Whoa! 2011 Really?

Wow - the blogging world has changed and I am feelin' like a newbie...guess I kinda am since I haven't posted since 2011! What can I say? Life happened and time does not stop...I know that is not news to anyone reading this but, I think it's time to use this site as an outlet for all things. Creativity, stress relief, kids milestones, family life, decorating redos and anything else that strikes me as bloggable. (is that a word? did I spell that right?) Eh...in other words....I'm Back! :)

So, the kids have grown. So when I say grown, I mean they are taller than me. And that makes it difficult for me to discipline when they are eye level. Feel like I'm talking to an adult. Hmmm. Who knew. (My mom did, she's been there, done that.) They are both very much into soccer and searching out colleges. What?!? Yes, but here comes the tricky part, our son is a 6th grader (heading to Jr. High in the Fall) and our daughter is in High School (heading into her sophmore year in the Fall). When did this happen? While I was watching. I love seeing them experience things and come "into their own." They both have had issues to deal with, whether it was friends or grades or teachers or coaches, they have handled most things on their own. I hope that means that we are doing our parenting well. Time will tell. Love them like no other.

On another topic, I turned 40 last year. :/ Yeah, not what I expected, but not bad. Husband threw a surprise party and I was completely surprised. Still not sure how he pulled that off but I know he had help. (sisters) Anyway, my next birthday is a few months away and I will live in the 40's for a while and fight the 50's every step of the way.

Husband is well, working hard to provide for us and we love him for it. And of course, for all he does for us. He, coincidentally, is 43 today. Whew. Again, where does that time think it's flying to? Definitely getting away from me.

So here I am, ready to accept that I need to use blogging as an outlet and hope that I can rekindle some of those blogging relationships. Chaos is optional, but always ensues. B:)

Oops....

So it has been nearly a year since I posted that I was going to post more often. Yep, I failed. Life happened and I am guilty of letting it. So here goes the long story short....Grace played soccer in the fall and the winter and the spring. I coached her. Logan played soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring and I tried to be a spectator (operative word is "try"). Stay with me here. There was also the feat of getting Grace through the sixth grade, with all it's trials and tribulations, and there were many. Academically, she was challenged, but with hard work and me in her ear, she prevailed! (I knew she would! Way to go kid!) Logan made it through third grade with a great academic year even with his cousin/best bud in the same class! So glad they were able to experience that together, I would have loved to had a cousin go to the same school and same grade with me.....but enough about me. He is my social butterfly and I know he gets that from me. :) Greg has been working hard as ever and I continue to work as well. I haven't done any of the thrifty shopping that I love and now all my time goes to whatever the kids are doing....sounds so much like my kids run my life, but I assure you they have boundaries that they know they can't cross with mom, but they will surely try with dad! LOL!!

Summer is busy as well - soccer camps, baseball camps, friends and vacations....so stay tuned and I will do my best to be back before next year! B:)

I WANT ONE!! PICK ME!

Ok. So I have seen these from a distance...fell in love and now I want one. You know. To get my craft on. Go here to check it out and enter the giveaway sat Infarrantly Creative...love that long lost sister of mine!

Music, movies and TV

OH! How I love me some good music, movies and even some TV! So from time to time I think I have given an opinion or two about these topics...So I have learned that "Pirates 4" is coming out in May of 2011 and I saw a teaser trailer featuring "Captain Jack," so I thought I would pass it along...so here you go!

BTW - I am a huge fan of the "Pirates" movies...all of them....

Repurposed Footboard...

So guess what I finally made after about 5 years of storing a footboard! A really, really cute bench! Here's the history. We purchased new furniture for our daughter after my son grew out of his crib and needed a big boy bed. We figured it was perfect timing for our daughter and so off to Pier One we went (I was already stalking what I wanted to get her, it was just time to convince the hubby! :). Anyway, the footboard was just a little too much for her room and we decided to hold on to it instead of returning it. So, fast foward to our move about a year ago when the husband finally insisted that we no longer needed it and then the wheels were turning in my head as to how to save it...It really turned into a rescue project on my part...Now all I needed was a makeshift bench, so off to the hardware store I went and returnd with a 12 foot piece of pine and some angle bracket thingys (yes. that is techinically what I call them). I cut it in half and used one half for the seat...enter the husband and his brilliant idea on how to attach the bench to the footboard...and TA DA! A cute, wait, I mean completely adorable, better than I imagined, happy it turned out, saved from the trash...porch seating was born....what do you think!?!

What a cute puppy! Whose is that anyway!? (Ginger's modeling debut, a star is born!)

Torn for Time

I can't believe I haven't posted in 2, count them 1, 2...months! Agh! Embarrassing! In my defense, I discovered Facebook. Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of you can do both. It is definitely a struggle. I definitely feel torn, daily, to divide my time between FB and blogging (not to mention family, work, soccer, baseball, yada yada yada). I have not ever, really, blogged everyday, but I don't think I have ever gone THIS long since I started.....

I have decided that I like the blogging to feed my underdeveloped, creative gene and that I enjoy the connection and being fed my need to stay that way through FB. Still trying to decide if I want to connect the two. Time will tell.

Until I decide, I found another blog to stalk...oops, I meant follow. at a very safe distance. at least two blogs between....you can check out what I mean here.

I'll be better about checking in....promise.

VALENTINE FLOP!

FUUURRRR REAL!!!! It's my own fault. I was taking the easy way out....ummm, yeah, lesson learned....who knew?(and Carrie if you say you knew, I don't want to hear it!)

See, I had just come off of Christmas baking and we have finally eaten (mostly by the kids) all the sugar cookies that I made and decorated and kept frozen so we didn't eatthemallinonesitting...soo I was trying to think of someway to re-load the cookie jar with cute Valentine cookies on the "easy" without go to Eddies and spending $4.50 per cookie. Are you with me? Enter: Pillsbury Dough Boy. I bought a this package and it said it made 24 sugar cookies with these cute little hearts...no work required by me. Hmmm (tapped forehead like Pooh Bear; think, think, think) So I thought, two birds with one stone; cute edible kitchen decoration that will be gone by V-day(keeps my freezer clear) and my kids will still think I am super MOM and none the wiser to my laziness.

Oh Wow! just look at these pictures! That is all 24 cookies, that's 2 dozen and they don't even fill my modest cookie jar halfwaya! I thought, no way, I must have counted wrong, umm, nope. There you see it, all 24 cookies and my shame....And the kids didn't care for them. Really, angst. My sugaraholic husband didn't even try one. Albeit, they have zero chocolate, but they are sugar cookies! Really. A HUGE VALENTINE FLOP.

By the way if you want to see real Valentine Cookies and go here....my sister is amazing.