Abra Leah Stamps...

What's That Smell?

2012-01-18T22:07:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I grabbed a t-shirt from my closet and when I put it on I actually gasped and said out loud, "Good God, what is that smell?" I quickly realized it was me and I had a moment of panic, but then realized it wasn't really me - it was just the t-shirt. I jumped right back to freaking out, though, because seriously why did my t-shirt freaking smell like funk? Yucky footy dirty feetsy funk. Because I am pretty bright I deduced that my t-shirt had the horrific aroma of Man Foot because it had been hanging right next to the shelf upon which my husband puts his shoes. Stank. Contagious stank. {seriously, UGH}

After I overreacted and washed all my clothes within a few yards of his shoes, I set to the task of dealing with the source of the problem. Boys are so gross, but I can't do anything about that. Which left the shoes. Now, I know Man Foot is nasty, so I've bought all those fancy inserts and gels and such for my husband's shoes. He's gellin' but he's still smellin'.

I tried bacteria-eating, odor-fighting powder, but my husband didn't exactly like the poofs of smoke when he walked (or the fact that all his socks had a cloudy tint to them). I tried good ol' baking soda, but same issues with the powder. Then, when I was doing laundry (where I spend a lot of time now that it is so darn cute in my laundry room) I got an idea - I stuck fabric softener sheets in each of his shoes.

Guess what? It totally worked!! He just takes them out in the morning and sticks them back in at the end of the day. His shoes no longer stink, which has stopped my clothes from stinking, which has stopped me from stinking. And that, my friends, is sweet.

Lights Out

2012-01-16T20:45:00.006-06:00

About five minutes into our Girl Scout meeting tonight the power suddenly went out (the weather wasn't bad or anything) and not a single one of the 16 girls there panicked or screamed or squeeled! (These are 1st and 2nd graders (Daisies and Brownies), y'all.)

I turned on the flashlight on my phone, and asked them if we had any flashlights in our Camp Kit. One girl excitedly told us that we did, because she had brought them. So, my co-leader went to get them. I told the girls not to worry and one little voice said, "It's okay - I have my buddy." I scanned my flashlight phone around the room and each girl had the hand of a girl next to her. And no one was scared. They didn't get all silly or goofy, and they were ready to continue their meeting.

My co-leader got a bunch of candles lit and for the majority of the rest of our 1.5 hour long meeting, our crazy cool girls met all of their objectives for the evening by candlelight and flashlight.

They worked, sang, ate snack, cleaned up, and took care of business in the dark. Because Girl Scouts, even little ones, can totally do anything.

Tech Family

2012-01-09T16:30:00.000-06:00

I came home from the gym today to find my family lounging about...

Glued to their technology.

Removing Glitter Nail Polish

2012-01-08T20:26:00.010-06:00

The holidays are over, and I think it's time to move on from my ultra glitter nail polish! Have you tried Sally Hansen's Gem Crush polish? Talk about bling! It's great because the glitter doesn't just float around and clump up like most glitter polishes - it's full coverage with micro glitter and larger glitter chunks. (Costs around $7-$8 at the drug store, but I found it on sale with a $2.5o off coupon at my local grocery store before Christmas.)

I did mine in the red Cha-Ching for Christmas and then did the Lady Luck for New Years. But, it was starting to chip and flake, so it had to go.

Now, if you've ever used glitter nail polish (and if you haven't, do you want me to do your nails?) you know that getting it off can be a massive pain. Usually you have to scrub and scrub until you are sore! But, here's the easy way to manage it...

First, you need some basic things which you probably already have: Foil, acetone polish remover, and cotton balls. You'll also need some scissors to cut up the foil. (Bonus: cutting heavy duty foil sharpens your scissors. You could also use a square craft punch.) Cut the foil into 10 pieces each about 3"x3".

Step 1 - polish remover. Wet the cotton ball, but don't soak it. I usually just block the top with the cotton ball and flip it over quickly once to get the right amount of remover.

Step 2: wrap. Put your finger upside down onto the wet cotton ball (or hold it onto your finger) and wrap it with the foil. Give it a little squeeze to get the remover flowing around your nail (but don't squeeze so hard that it starts dripping out of your foil wrap).

Step 4: repeat. Get all your nails cozy. Now, you can also do your other hand so you can have all 10 soaking at the same time. I'm not that coordinated, though, so I do each hand separately.

Set a timer or watch the clock for 5 minutes. Chase your kids or dog with your robot hands, do a little finger tap dance on the counter, or play on Pinterest. Ahh, Pinterest. Just don't get sucked into something and forget to take off the foil because if it dries it makes a big, sticky cotton mess. Not that I've done that or anything. Okay.

Step 5: ooooo! Give your finger a final squeeze and then twist the foil and cotton ball around to get the last dregs of polish off of your finger. Sometimes you'll have some glitter left over that you just need to brush away (the glitter doesn't actually dissolve or anything, so I usually have some stuck under my nail and I just use a tooth pick to flick it out).

Here are my nails right after taking the foil wraps off:

And, finally, here are my nails after doing my simple sugar scrub, filing, buffing, and with my staple O.P.I.'s Natural Nail Base Coat:

I can either leave them like this or add my next color when I'm ready. Hope this helps you - and encourages you to try some fun glitter polishes! (Really, I will totally paint your nails if you come over.) ♥

The Laundry Room Make-over (a work in progress)

2012-01-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

We've been in our house for four years and the laundry room has always bugged me. It was the plain basic flat white done by the builder and that paint is really bad about collecting dust. It's always a battle: me vs. the dust creature army (and I usually retreat in terror). So, on Friday I saw that the paint was on sale, found a great color and started my project. I always forget to take "before" shots, but here are some pictures...

This is my first "test" of the paint color. I was trying to decide whether or not to do the whole room the blue (Bermuda Bay by Glidden) or to just do an accent wall and then do the rest of the walls a lighter color. But, I found this great website (House of Turquoise) that has samples of all kinds of amazing turquoise rooms and I saw plenty of rooms smaller than mine done beautifully. My laundry room is only 9' by 6.5', but it has 9' ceilings, so that really opens up the space and I figured it could handle the full coverage.

Of course, while the paint was drying I spent some time playing on Pinterest and I found this great pin of a gal who has a very cool way to tint mason jars (check it out here). I thought I would try it with vases since I don't have any mason jars. I also didn't have any vases, but a quick trip to the thrift store yielded two great vases for $.50 each and a pretty milk glass vase for $.75. Go, me! :)

I followed the directions, but I managed to goof somehow (or it's probably just different with the greater surface area of the vases and completely unrelated to an error on my part, right?). The vases did take the tint, but they ended up with a bubbly texture rather than the smooth look I was going for. But, I think they still look pretty. From a distance.

This first one is how they looked during the tinting.

And here is a close-up of the larger one after. See the weird texture? Anyone know what I did wrong?

Sunday I finished all the final touch-ups on the paint and I made a run to the fabric store to pick up some fabric to make the curtains (I let Chloe pick the fabric - she has a great eye for color). Mike wanted them to cover the whole window, but I only wanted half length so the light would still pour in. Not sure if I made the right choice, but we'll see. I just finished the curtains this evening, so I'll know for sure tomorrow in the day light.

