hubs hugged me this morning on his way out the door.
headed to dallas.
WAAAAAAAAAH!
okay, i'm done.
maybe.
*sniff*

in the dark, he whispered in my ear, 'just think. this time next week, we'll be headed to a helicopter, on our way to a glacier.'

these words excite me, yet they don't compute.
this is soooo out of the ordinary, yet i long for an adventure outside of my daily routine.
i love my daily routine.
it involves my girlies.
i love my girlies.

now... if only i can survive this week's routine.

today...

nator's tennis lessons. check.
take pictures of her. to come.

talk gracie into makeup lesson while sister is in tennis lesson so that i have time to shower before dance camp.

instead of doing this again.
it's hot.

and dry.
i miss the sound of rain.

the ground agrees.

gracie may have almost gotten lost in a rather large hole.

and fallen to her doom to the center of earth.

she informed me that lava was there, during yesterday's tennis lesson.

follow up eye apt.
i've been testing new contacts.
with a new prescription.
reading up close is a problem with said contacts.
it wasn't in my old prescription.
i called the next day... lady with a tude told me i'm pushing 40.
in my pms state, i thought it was great she chose to say this via phone.

don't be skeered.
i wouldn't have done anything other than smile and nod in person either.
what happened to good costumer service these days?

pick up gracie.
come home.
make dinner.
wishing i could collapse on sofa.
but will make sure funky laundry and dirty dishes are tended to.
then collapse.
and maybe watch the voice.
have you seen it?

tomorrow will be the same, minus the eye apt.
that will be replaced by taking nator to join her sister in the swimming part of dance camp.

thursday will be the same, minus the swimming.
that will be replaced by final preparations in packing.

friday will be the same.
and we'll add making a refreshment to bring to mini-dance recital, then getting two girlies dolled up for a daddy/daughter dance.

saturday we hit the road.
destination: granny's house.

sunday...
*shivers*
i get so giddy just thinking about it.
minus the expected tsa pat-down when i 'opt-out' of the radiation/nude pic box machine.
we fly north.

escaping the 'oppressive heat', as my hubby rightly calls it.

i nearly shaved myself bald yesterday.

it was considered, anyway.

signing off...

this sleep-deprived-mama-hen needs to stir the baby chicks.

there's breakfast to make before the marathon begins.

confessions and wonderings

2011-06-11T06:31:00.002-05:00

hubs and i are in the final planning stages of our alaskan get-a-way and we have no activities set in concrete. yet. i'm super excited. on the inside, i'm jumping up and down like a squeal-y school. girl. on the outside, i'm calm-cool-and-collected.

what would you want to do in alaska? so many choices. the squeal may come bursting through soon. yes, i'm that giddy.

i'm also nervous about logistics. of which there are many. i will miss my girlies. if it weren't for my hubs, i'm not sure things like this would happen. i'm a home-body at heart... with a flare for the adventurous.

we were hoping it would work out to surprise the girls with a trip to disney by the end of the year. we wanted it be a surprise in case it didn't work out... and to get their reaction on film. you've seen those commercials, right? note to self: one should never leave tweetdeck open on computer when one has sent direct messages to a friend about said trip. 11 yo may read it. and cry because she realizes she shouldn't have. oh well... surpriiiise!!! maybeeee! ;)

i'm wondering how long a cat can stay home alone? you know... before retaliating against parents for leaving said cat for an extended amount of time. i don't want any presents upon return... if you know what i mean. i think said cat will be fine.

even with doses of melatonin, my body has seemingly found a loophole. once awake, i'm up. not cool. so i find myself googling other things to try here during crazy hours of the night. i think my next step will be taking L-tryptophan, an amino acid. it's supposed to help your body produce melatonin on its own. or induce funny dreams. i don't know. don't listen to me. i'm sleep deprived.

gracie's camera ready "cheeeeese" smile and nator's sweetness. kills me every time. doesn't nator's expression {on the left} make you *giggle* just a little? ;)

i'm wondering why i ever thought short hair was a good idea on me. these are the flattering pix. really. the others. not so much. i'm sure it had something to do with having small children. if a third had come along, shaving the head may have been next.

there was a window of one year in which hubs and i were on the same page in having a third child. it didn't happen. infertility is not fun. the other years, one of us talked reason into the other. we took turns in that role. sometimes i still wonder what one more may have been like. *sigh*

i have been on the verge of old-picture-induced tears. can these girlies pause growing up for just a little while? please?

old cameras with cute babies are a crying shame. cameras have come a long way, baby... and these are sooc. the quality of older photos makes me seem much older *cough* than what i actually am *cough*.

i'm sure i have more to confess, but i'm off to see if this second dose of melatonin will sneak me in a couple more hours of age-defying sleep! if there are any grammatical errors or messpeltings, i blame it on the melatonin.

oh... and also, i don't like 'labeling' my posts. i have too many labels. ;)

okay. i'm done. night-night... or good morning.

changes

2011-06-08T12:50:00.000-05:00

i thought when the girls were little
that as they grew older...
things would get less busy.

go ahead.
you can laugh.

