Happy Birthday

I can't believe she is 11!!! She stayed home sick today and spent most of the day watching the Brady Bunch. I sat in my room and listened to her laugh. Adam came home and made her cake. (He always makes the cakes). This year we have been watching a lot of Cake Boss. CB decided she wanted chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries. And you wonder why the hub makes the cakes. . .and of course she would like that cake made into a piano. No problem!!! Aren't they cute!!!

End of January

Yes, I did take lots of pics of Christmas. I even got 2 new lenses, but why blog in chronological order? So as I read back over my 18 posts it seems that I am always shocked that time passes quickly and that I don't stop and record it. I know that I can make time to do it, I think I struggle with what to blog about and who to blog for. Really, there are only a few out there that even looks at it. My family doesn't even read it. But if I wrote it for me I think that it would be really depressing. Not that my life is sad, but when I sit down to write it is the sad that comes first. Like today my friend's father died and that is sad. I am sad for her because losing someone you love is never easy and I am sad for me because loss brings back loss. It makes me think of my mom and miss her. Tomorrow is the birthday of my friend's little baby girl who died. That is heart breaking. For some reason it makes me feel guilty that my own daughter's birthday is on Thursday. She will be 11 and honestly that makes me a little sad because I already feel like I am watching her need me less every day which is a good thing and part of the plan. But still a little sad. See what did I tell you the sad comes first.

Today was a fun day with my kids. There was no school today and we played with friends and played outside with the new puppy. It was successful day for me because here I sit at the end of my day having fed my family, cleaned my house, and played with my kids. Who knows tomorrow I may even post some pics, but seriously don't hold your breath. It maybe March before I post again.

Can it really be December 15th?

I always start out the season with the best intentions. I had almost all of the my shopping finished within a week of Thanksgiving (thanks in part to crazy Black Friday). I took my Christmas card pic and had the cards printed before December. I have all of my neighbor gifts, teacher gifts, and things to mail decided and purchased. I am checking things off my list and feeling really good. BUT I still haven't wrapped the packages, gone to the post office, mailed my out of town boxes or my Christmas cards. I still have treats to bake and things to buy and my girls will be out of school in 3 days. So I am blogging, cuz that makes sense. The one good thing that I am doing this year is an advent with my kids. Last year I bought this cute advent wreath with 24 fun round boxes. So cute at the store, such a great idea until I went crazy trying to think of tiny things that could fit in those boxes and of course I had to get 3 of everything. There are only so many Hershey's kisses you can give a girl before she gets sick of them. This year my blog addicted friend suggested that we put slips of paper in the boxes with things to do instead of gifts to get. At first this idea seemed like a lot of work, but then I looked at some lists of things and realized that most of these are things I hoped to do with my girls anyway. So on December 1st I threw caution to the wind and started. It has been really fun and I must say I am grateful for the focus it gives me, even just for a few minutes each day because really Christmas really should be all about family. These are the 14 things we have done so far:

1. Hang this year's new ornament on the tree


2. Drink hot chocolate with snowman marshmallows


3. Make an ornament wreath (this turned out awesome)


4. Get a snow globe and share a snowy memory, it actually snowed here in Texas that day


5. Go to the Nutcracker Ballet


6. Eat a Christmas cookie and read a Christmas story


7. Put out new blowup 6ft Santa


8. Do a service project at school and then eat a peppermint shake


9. Make Christmas creatures


10. Watch a Christmas special


11. Eat a Christmas chocolate orange


12. Do 2 acts of service for your sister


13. Read a Christmas chapter book (the Holly Joliday)


14. Get a new pair of Christmas Socks

And tonight we are going to see Santa at a friend's house. We have had a fun 2 weeks.

Let's Pretend it is November 1st

Halloween was a good time this year. I did not have to carry any of my children. It was not freezing cold, nor hot and we had no last minute costume break downs. It helped that it was on a Saturday. We were busy most of the day with soccer games and errands, but we still had time to get the cuties ready.

Kiss My Bass

The Hub went fishing this early morning with some friends. There are several lakes (aka drainage ponds) in our neighborhood. So they set out to catch some bass. He came home pretty excited to have caught anything let alone the biggest of the morning. He hasn't done much fishing. He said it was fun and relaxing. A new hobby? I love this pic. He looks really happy.

Pizza, Pumpkins and Power Outages

I don't know how it happened, but last year we forgot to carve pumpkins. Being new to the great state of Texas I had been warned about carving too early and mold and bugs. So I kept putting it off until there was simply no time and then CB was sick and, well you get the picture. So this year I promised my girls: We will carve pumpkins. We will have pizza. It will be fabulous. Well it started out fun. The pizza was a little burnt, but that was ok. There was much excitement about picking the perfect pattern and which one would be fun, but not too hard. We got the squash hallowed out and then the power went out. I should have probably added that it was raining, but rain in Texas is just part of the fall, and summer, and sometimes spring. Anyway, it was raining and thundering and lightening-ing (is that a word?) cuz it was doing it and when we decided to go out on the back porch and carve pumpkins it was pouring. But we were determined to carve and then darkness. The power stayed out just long enough that we put everyone to bed without finishing the pumpkins. There were lots of sad faces.

But today, Halloween Eve, when the girls got home from school those pumpkins were carved. They look great and they are finished just in time to take to the trunk-or-treat. And I didn't have to carve one or even help them. I guess they are really growing up.

Don't Have a Heart Attack

Well, I can't remember the last time I posted. . .I won't catch you up on my life because honestly it has been a tough couple of months. Maybe later. Right now I am looking for some good old procrastination. I have so many projects going on. None are finished. I convinced self I could quilt. I know don't laugh. So I decided to start 3 different quilting projects. Then I thought--hey the sewing machine is out why not make some pillows, pj pants, and Christmas presents for my girls. It is only October I have plenty of time. I know, it's crazy. Plus, as I really should clean my house, make some dinner, write a lesson plan for a class that I have to teach in a week and a half, (Did I mention it is on being organized?) finish my notes for this PTO project I am involved in, skim the leaves out of the pool--honestly it is a long list. Instead I am blogging.

So for my one follower out there (thanks Laura) here are some pics:

CB playing the piano and J and M just goofing around. They make me smile. I feel grateful for that.