I still have a lot more to do, of course. I'm working on the hanger rod slowly. It was dark wood, so it's taking several coats of spray paint to get good coverage. I'd also like to find an old fashioned washboard to hang on the wall, and maybe a tin wash tub to put on the shelf. It's a work in progress (like all my projects). I added some of my old wooden spools to the big vase and some wooden clothespins to the smaller one.

Totals:

Paint: $12 (normally $18), 1 gallon

Fabric: $3.99 patterned (normally $7.99/yd), 1 yard; $1.99 muslin for lining (normally $4.99/yd), 1 yard

Boxes: $2 ea (normally $6 ea), 4 boxes

Vases: $1.75, 3 vases

Already had: paint brushes, curtain rod, thread

Not bad for less than $30, huh?

Figgy Pudding

2011-12-28T19:54:00.000-06:00

Both of my children put "figgy pudding" on their Christmas wish lists. I thought it was pretty cute that they were both interested in this old fashioned, traditional treat. So, I told them I would make it for them. But, what the heck IS figgy pudding? I started my quest on the Internet and basically found out that Figgy Pudding is a sort of steamed fruity cake. I found several "traditional" and "original" recipes and kind of combined them to make my own version (minus the steaming - no clue how to steam a cake). It tasted like a rummy, fruity, dense bread pudding. My kids were thrilled and everyone enjoyed it. (Except for my sister who I almost killed when I forgot I put pineapple in it. Sorry, sis - you can barely see the hives now!) Can't wait for next Christmas to make it again! :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T01:00:00.001-06:00

A very merry and blessed Christmas to you and your families!

The Bench

2011-11-26T20:35:00.000-06:00

My mother and her best friend purchased twin benches when I was probably around 8 years old. A while ago. My mom loved it and she covered that bench, recovered it, and it followed us around the country to all our different homes. When my sister bought her own house four years ago she got the bench and covered it. Then, it ended up in my garage about a year ago. Until Today. I got it in my head that since it was just sitting in MY garage I might as well do something with it. I wanted to use it in my kitchen along one side of our table so that I can fit more folks around and free up more chairs. I had a JoAnn's coupon (and Black Friday weekend sales), so I dashed on over this morning and picked out some pretty cute fabric. Then came the work. Work I hadn't really planned on. Not fun work.

Here is the bench as it looked this morning. Not very cute.

First, I ripped off that awful fabric. And found this:

Yikes! Flash back to the early 80s! So, I pulled it off. (And by "pulled it off" I mean painstakingly used a tack puller to remove 2 frillion staples from the underside for EACH layer of fabric!) Only to reveal this:

Huh? Okay... Well, I actually love that bright orange vinyl, so I saved it for some future as-of-yet-unknown project. I threw out the old (but not THAT old, right?) foam and tossed about 10 pounds of tacks. Seriously, that stuff was on there GOOD.

I cleaned the bench, added new foam, and used my own limitless supply of staples to add first the fabric and then a layer of clear vinyl to make clean-up easy. (Apologies in advance to anyone who wants to recover it sometime in the future.)

I think it's pretty cute.

Pika Party!

2011-10-29T18:45:00.001-05:00

Bradley is into Pokemon right now, so he just had to have a Pokemon birthday party. Here is what the invitation looks like inside and out:

Everything was done with Stampin' Up!. I did the large circles with the Circle Scissors, and used SU punches and card stock, as well. My husband actually helped me come up with how it should open (Go, Mike!). Bradley loves them, and I'm sure his friends had fun opening them to see their own name in it.

Here are the cupcakes I made. I wish someone would teach me how to properly frost cupcakes so they look all smooth! Oh well, the 6-year-old boys didn't care what they looked like! :)

It was a great party, but exhausting! Having eight 5 and 6-year-old boys running around felt like having twenty of them. I can wrangle 19 girl scouts without issue - but those boys, wow! Bradley is already planning his next party - he can't decide between Cars 2 or Star Wars. He has plenty of time to decide!

Shrinky Dinks!

2011-09-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

I found some Shrinky Dink plastic the other day when I was cleaning out my craft room, so I let the kids play with it. They had SO much fun tracing pictures from their books and coloring them. When they first watched them in the oven it was like watching a magic show - they were really impressed at how fast they shrunk and how it they retained all the color and detail.

Did you know you can make your own shrink plastic and recycle at the same time? If you get plastic containers (like from a salad bar or take-out restaurant), check the bottom. It must be number 6 plastic and it will have this symbol on the bottom: . But, you can use it the same way - cut it out, draw on it with permanent markers (or rough it up with sand paper first to use colored pencils on it) and bake it at 300 degrees for about 3 minutes. Fun, huh?

Wall Art from Designer Paper

2011-09-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

When I saw this designer paper I just knew I was going to make these for Chloe's room. It's called "Hoot Hoot" and it has the most darling little owls in it. I just painted the 6x6 canvases green, cut out the paper, and used Modge Podge to glue them down and coat them. I started with the 3, but I think I'll probably add 6 more to have a big square on her wall. She loves them, and I really like how they came out.

Thrift Store Table Face Lift

2011-09-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

My kids have been begging for a Lego table, but those bad boys are expensive! So, I was looking through our local thrift store and I found a great table (that I didn't take "before" pictures of because I'm a dork and I always forget to). It was ugly, dirty, dark brown, with plastic casters. But, it had a raised edge on the top and a great slanted shelf on the bottom I figured could be used to hold the Lego bins.

I spray painted it white (with several coats), used craft paint for the top, glued the plates down with Gorilla Glue, and voilla! (Plates found on ebay for $12 for all of them, free shipping.)

Their bins fit perfectly beneath and now the kids can build to their hearts' content. :)

All About Chloe

2011-09-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

Chloe had to do a big "All About Me" poster for school this week. (Yes, they assigned it on Monday and it is due on Friday - I don't know if I'm ready for 2nd grade!!) I let her pick out the pictures herself and she cut most of them out and used a ton of stuff from my craft room to design her masterpiece. :) If you have school aged kids, every time Hobby Lobby has their stickers on sale for 50% off, buy some! Chloe goes through a ton of them every year. I think she did a great job.

AKA Birthday Card

2011-08-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

One of my friends at work is an AKA girl and her office has a ton of pink and green, so I had to make her birthday card in her favorite colors. :)

The card stock, ribbon, and glitter (Dazzling Diamonds) are Stampin' Up! and I cut the shapes and layers with my Cricut Straight From the Nest and Elegant Edges carts.

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-22T18:45:00.000-05:00

I got this idea from Zoot and I love it! A new first day of school tradition has begun. The kids worked on them last week and were pretty excited to show them off. I still can't believe how big they are.

Daddy walking them to the building.