i've come to realize over the years that things simply...
change.

instead of poopy diapers, middle of the night feedings, foreign objects in mouth, bulky car seats, and abc's...

i'm scheduling activities, shuttling the weary mom-wagon to and fro, discussing presidents, mending hurt feelings, and sore feet.

all with a side of insomnia to boot.

it could be hormones... or the schedule.
all i know is that a dose of melatonin has done wonders.
hubs suggested it for me.
you know, since your body makes less of it as you have more birthdays.
he uses sneaky wording.

this young lady.
our a-nator.
{only we never call her that name.}
has seen many changes in her piano ability these past 11 months.

she was so excited to show off her private work in public at the end-of-year-recital.

we couldn't be more proud of our girlies.
they keep us on our toes.
but we wouldn't have it any other way.

we hold these moments close to our hearts.
one day... these girlies will be on their own.
giving this mama a whole new set of things to think about...
before the melatonin kicks in.

to the best{est} granny ever

2011-06-07T17:24:00.001-05:00

my granny
this is my granny's special day
i hope she feels special as i say
she is sweet, and very kind
there is nothing that makes me leave her behind

her birthday makes me think
of a very special drink
it is sweet and sour at the same time
my granny is like this
minus the sour in this rhyme

since the spring has gone away
there is one thing i got to say
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
GRANNY!!!
~nator, age 11

memorial day weekend extravaganza

2011-06-03T12:43:00.000-05:00

anticipation.
lil' girlie costumes.
a total of 20 changes.
in one day.

2 dress rehearsals.
2 performances.
again...
in one day.

family in town.
spinning on tap shoes.
silliness with friends.

backstage mama drama.
oh dear.
not my cup of tea.

gracie in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop.
nator in ballet and tap.
dvd player.
ipod.
snacks.
dad bringing lunch and dinner.
tired mama.

dance recital gift of build a bear.
at the rainforest cafe'.
it's loud there.
but they had a sweet balloon-animal-maker-lady.
tinkerbell and hello kitty.

family of 7 trip to the beach.
memorial day weekend.
a lot of people.
the first time granny had been here since she was a little girl.

seaweed.
inner-tube fun.
daddy gets pink.

wind.
sand castles.
wind.

inner-tube tutus.
salty air.
running toward water.
past knee depth... only with an adult.

fun.
family.
and fun.

it twas a memorable memorial day weekend.
i think we're still recovering. ;)

"a beautiful day"

2011-05-24T11:50:00.000-05:00

that's what this sweet 11 year old announced monday would be...
a beautiful day.
she dressed herself in anticipation of the day before mom exited her pillow.

it was filled with running errands.
and her long awaited music guild.

"nervous-excited."
10 short memorized pieces.
just her...
and the judge.
a poised young lady.
complements and manners.

her imitation of the statue of liberty.
she wants to see it one day.
and go to washington, d.c.
as much as she wants to go to disney world.
proud parents.

dad made it home in time to come along with us.
then we headed to the airport to drop him off.
it twas a little house on the prairie evening for the little ladies and myself.

dad should be back this evening.
crossing fingers.
we are taking the week off of school.
except for reading and math.

the house needs to recover from the garage sale.
we're calling this week "operation clean-up."
with a splash of re-decorating.

and there's lots of dance hoopla to get ready for.
and family coming in town.
yea!

now...
if only i could stay off of ebay.
garage sale money went toward an early christmas gift for nator.
samantha. a retired american girl doll.
with 3 outfits and all her books.
we're not above 'slightly used' items.

{i'm hoping to find an awesome deal on kirsten.
another one of nator's faves.
maybe felicity and elizabeth, too.
for gracie.
i have high hopes, yes?}

shhhhhhhhh...

the day she sees it will be another...
beautiful. day.

*giddy*

i'm off to spray-paint anything that's sitting still.
these kiddos better get a move-on! ;)

team work

2011-05-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

we picked hubs up from the airport on friday... sandwiched between gracie's hip hop class and preparing for a garage sale.

i know. i never thought i'd have another one. it turns out when you procrastinate long enough... well, eventually you'll end up with too much to haul to the salvation army. no worries, though. my mom-wagon is loaded with left-overs for the cause.

where was i again? oh... yes, hubs.

he keeps quite the schedule. i know that i was not built for his schedule. i do well to keep up with the one i have. and although we gals like to do things, we long for the stay-at-home days the most...

most days.

hubs. he was taking a business call at midnight last night. my heart doesn't skip a beat with middle-of-the-night calls anymore since he's been in this line of work. it's just par for the course. tech-savvy jobs are always on call.

don't get me wrong. having a tech-savvy husband has its perks, too. i know who to call if there's a glitch. he's usually great about not making me feel completely silly if the solution was something obvious. umm... to him, that is. ;)

i've informed him that he's in charge of teaching gracie's guitar lessons and all computer courses. you know, since i'm in charge of teaching them how to read, write, solve equations, learn from history, the function of dendrites, and the everyday daily grind. ;)

he works hard, but squeezes in quality time as best he can. like here. he taught gracie the g chord before leaving out of town. she was oh-so-proud to show nator and me all week. sweet girl.