Chloe did great - she gets to sit at the same table as one of her Girl Scout sisters. She was all, "Mom, you can leave now." Whatever! But Bradley, on the other hand... I wasn't prepared for him to cry. He had been in private pre-school and pre-k, he knew his teacher (she was Chloe's kinder teacher and he wanted to be in her class badly), he had a friend in the class, too. But, he cried and whispered for me not to leave him. So, of course, I had to desperately fight back my own tears. We had quite the puddle of sadness going on before Daddy swooped in to make everything better. Then I had to rush off to my own campus all raccoon-eyed to welcome my own students back. Tomorrow will be better, right?

Boing!

2011-08-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

I took this picture of Bradley bouncing in a moon walk and I just had to share. :)

Teacher Gift

2011-08-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

I made a whole bunch of these to give to the kids' new teachers in a few weeks (still cannot believe the summer is nearly over). I used my Cricut and the Doodlecharms cart for the shapes (except for the pencil that's an original design). Card stock, ribbon, designer paper, and punches are all Stampin' Up!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2011-08-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

Today Chloe ran up to me all excited. She had been playing with my punches (which can keep her busy for over an hour) and she brought me this:

She exclaimed, "I made a Mexican hat with two heart punches!" Gotta love it! :)

How to Keep a 5-year-old Busy for 2 Hours

2011-07-29T16:47:00.001-05:00

Today at Vacation Bible School the kids were all given a big ziplock bag full of bread mix to make at home. Bradley asked if he could play kitchen with it. This is what happened...

He totally played with that flour for over two hours. Yes, he made a colossal mess, but he cleaned every speck of it up on his own. He had a wonderful time that I'm sure he won't forget. Completely worth the lingering smell of bakery!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T08:40:00.001-05:00

I had scheduled a Father's Day Card workshop several weeks ago, before my father passed away. I went ahead and held the workshop, but it was a bit surreal. The guests had a great time, though, and the cards were really fun to make. My kids made some for their daddy, too, after everyone else left.

I couldn't ask for a greater daddy for my children. He is a wonderful provider and loves them to pieces. :)

(kids are still in their jammies, sorry!)

2011-05-24T20:27:00.001-05:00

Today my sweet little boy "graduated" from pre-k. I seriously cannot believe he is going to be in Kinder in the fall. How the heck did I let this happen? The program was darling and Bradley got his little diploma and an award for being the Best Speaker (imagine that).

And this is him with his "girl friend" - they've been friends for over 2 years now and will be in the same school together next year. They adore each other and are hoping and praying they get to be in the same class for kindergarten. Her mom and I think it will be cute to take another one just like this when they graduate from high school together, but that is something I cannot even imagine right now!

Loss

2011-05-19T20:56:00.000-05:00

Galen Southwick of Missouri City, Texas went to be with our Lord on Sunday, May 15, 2011, at the age of 66.

He is survived by his wife of almost 42 years, Sylvia Southwick.

Daughters:

Abra Leah and her husband Michael Cross, of Missouri City, Texas

Erin and her husband Daryl Keith Nicholas of Missouri City, Texas

Son:

Matthew Southwick, of Missouri City, Texas

Grandchildren:

Alexis, Alec, and Alyssa Nicholas

Chloe and Bradley Cross

Brother:

Jack Southwick and his wife, Jan, of Overland Park, Kansas.

Several nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews, and other family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford and Ethyl Joyce Southwick.

Galen was born in Cherokee, Iowa on May 18, 1944. He graduated from California State University with a degree in History. He married his wife, Sylvia on July 26, 1969. He was retired after working for Nielsen & Bainbridge for over 30 years. He worked closely with the group Young Life both in Southern California and Fort Bend County. He loved to play golf, watch football, and was an avid bowler. As a Level Two bowling coach, he spent many years coaching his son and then continued coaching numerous other kids at AMF Stafford Lanes. He was also a mentor and coach for adults with disabilities with The Arc of Fort Bend. He enjoyed countless hours fishing with both his children and grandchildren. Ever the proud grandfather, he was always ready to share news about his grandchildren who filled his life with joy.

Crafting for Camping

2011-05-14T20:17:00.001-05:00

I attended an "outdoor training" weekend for Girl Scout leaders and it was my job to make the recipe cards, kaper chart, and name tags. I somehow forgot to take a picture of the recipe cards and name tags, but I'll track them down and post them later. But, I have to say, we had a darn cute kaper chart courtesy of SU! paper, ribbon, and punches. lol

Here's a bonus picture of someone who was waiting for us near our campsite.

Yikes! The joys of camping!!

Berry Picking

2011-04-30T19:40:00.003-05:00

My Girl Scout troop used some of their cookie money to take a field trip to a local strawberry patch today. They got a little tour, learned how they grow the berries, and then got to pick their own little buckets full. They ended the trip with delicious homemade strawberry pies and they made their friendship circle around a 200-year-old pecan tree. Another successful girl scout day!

Baby Booty

2011-04-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

One of my friends is having a pirate themed baby shower - adorable, right? So I had to make her a card worthy of such a fun event.

All materials are Stampin' Up! except for the dotted paper and I used SU! punches to create the die cut pirate baby. :)

Bluebonnets 2011

2011-04-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Instead of trekking all about the country this year, we found an amazing bluebonnet patch about 5 miles from our house! I scouted it every day to see when there was lots of blooms and we were able to get some fantastic pictures.

Girl Scout Week

2011-03-07T21:11:00.003-06:00

In honor of Girl Scout Week and the 99th Birthday of Girl Scouting, my Girl Scout troop researched how many teachers at their school used to be girl scouts. Then, at our meeting they made each teacher a button to wear during Girl Scout week to celebrate "once a Girl Scout, ALWAYS a Girl Scout." We got a ton of positive comments from the teachers and many of them wrote us stories of their special Girl Scouting memories. It was really sweet - I can't wait for next year and the 100th Year celebrations!!!

Diva

2011-02-06T14:49:00.000-06:00

My daughter spent the night with her cousins and my sister straightened her hair. Now she's flipping it all over and running her fingers through it like some shampoo commercial. She's also giving me a running monologue of how much she loves it and oh-my-goodness she NEEDS a straightener and I MUST do this to her hair from now on. Sorry to disappoint her, but she is so not getting a straightener until she is in high school! She is just going to have to reconcile herself to the fact that she has curls that God gave her and that's that. But, she does look cute...

Get your cookies here!

2011-01-19T19:54:00.002-06:00

It's Girl Scout Cookie season again and I thought I'd make a cookie costume for Chloe to wear when she sells/delivers/etc. I just kind of sketched out my idea and went for it. I think it came out really cute. But, I'll have to see what she thinks! (I think I might be entering the era of "why, mom, why?" soon.)

I used my Cricut to cut the letters out of felt and the rest of it is a sateen material for that shiny chocolate coating. :)

Triple Chocolate Trifle

2011-01-19T17:23:00.000-06:00

For my husband's birthday I made him a trifle. I always wondered why they are called trifles when "trifle" means a little bit of something and these bad boys are chock full of stuff. :)

This one has the following layers, from the bottom up:

fudge brownie

raspberries

fudge

cherries

dark chocolate pudding

German chocolate cake

chocolate mousse

strawberries

I can never keep my trifle layers all nice and defined, but I don't think anyone cares! :)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:05:00.000-06:00

I hope 2011 brings you blessings! Time to get this rowdy group to bed!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T10:53:00.001-06:00

Birthday fun

2010-06-26T08:18:00.000-05:00

Chloe wanted a "Pet Shop" themed birthday party.

Here is the cake...my first time working with fondant.

There were also individual cupcakes. The paw prints are made of rolled and cut tootsie rolls!

For snacks we had little dishes of labeled "pet foods": Kitty Kibble (gold fish crackers), Fruit Bat Bites (grapes), Fish Food (gummy worms), Monkey Munchies (dried banana crisps), Mouse Nibbles (cheese cubes), Bunny Snacks (baby carrots), and Puppy Biscuits (Scooby Snack cookies shaped like dog bones). The kids LOVED it! :)

Last Chance Lists!

2010-06-01T08:06:00.001-05:00

The Stampin' Up! Last Chance Lists (formerly known as the Retiring Lists) are here! You have until the end of June (or until supplies last) to purchase these favorites that will soon be gone forever! Click HERE for the link to the lists and pictures!

New Colors!

2010-05-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

While I think I'll be mourning the loss of Apricot Appeal and my lovely purples for a while, I really am getting excited about these new colors. There will now be 10 In Colors, too, so there will be a lot to choose from. I'm excited about the new Neutrals - I think I'll be using Crumb Cake as a base for a lot of projects!

Which of the new colors are you most excited about?

Retiring Colors

2010-05-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

Here are the retiring Colors - you'll want to stock up on your favorites before they are gone forever. Some colors are already selling out, so call or email right away to place your order!

Day 133

2010-05-13T20:50:00.000-05:00

My mom had to bring Chloe with her to watch my sister's kids this afternoon and when Alyssa saw what Chloe was wearing she ran upstairs to change. When I got there to pick Chloe up Alyssa proudly announced that Chloe was her twin. Aren't they adorable?

(PS - Chloe has strep, but started antibiotics this morning and is feeling MUCH better!)

Day 132

2010-05-12T22:32:00.000-05:00

Chloe started running a fever Tuesday night and had to stay home today. She was asleep when I got home from class, but she was running a temp of 103.7 - into the tub she went. We were nearly out of ibuprofen, and she needs a cocktail of meds to keep her fevers down. Mike went to the store to find some, but they were completely sold out. None at HEB, CVS, or Kroger. He took a picture:

There has been some sort of recall on the name brand stuff, and I guess folks panicked and made a run for the store brands, too. Hopefully I'll be able to find some tomorrow or borrow some from a friend. I don't need her to start having seizures again. She will have to go to the doctor tomorrow - hopefully it's something they can treat and not a random virus.

Here's to another night without sleep. Feel better, Chloe baby.

Day 131

2010-05-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

My oleanders are finally blooming! I was worried that they wouldn't make it - they looked quite dead after this winter and it took them a long time to green up this spring. But, now they are covered with their gorgeous flowers and the back yard smells heavily of their lovely scent.

Day 130

2010-05-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

The kids love watching the hummingbirds as much as I do. I would guess we probably have about 25 or so of them in the back yard right now and they are always chasing each other away from the feeders. (I need to put some more out there so they don't kill each other.) You would think they kids would get tired of them by now, but they don't. This morning they were done getting ready for school and they just hung out there watching them while I finished getting ready. It was sweet how they were sharing the chair and not fighting - usually I worry about THEM chasing each other!

Day 129

2010-05-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

Just a few years ago I ached to have days like this. I prayed, longed, and wished to finally be blessed with children. I thank God (almost) every day for these two precious darlings. I know every mom thinks her kids are the cutest - but, really - mine are pretty dang cute.

They called me into the room, had me close my eyes, and then screamed, "Happy Mother's Day," and jumped aside to reveal their picture for me.

I'm trapped in the tower, but Chloe promises they'll rescue me before the dragon eats me for lunch. Now THAT is a Mother's Day gift.

Day 128

2010-05-08T19:51:00.000-05:00

I borrow my sister's dog, Bella, today for a school project I'm doing on operant conditioning. Her 3-month old shih tzu needed to learn some basic commands and a few cute tricks. My kids were thrilled that they got to play with her and she's even going to spend the night. This is the kind of dog we need to get. Tiny teeth.

Anyone have any puppies available?

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

The kids told me they had a surprise for me.

They sang a little made up song about how much they love me (and the food I make them). Then, jumped aside to reveal...

Their Mother's Day Castle. That's me in the window and Charmander is singing to me. Because, of course he is.

Wishing everyone a very happy mother's day! :)

Day 127

2010-05-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

This little guy (actually, I think it might be a female ruby throat) guards the hummingbird feeder closest to the porch. Any other hummer that comes close gets chased away with a loud, angry cheep. This is one of our dead palms, though, and it will probably come down next weekend. We're going to have to put another good-sized tree here or she'll have no perch from which to survey the land.

Day 126

2010-05-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

Just when we thought poor Chloe's luck couldn't possibly get any worse (what with her dog bite, first zit, and seasonal allergies) - she caught ringworm. On her neck. I probably brought it home from school (we have a kiddo who seems to have it constantly) on my clothes. Well, she can't have it exposed at school, so we put the medicine on and covered it with a bandage. Which, turns out, she's also allergic to. Just like her Mama.

We are having a rough Spring.

Day 125

2010-05-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

Psalms 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Some of our palms did not survive the horrible winter, but this one sure did - she is having babies. I'll have to transplant them soon so they have more room to grow.

Day 124

2010-05-04T22:27:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl I actually had the Little Pony Castle (I wonder if it's in the attic, too). But, Chloe does fine making her own castles and kingdoms. She will spend a good hour setting up a scene precisely the way she wants it. She worked on this one all afternoon.

This is Pony Land - where (according to Chloe) "all the ponies are smart and pretty and know where to stand." Yes, that's my girl!

Day 123

2010-05-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

I promised Bradley a bubble gun if only he would wear his horrible recital costumes - and he did. So, today I took the kids out on the patio after dinner to play for a while Pretty much the most fun you can have under $3!!

Day 122

2010-05-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

Robin's Dance Studio Recital 2010 was a huge success! The kids danced beautifully and a great time was had by everyone. In our family we had Chloe and Bradley and their cousins: Alexis, Alec, and Meghan dancing. Chloe had 3 Girl Scout sisters and two neighborhood friends there dancing, too. Not very many routines went by that didn't have someone we knew in it - so it was a ton of fun. We celebrated at Chili's, of course since it's the kids' second favorite restaurant (after Rain Forest Cafe). I'm exhausted! Now we can rest until summer dance classes start!

Day 121

2010-05-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

Today in the wicked, bad, humid heat we had soccer pictures. After individual pictures, the kids had to sit on this bench until everyone was done and ready for the group picture. So, I snapped a few of my own while we were waiting. Hopefully Bradley puts on a better face for recital tomorrow!