we are all looking forward to the next lesson. you know... another chord. ehem.

just excuse the glowing bella eyes and piles of mess. soak in the tender moment instead.

we do sort of a tag-team garage sale. mama organizes and prices. dad works the sale. he's much better at saying good-bye to our things. they're just things, i know. hubs has to remind me that we're not selling the memories. see? he's much better at this.

i love having him home.

not only did he get to help with a garage sale...

he got to kill a bug, too.

hahhh...

life is good.

this is what deep thought looks like

2011-05-20T01:04:00.000-05:00

she has thoughts of changing the world.
becoming president.
and making the world a better place.

trying tennis this summer.
an upcoming music guild performance.
lego camp.
and a tap dance number.

cleaning her room.

okay... maybe not that last one.

growing up.

and paper dolls.

but for now... spelling.

our {girlie} spa night

2011-05-19T01:08:00.001-05:00

our girlie nights vary from week to week... or night, depending. distraction is key. with the number of nights hubs has been out of town on business, mama needed to think of something...

ahhh... spa night!

too bad hubs missed out on this one. in our ancient history lesson today, we learned that in india it was a sign of manhood and bravery for boys to have painted nails. maybe that could have convinced hubs to join us? then again... maybe not.

the girls were so excited. truthfully, i was a lil' pumped about it, too.

it twas a very busy day, indeed.

thankfully, i had already determined that morning that it didn't matter how messy the house was by the end of the day. when it was spa time, mama was going to ignore all that had not been accomplished. i mean... the overloaded checklist is not going anywhere, right?

truthfully, we did manage to get a lot done today. no matter what the house looked like. it was time to kick our heels up.

sometimes... life demands us to take note of the fact that we need to giggle more.

smear banana on our faces.

paint outside the lines.

or have fun with polka dots.

laugh.

watch little house on the prairie.
then sharpay's fabulous adventure.
makes sense, no?

the girls are tucked into bed...
smelling of freshly shampooed hair, banana, and nail polish.

i'm soon to follow.
after i make sure the tooth fairy has done her duty in gracie's room tonight.

silly tooth fairy.
she's been tardy before.
maybe two or three times.

we forgive her.
we know she's busy, too.

bucket list

2011-05-17T00:12:00.000-05:00

Being married to a busy guy can have its challenges.  Lately, hubs has  spent a lot of time going back and forth to Dallas due to a big project he's working on.   Last week, we had little family time together due to working overtime  while he was in town.  We do what we can.  And Sunday, we made another trip to the airport.  *sigh*  Girl movie nights anyone? 

We  {as in, the girls and I} seldom {if ever} get work-related perks.  I'm not complaining.   Really.  In this economy, we're thankful he has a job.  It's just life.  Life, for us, goes on as normal.   Schooling, laundry, taking out the trash, running to the store, cooking  meals, watering the lawn {texas drought}, miscellaneous errands, and even killing my own bugs.  

*shivers*

There's  not a ton of time off for hubs, but I know that if something came up, his boss  would be understanding.  There's something to be said for that.  Don't get me wrong.  He loves his job and co-workers.  There's something to be said for that, too.

However, this past Saturday, we were gifted with baseball tickets.  Yea!  A perk!  A baseball game is one of our favorite things.

Long story short, they were gifted to us from a co-worker of hubs who needed computer work done.  And these were not just any ol' tickets.  These were DIAMOND CLUB tickets!  Crazy, right?!

Four. rows. behind. home. plate!

Hubs said this was on his bucket list.  I quickly wrote it on mine and checked it off.  

We should seriously make one of these lists.  Have yew-awl?  Can't help myself.  We do live in the south, you know.

Things we will remember:

'free' parking.

really close. 

the field, within arm's reach... as we walked out of the {seemingly underground} tunnel toward our section.

pence #9, on nator's t-shirt. 

trying to 'play it cool', as if we were not the only ones who've never sat in the 'rich people' section.

then feeling relieved upon hearing the row behind us gasp at the novelty of diamond club, too.

'free' peanuts.

'free' water, with service.

really. they kept bringing it to us.

cold. and wrapped in a napkin. 

'free' frozen treats in a lil' freezer.

nice restrooms.

a cool, cozy lounge for dining.

'free' buffet.

first time to eat a yummy, salmon salad at a ball game.

on a real dish.

seeing the players so close.

almost becoming famous... on tv.

only if the camera had panned a little more toward the right.

korean war veterans.

hearing the star spangled banner.

teaching the girls the etiquette of removing their hats.

even if we are girls.

johnson bobble-head giveaway.

several homeruns.

and the Astros win!!

The only thing that would have made this better??  If any of the Bush family had been there.  Seated 4 rows in front of us, where they normally sit.  What an honor that would have been.  We've been studying our presidents, you know. 

Come to think of it, Nator said it right when she leaned over to me during the game... "I hope Daddy's friend has computer problems again."

We're re-adding this event back to our bucket list. Who says it can't happen again? ;)

Hmmm... What else should I add to my list?
What's on yours?