Day 120

2010-04-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

This might be Bradley's favorite thing about soccer practice - collecting little sticks and flowers before practice starts. If we ever go camping, he will be the kindle king. He looks so bitty near that huge tree. We helped him climb it - his first time to climb a tree. He had fun, but was a bit scared since the tree is just so big. He told me later, "I will climb another tree. A smaller tree. A tree that won't eat me." Good plan, son.

Day 119

2010-04-29T21:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had rehearsal for recital (this Sunday!) and the kids were really patient through all the waiting. Katie said that if rehearsal is rough, recital will be smooth - so we are in for a perfect recital show!

Bradley had his two dances right at the beginning of the evening, so he got to hang out until everyone else was done. He stayed right by Alyssa the entire time and told me he would "always protect her." From what? "Dinosaurs, lions, and bugs with 14 legs." That's love, I tell you.

Day 115

2010-04-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

Today our Daisy troop used their cookie money to work on their service project. Each girl got to make a bear at Build-a-bear Workshop, but instead of keeping them they are donating them to the kids at our local Ronald McDonald House. Their troop leader made a bear for them to rotate every two weeks (and they'll earn the GSSJC badge "share a bear"). Aren't they adorable?

The folks at BAB are wonderful! They really worked well with the girls and each girl got a BAB patch for her Daisy vest. Most importantly, they learned how to work hard and share their rewards with those less fortunate. Chloe exclaimed, "Can't we buy a bear for every sick child in the whole entire hospital?" She even offered to give her own bears from home away. She's a precious child - her spirit is so giving. We are really blessed.

Day 112

2010-04-22T22:17:00.000-05:00

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

My baby fig tree didn't die! I planted it from a teeny little sprout a couple of years ago and I was worried it wouldn't survive the horrible Winter of Doom we had. But, here it is - all green and ready for a hot, humid summer! What a great way to celebrate Earth Day!

Grad Party Pink

2010-04-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

Some cute and really easy graduation cards I made for a friend of mine whose daughter is graduating from high school next month. I made 40 of them and it didn't take too long since the design is pretty simple. I did ink all those edges, though, and that did take a while. She loved them!

Day 111

2010-04-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

I am so glad we live in a neighborhood that has a lot of natural areas untouched by earth movers. This is actually the view we get to see when we drive through the pharmacy in our subdivision. God really did bless Texas, y'all!

Day 110

2010-04-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

It's finally warming enough for my gorgeous irises to bloom! The first one peeked out this morning and I had to get a picture since I knew we'd be home late tonight. I'm sure this one will get picked as soon as Chloe sees it. Hopefully I can coax them into flowering again later in the summer like I did last year!

Day 109

2010-04-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

The kids all had a make-up dance class tonight, so Alec came home with us when we were done since my sister and Alexis still had to practice the Mother/Daughter dance. After my kids got ready for bed, Alec volunteered to read to them.

It was just as sweet as could be. My darling nephew has dyslexia and a reading disability and really struggles with reading. But, he was patient and read to his cousins sweetly. He stumbled over some words and Chloe was confused because it's actually a book she can read fluently. But she didn't say a word - just smiled at him and listened. It was a precious moment and I am so glad they are all so close in age. I know they will all be good friends through school.

Day 108

2010-04-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

I'm in the very long process of cleaning out the attic at the townhouse and I found several boxes of toys from when I was little and my kids are enthralled. Bradley is very confused as to why this club house looks very different from the club house he watches on Disney. I wish I could find the rest of the pieces - I'm sure they are in another box somewhere. I found my old Micro Machines, too, which have him amazed. (I was a well-rounded girl child.)

Chloe is excited about all kinds of old t-shirts she can wear. Oh, and she's been carrying my Rainbow Bright doll around all day. I wish I could find my Charmkins. I had a ton of them. She is also wearing my rad charm necklace. I'm going to have to get a picture of 80s Chloe. First I need to find some scrunchie socks in bright green.

Day 107

2010-04-17T22:23:00.000-05:00

This afternoon we took a long drive together trying to find some good fields to take some bluebonnet pictures, but the grass was really overgrown and it was hard to find them sticking out over the other wildflowers and grasses. Last year we were lucky enough to find a lovely patch not 10 minutes from our house, but no such luck this year.

This year the kids were both kind of grumpy and not wanting to sit among the flowers. Chloe was very concerned about "damaging the state flower" and informed me that we absolutely could not touch any of them because if the flower dies they won't grow back. Bradley didn't want to get dirty. Despite the weather, my little activist, and my obsessive I got a few nice shots. :)

Why would anyone want to live anywhere other than Texas?

Bluebonnets 2010

2010-04-17T19:56:00.002-05:00

We drove out to the country for this year's photo. Good family time just driving until we found a good spot. And, of course, stopping for ice cream on the way home. :)

Day 105

2010-04-15T22:36:00.000-05:00

Chloe has been blessed with so many people praying for her and sending her well wishes with cards and gifts. She looks at the cards every day and just loves them. She is doing much, much better - but still has some bruising and it still hurts, of course. I'm not sure what I thought it would look like by now, but to me it just looks awful. I keep praying for complete healing and restoration and I know it will take time, but God will continue to touch her. I know it was a complete miracle that her eye did not get damaged, and she is covered and protected. It's just hard for her Mama to see her with those big ol' scars.

Day 101

2010-04-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

Today Chloe's Daisy Girl Scout troop took a trip to the KPRC station - Houston's Channel 2 news. Khambrel Marshall led the tour for the girls and they all had a great time. He showed them how he analyzes the various computer models to determine his weather forecast and showed them how he makes the report on the computer for use on the blue screen. They got to sit at the anchor desk and explore the set. It was just incredibly cute! I wish Chloe's face wasn't a strange bluish tint in this picture, though!! It's like she got into some of that Wonka gum!

Day 100

2010-04-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

Today was supposed to be Bradley's first soccer game and we were glad it was going to be overcast and cloudy rather than blazing hot. But, those clouds decided to have a party and drench everyone. Our parade was canceled and we started our pre-game practice in the rain. We would have played through the rain and mud, but then it started thundering (turns out I have a couple of kids on my team who are terrified of thunder) and lightning and it just wasn't safe to play. We'll make up the game this week in better weather. Despite being pretty wet, Bradley sure looks cute, huh?

Day 99

2010-04-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

The bruising seems to be calming and she's not nearly as swollen anymore - but still in pain. And, to make it worse, now she's itchy. Poor thing! We go back to the plastic surgeon tomorrow and hopefully he will clear her to have fun again. Tonight she went to dance, but just watched from the sidelines. It was cute because she was doing all the moves, but from her seat. What an ordeal this has been! I hope we have a very, very boring summer.

Day 97

2010-04-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

Chloe got Sea Monkeys from the Easter Bunny and today we finally had the chance to add the "eggs" to the purified water. The kids are excited and can't wait to feed them. They are pretty disgusting little creatures. (The sea monkeys, not my kids.) Hopefully we won't kill them right off, or spill them. Yuck.

Day 96

2010-04-06T20:09:00.000-05:00

Isn't she the cutest little red-headed baby ever? Alyssa will be three in August and she is a complete doll. Like her mama and Titi she talks constantly and says the most hilarious things. The other day she announced, "Well, I died." When my sister asked her what she meant she said, "We played the game and I died. " My sister let her know that she was, indeed, still breathing and alive and Alyssa exclaimed, "I'm alive? ALIVE!!!! I like to be alive."

(That dress, by the way, was Chloe's when she was four!)

Day 95

2010-04-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

After all the happy Easter stuff from yesterday we had a whole lot of trouble. Chloe was getting ready to feed Zeke around 5:45pm and he just snapped - he turned and bit her. Mike was right there and started screaming for me - I ran over, saw all the blood and grabbed a kitchen towel, put it on her face, and carried her to the foyer. There was so much blood. I told Bradley to get me the phone so I could call 911. I also had him get a blanket because she was shaking uncontrollably and I was worried about shock. He was a trooper and obeyed without question. After I got off the phone with them I called my sister and told her to come over immediately.

Erin, the EMTs, and the police all arrived at the same time. Chloe was stabilized and they said we could transport her to the ER or they could take her. Erin, Matthew (my brother), and I decided to take her ourselves. Mike waited behind to talk to the police and for my mom to watch Bradley.

We were at the emergency room until nearly midnight - and they couldn't close the wounds. They gave Chloe some Demerol and flushed the wounds out, packed them with antibiotic cream, and covered them. She had to start on an antibiotic before they could be closed because of the fear of infection from the dog's mouth (turns out they are NOT cleaner than ours). They also wanted plastics to work on her, and not just the ER doc.

This morning we went to the plastic surgeon's office and got her wounds flushed again. At 1pm she went in for plastic surgery. The surgery lasted about 30 minutes and she did beautifully. She has some external stitches and some subcutaneous ones. The smaller wound was glued and the other was left open. She was an angel for the nurses and only got mildly ill from the anesthesia. The anesthesiologist actually said he was interested in taking Zeke (because Lord knows I cannot keep him after this).

After I got Chloe back home, my sister stayed with her so I could take Zeke to Animal Control for his mandatory rabies test and behavior assessment. He was a complete angel the whole time, showed everyone all of his tricks, and stayed right next to me. They couldn't understand why I didn't want such a great dog.

Check out the 35 stitches on my daughter's face.

Chloe will miss all of this week from school (including her much anticipated kindergarten field trip to the zoo). Please keep her in your prayers and praise God that her eye is okay - there is actually a small puncture on her eyelid and those other ones right there next to it. It's a miracle that she is okay. She is very upset that we are getting rid of Zeke. She told me, "Jesus says to forgive and I forgive him. He made a bad choice, but you should forgive him."

Sorry, baby, but he has to go to Puppy Jail.

Day 94

2010-04-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter, everyone!

The kids had a great time finding eggs this morning and now we are off to church. We'll have dinner at my sister's house this year. Can't wait to relax and not have it at my house! Earlier Bradley told me, "Mama, don't be sad. Jesus DIES." I told him I know and he said, "But don't worry, every Easter He comes back to life!" Ah, theology for the very young.

Remember, He is risen! Hallelujah!

Day 93

2010-04-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

Poor Zeke has outgrown even our big garden tub, so now he has to take showers instead of baths! He does really well, though, and likes to try to catch the water spray in his mouth. Tonight he rolled around in goodness knows what and he needed freshening up - badly!

Day 92

2010-04-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

It's soccer season in the Cross house! Bradley had his first practice this evening and it was pretty cute. I'm coaching and there are 8 players on my team: 2 girls (one who has Down's Syndrome), 6 boys (3 who are really good, and 3 (including Bradley) who would rather spin and pick flowers than kick the ball. It's going to be a long, but really fun eight weeks!

Day 91

2010-04-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

When we got Bradley's recital costumes last week he let me know right away that he did not approve of the sparkle and shimmer. In fact, he threw them on the ground and declared he would NOT be wearing them. So, I had to ~~bribe~~ use positive reinforcement to get him to wear them. I was prepared to offer a cool (but $20) remote control race car he had expressed interest in a few weeks ago, but then he said he would only wear the horrible costumes if I bought him a bubble gun. Yep, a $3.50 bubble gun from Target. Woot!

I told him he had to wear the costumes only 4 times: once to try them on, once for pictures, once for dress rehearsal, and once for recital. Today was picture day. Let me tell you, the pictures are stinking precious! (You can see all of the proofs HERE or by checking out my photos on FB.)

Since he's the only boy, all the moms of the girls in his groups wanted to take his picture with their daughters. It was just adorable, and he finally started smiling towards the end (after the hundredth person had proclaimed his cuteness). I can't wait for recital!

Day 90

2010-03-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

"When the summer comes there will be curtains and fountains of roses! ...Now the Spring has begun - perhaps, perhaps..."
Mary Lennox, The Secret Garden

The Spring really has begun here in Houston. We did lose several trees and plants - the cherry tree, three palms, the hibiscus... I need to start searching for what we will replace them with. But, the roses survived and they are absolutely lovely. The irises also survived and should start blooming in the next couple of weeks. I adore gardening!

Day 89

2010-03-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dressing up - it's not just for special occasions. Today when I was making dinner, the kids were playing in their playroom. When I called them down Bradley announced, "Here comes her royal hieney - Princess Chloe!" And, just as he said, there was Chloe all decked out in her royal regalia. I think her ladies-in-waiting need to invest in an iron, though!

Day 88

2010-03-29T20:16:00.000-05:00

We dropped some berries off at my sister's house this evening and we heard a familiar knocking. Woody (our local woodpecker) is back in action ready for Spring! This telephone pole is right in front of my sister's house and you can hear Woody pecking away at it from all over the neighborhood. He must have a lady bird near by, as they are monogamous. He is a Pileated Woodpecker and must be working on a new nest. The kids enjoy watching him work and do his drumming on the poles. It's really nice to live in an area so filled with wildlife.

Day 87

2010-03-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

Today for their Daisy meeting, our girl scouts got to dye eggs and have an egg hunt together. We talked about all the different uses for crushed egg shells (fertilizer, snail and slug deterrent, garbage disposal cleaner, you can even make chalk with them). They had a great time and are really in the mood for Easter!

Day 86

2010-03-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

This morning we all got up early to go strawberry picking! The haul was fantastic and I've got strawberry crisp in the oven as I type this. We pick blueberries every June, so we were expecting a lot of hot, sweaty work. But this was completely easy - the farm is extremely ordering and neat (two of my favorite qualities in a working farm, you know) and the picking is simple. The kids had just a few rules: stay next to mommy and daddy, don't pick the green ones, and don't pick the blooms.

They did great and we finished so quickly that they didn't have time to get bored. The farm also has a lovely little market with locally grown produce (and oh my gosh - AMAZING pickles!). They also have the most delectable fruit pies you have ever tasted - hot out of the oven.
Next door is a little store that processes meat and sells smoked sausage and such. The kids shared a sausage on a stick and couldn't wait to get home and eat some berries.

I think we'll go again in a couple of weeks!

Day 85

2010-03-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

Can you believe this puppy isn't even 9-months old yet? (He'll be 9-months on April 1st.) He weighs 90 pounds and is still growing. He's up to 3.5 cups of food in the morning and again in the evening. We split it 1/2 puppy, 1/2 adult and he gobbles down every last crumb. I don't remember Barrett eating that much!! I'll be glad when the weather is nice enough to take him out to the dog park so he can play with some dogs his size.

Day 84

2010-03-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

This was at the door today. Mike was like, "Do you have something you need to tell me?" Um, heck no! No clue why I would get this in the mail, but I'm going to bring it to someone at the kids' dance studio who just had a baby! Mercy - what is the mailman thinking?!

Day 83

2010-03-24T21:57:00.000-05:00

Chloe decided that the walls needed more Easter cheer, so she set to making a slew of decorations. This one is my favorite, though. Isn't the bunny adorable? She loves raiding my craft room for her supplies, so it's a good thing I always have a ton of card stock available. I like having all those things on hand - from glue and glitter to buttons and bows. The kids also have a large collection of markers, crayons, and colored pencils. Lately Chloe has been wanting to cut everything else, but I keep the scissors out of reach since I still haven't quite gotten over when she cut her own hair a couple of years ago!

We are starting to feel better, and I'm glad I don't have class tonight or I would be miserable. Somehow Bradley is still perfectly healthy (praise God!) and the rest of us are on the mend. Let's hope we stay that way!

Day 82

2010-03-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry, there is just no picture today because I have a fever of 103. Just pretend there is a picture of me and Chloe curled up in a heap of pitiful.

Day 81

2010-03-22T15:52:00.000-05:00

Wow. That's just about all I can say. Wow.

Chloe, Mike, and I all have strep. We started feeling a bit run down yesterday (and Chloe ran a fever) - but overnight we were smacked with misery. We all tested positive today, so it looks like we'll have to shield Bradley from the cooties. I need to go back to bed now. What a great way to start the first week back to work after Spring Break. Ugh.

Day 80

2010-03-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

Nothing beats capturing the bad dinosaurs and making them clean up their room, huh? Bradley really started getting interested in dinos this summer and we are growing quite a collection of toys and books related to them. We've always like the books in the "How does your Dinosaur..." series and our dinos always seem to do all those very bad things. So, we keep putting them in jail. No wonder they are extinct!

Day 79

2010-03-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

Today we went to a bridal shower for my sister's husband's brother's future bride. She'll be Lexi's new Aunt, and Erin helped host the shower. Lexi looked so precious in her springy new outfit. I cannot believe how she is changing recently - looking more like a young lady and less like a little girl. It kills me! She'll be in middle school next year, which is just mind-boggling. I don't know how the years went by so darn quickly! Today she was wearing heels and walking just fine in them and as I watched her I recalled pictures of her trying to toddle around in dress-up shoes. (Those hard plastic pink shoes that every little girl wants, but struggles to walk in.) Here she is looking tweenish, but still just as sweet. Such a blessed girl who brought so much change to her mama. Lexi was the unexpected miracle who really set my sister's life on the right track. We are completely blessed to have this child in our family. I know she will do incredible things as she gets older. I just don't want her doing them so soon!

Day 78

2010-03-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today Katie came over to do a homework project for her photography class (imagine that!) and needed to use Chloe as her model. She was quite willing to comply. Is it cheating that I didn't take this picture? It WAS taken with my camera, though, so it's not really cheating. Let's stick with that, okay?

In this photo she was playing with depth of field and I think she did a good job - except for the tree that looks like it's coming out of Chloe's head! Hopefully she'll get a good grade because she had to do a lot of work!! I always wanted to take a photography class - maybe some day I'll take a continuing ed class at the junior college. Like, some day when I'm not coaching, teaching, in grad school, chasing a puppy, and wrangling a 4 and 5 year old. Yeah, then.

Day 77

2010-03-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that we took Zeke to the vet yesterday because he needed a vaccine and a general check up. Turns out our little guy weighs 86 pounds. Crazy, huh? He is looking great - his heart sounds fine and he's growing at a good pace so he's not straining his bones. The vet said he probably won't be done growing until he's almost 3 years old. He's only 8 months old, folks. That's a lot of growing left to do! The vet also said we could feed him 1/2 puppy food and 1/2 adult food. He gets 4 cups in the morning and 4 in the evening and still acts like he's hungry. How much do you think he'll eat by the time he's full grown? Perhaps we should buy stock in our dog food company?

Happy Together

2010-03-17T23:49:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about little birdie stamps, but I just love them. I'm really partial to owls, but these little quails are just darling, aren't they? The inside is decorated, too, for a challenge I entered. The patterned paper is by SU! (of course), but it was only the one color, so I added the teal and green to brighten it up a bit.

Materials (all SU! unless otherwise mentioned)

Card stock: Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Old Olive
Designer Paper: More Mustard Patterned Paper
Stamps: Happy Together
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4 Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Top Note Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Sponge, Mini Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive, SU! Markers, Blender Pen, Paper Trimmer

Day 76

2010-03-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

Today was crazy busy. First, I took my kids to the dentist to have their teeth cleaned. (After a multi-day battle with the insurance that probably gave me an ulcer.) They both behaved exceptionally well and sat still for both x-rays and cleanings. Chloe, apparently, has something called a "cross-bite" and will definitely need braces once she has all of her permanent teeth. Bradley is looking good, so far. Neither have any cavities and we are doing great with their brushing and flossing. W00t! We go back in six months instead of a year this time.

After we were done at the dentist's office, we stopped by Target for a snack and some quick shopping because we needed to get Lexi and Alec so they could go with us to take Zeke to the vet (for fun). After that, we took Zeke back home, packed a picnic dinner, and headed to a local park. We spent about 3 hours just hanging out at the park. The kids had a fantastic time, and they got to burn a whole lot of energy. Mike met us there after he got off of work so he could watch them play for a while and then went for a long walk with us.

Before we left the kids just had to roll down the big ol' hill. They rolled down several times, and were covered in grass stains, stray weeds, pollen, and dirt by the time they were done. But, it was completely worth it because they were just so darn happy. When we got home they showered, read a couple of books, and crashed for the night. I can't believe this week is over half way over!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Which, by the way, Bradley thinks is "Patrick's birthday." Patrick from Sponge Bob. )

Day 75

2010-03-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

Ever since Saturday night, Bradley has been playing with the shopping bag from my sister's birthday present. He is wearing it as a backpack and has little treasures and such in it. I hope he doesn't decide he needs a designer backpack - although this one is rather nice. But, the reason he says he loves it is "all the great letters all over it." So perhaps he is more of a Signature style kind of guy? Lord help us!

Day 74

2010-03-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

Yeah for not having to go to work this week! Just one of the many reasons I love being a teacher. We get to spend quality time together and get a taste of what our summer break will be like. Today the kids helped make their own fruit salad for lunch. They use their own little safety knives (you can get yours HERE from my fabulous Pampered Chef consultant), which they love. We compared the sizes of the seeds in the various fruits and talked about the different weights and shapes of each one. We weighed them with our kitchen scale to see if our guesses about which weighed more were right. I think that cooking with your kids provides one of the best ways to teach math - they have fun and don't even realize how much they are learning (and, of course, you can't eat worksheets!). Just look how proud they are! I think I'll let them help make dinner, too.

Day 73

2010-03-14T19:42:00.000-05:00

Had to get a couple of things from Wal-mart this afternoon so I brought the kids with me but boy was Chloe ever in a bad mood. Just one of those moments where she was not following directions, was making poor choices, and knew it - so she was being rude to her brother and to me.

I used to like taking pictures of the kids when they were crying as babies, not because I'm cruel, but because those big fat tears and huge mouths are just part of growing up. I don't ever want to relive the hell of colic, but I want the kids to see pictures of themselves even when they weren't prepped and prettied for photos. This picture is kind of like that. So when Chloe is dealing with her own hellion daughter, I can just pull this out and smile.

Day 72

2010-03-13T23:30:00.000-06:00

My sister's birthday was Thursday, so we got together today to celebrate. Lexi, Chloe, and I went shopping together this morning and bought her a new Coach bag (large signature Brooke in black/silver) and treated ourselves to some new things, too. (New Easter clothes for me, Bradley, and Mike - Chloe got an adorable dress from one of my friends so she is already set.)

Everyone came to our house for dinner and the kids ran around and had a great time together, as usual. We adults kept ourselves busy trying to rule on Rock Band, which (of course) we did. Well, sometimes. Then, after all the kids were in bed Erin, Lexi, and I watched Mama Mia! because I had never seen it and it's Erin's favorite movie.

Another spectacular day with the family. I was going to add "and no one got hurt," but that's not true. Chloe was holding a toy in her mouth (obviously against the rules), as captured accidentally in the photo below.

Then, Alec went to grab the toy and when he pulled it out, well, there was much blood. Chloe's very looose tooth became an extremely loose and dangling tooth. Note the look of fear in her eyes in the photo below.

After she rinsed her mouth out for a while, my sister covered the tooth with a tissue and simply twisted it right on out of there. Gross, yes. But, no more icky tooth ready to fall out any moment.

Let's hope the Tooth Fairy remembers to come tonight! (Yes, her teeth are coming in all kinds of crooked - the kids go to the dentist on Wednesday, so we'll find out then what she thinks.)

Day 71

2010-03-12T21:16:00.000-06:00

Today is Friday and the start of our Spring Break! We don't go back to school until March 22nd, so I hope we get a lot done and have a fantastic time off. This evening we had a picnic outside on the patio since it was so nice out (a bit chilly, but still pleasant) and Mike was working late. The kids each found a shape in their popcorn (like finding cloud animals, only edible).

Chloe was first - she found her Moose and made a big scene of marching the moose to his demise as he was gobbled up by the "moose-eating monster from Not Texas." (That's a scary place, you know.) Bradley really wanted to find an animal shape, too, but was not having much success. Then, he found this one and proclaimed that it was an Octopus - but I realized that he was only partially right. It's totally an Octorok! I bet you've never found an Octorok before, huh? (And no, I didn't know it's name but I knew it was that crazy little rock spitting thing from Zelda. Mike told me the name right away, though, when he saw the picture.)

I think our break is off to a great start!

Day 70

2010-03-11T21:13:00.000-06:00

Today was the Spring Open House at the kids' school and many of the 5th graders were selected to be Living History Statues - they each had a character to play and had to deliver a speech when their "button" was pressed. Lexi was Louisa May Alcott and she did a great job!

I got to tour Chloe's classroom (and the set-up was too cute), but I didn't get ANY pictures of it. I feel really bad, but I was also chasing Bradley around and trying to keep Chloe from over-exploring her room. I still don't have a single picture of her with her teacher - I have got to get that done before the school year is over!

Day 69

2010-03-10T22:44:00.000-06:00

The trees are still looking good - but what about my grass? Is it going to get back to it's normal, lush state? Look at this picture of my yard from last summer. Please tell me I can save my grass. What should I do? I fertilized in the fall and again in January. Help!

Day 68

2010-03-09T20:08:00.000-06:00

I just love my kids' art work. Chloe says that this is her, in her Daisy vest, but with puff sleeves "because puff sleeves are my most favorite kind." I absolutely agree!

Day 67

2010-03-08T20:03:00.000-06:00

After dinner Mike and I were doing the dishes and the kids were running around playing. I turned and saw poor Bradley lunge forward and completely forget to put out his arms to stop his fall. His head hit the tile floor with a sickening "thud." I got to him in half a second and swooped him up to the couch while Mike got ice. We left the ice on for 15 minutes, let him rest for 5 minutes and put it back on for 15 minutes. This is what it looked like even after all that ice. He's got a fat knot and it's starting to bruise. He's pretty tough, though. He only cried for a couple of minutes and then he was still - watching Gabba while I held the ice on the bump. Poor little man, he says he has a headache and I don't doubt it! Hopefully it won't be so bad tomorrow. He said I could call him "Rhino Boy," so I guess he's comfortable with the new addition to his features.

Sing a Song, Sing Sing!

2010-03-07T20:07:00.002-06:00

My kids sing this song ALL the time and I didn't know where it was from, but today Mike told me it was from one of the shows he lets them watch on Nick Jr. and he showed me the video from Wow Wow Wubbzy: HERE, from YouTube, and HERE, from Yahoo Video.

Cute, huh?

Day 66

2010-03-07T18:56:00.000-06:00

Today kicks off the Girl Scout Birthday Week and to celebrate our Daisy Troop had a sweet little tea party. The mom who hosted did an AMAZING job with the set up - she used real china place settings and beautiful cloth napkins. The girls had tea, lemonade, weency tea sandwiches, fruit, and cupcakes.

It was just precious. They were all dressed up in their Sunday best and they used their very best manners. It was funny because we could tell how hard it was for them to restrain themselves! Hopefully we can make this an annual tradition because it was a lot of fun for the moms and the girls.

Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts of the USA!

Day 65

2010-03-06T19:51:00.000-06:00

Our neighbor's grandson, who is Chloe's age, moved in with her a few months ago, but the kids haven't really seen him because it's been too darn cold to go outside. He has pretty severe autism, and she keeps him close to her at all times. When Chloe was playing with Zeke she heard him talking and she climbed the fence to see who it was. He saw her and ran over to the fence. He does quite a bit of echolalia and usually sing-songs to himself. But, when he saw Chloe he said, "Hi, Girl," very clearly. She climbed down and went to peak through a knot hole in the fence He stuck his finger through and she did the same. They linked their fingers and giggled for a while before he went off to play with his ball again like nothing had ever happened. I'm going to have to set up play dates for them this summer because I think he really needs to be around my kids. God had a plan when He sent him to live next door to us, I think. I can't wait to see how their friendship grows.