{what a difference a year makes...}

madison and meg on her 11th birthday

madison and meg, today, on her 12th.......

{happy birthday madison}

haulin' in the bucks from the family....

{she} wants the same dinner every year....soup and salad

with cheese bread and for her cake....

angel food with stawberries and whipped cream frosting.

happy birthday hunny!

{saint cupcake}

so...what a fun place....located in portland oregon

would be so fun to take the girls for the day....

or open up my very own little cupcake store in albany....

i found out about it here.

this site has amazing ideas for weddings and receptions too....

enjoy.

{she}

turns 12 tomorrow.....

{so sick of pineapple}

worked from {home}

usually, a lovely experience....

not so much today.

i am so sick and tired of cutting out PINEAPPLES.

if i see another pineapple i am going to {freak out}...

still have over 100 {no, that's not a type-o} to go.....

and then on to tiki's.....

if you have a sharp pair of scissors and want to volunteer

at {the boys & girls club} drop me a line.

oy vey.

{football}

even though it is officially {baseball} season...our family is definitely football nuts.

zac plays football for the {rebels}, which by the way is the alma mater for both John and I as well as the place where his grammy worked for about 20 years.

here's a picture of zac's {great grandpa} playing football back in the olden days.

he is the good lookin' one....back row....3rd player from the left.

in my {job} i have to constantly look up ideas for parties and receptions.....

in my blog travels i have run across this great site!

check it out....so many cute ideas for tail gate parties, play dough birthday parties, and gifts for your neighbors front porch. One of my favorites is the smore idea with hot chocolate.

enjoy.

we may have to try the football idea this coming fall.

i will try to share some of the great blogs i come across. i have hundreds saved, but just never thought anyone but crazy me would actually care.

{big brother}

{kind of obsessed}

with this show....

and especially this girl, {chelsia}

i so need this hair cut!!

{totally tubular}

so, if you have never been to bachelor you are totally missing out! i can't believe we live so close and have never taken the kids there. we aren't a skiing/snowboarding family, but there were tons of other things to do.

.....this is a picture of madison getting towed up the mountain on her tube

here's my bff missy taking pictures of herself as we were sledding down the hill together screaming the entire way!!

me and miss

madison and i

madison and nicole (friends since they were born)

{sunriver...a weekend in review}

{friday}

pull up to the house and check it out....gorgeous

10 minutes after we arrive

{sunny} pulls up, steps out of her car, slips on the driveway

and missy and i spend the next 5 hours in the emergency room.....

....and believe me there are all sorts of interesting stories i could tell after hanging out in an emergency room for that long.....{miss sunny sunshine} broke her leg in 2 places and will have to have surgery later this week....we will refer to this as {injury #1}

{saturday morning}

in the mean time...the {girls} really enjoyed the snow, until they decided to sled down a hill out in front of the house and {madison} plowed into a tree....

{injury #2}

...later that night we all decorated about 20 onesies for {tara's} baby shower....they were super cute and some were a little inappropriate for a baby, but were fun to make ...even if she can only use them to dust with.....

.....more details of the weekend to come.....as soon as i catch my breath and take a nap.

{"breaking" news tomorrow}

oh....you aren't going to believe this....

{sunriver}

update coming tomorrow!!

{over the mountain}

what a day yesterday....

took the day off with intentions to get ready for my trip to {sunriver}

and instead had a date with a {porcelin toilet} all afternoon....

who knew one person could puke so much....

ugh...the flu is not fun....

but, on a lighter note, now i get to take a 3 hour drive over a windy mountain

with a car full of people {and kids} to spend a relaxing weekend

at {sunriver}....

a trip, i might add, that has been planned for months....

all while trying not to be sick.

why me??

anyway.....need to finish packing today....we are leaving at noon.

thanks heidi for the link...now i am feeling the pressure.

i'm not worthy.....

{or your bridal shower}

ooooh....the possibilities.

{dreaming of a fall wedding}

{you know who you are}

thanks to anyone who

unknowingly let me swipe their

pictures.....

if i knew your names

i would give you full credit!

{a reason to work}

to set an example for her

to send her to college

to be able to provide a secure future for her

to get out of the house....

{while she is at school, i might add}

to help other kids who aren't as fortunate as her

.....never.....

to be made to feel

like i am less of a

{good mother}

because i work.

i am a good mom...

just ask her.

{take me out to the ball game}

{baseball} tryouts start this morning.....

good luck buddy!

{after a brief intermission}

....the story continues....

{lexi lou}

our lap kitty, {lexi}

chillin' on mom and dad's bed

her dirty little nose looks like it has a heart on it......

{the end}

not all fairy tales have a

{happy ending}

{pizza love}

heart shaped pizza....plus....

silly little decorated table......

....with corny paper cups, napkins, and {valentines} from the dollar store

{equals} our valentine's day feast.....

{love}

{happy valentine's day}

{red}

{special event} season is on it's way......

my life is about to get extra {crazy}

{st. valentine's day}

{good intentions}

so.....about a week ago i went on an all out, well intended, trip to joanne's......to buy felt.....embroidery floss.....buttons.....etc.

then....with the same {good intentions} went to fred meyer to purchase 15 gigantic hershey bars with almonds and a bag of gummy bears {for a co-worker with a weird stomach thing}......

all of this to make

{valentine's}

.....for everyone at work......and so far.....

i've made {one}.....

the one pictured above.....so much for ....

{good intentions}

happy valentine's day {2} days early.....maybe there's still hope to finish the rest.

not.

{rest}

{big girl version}

{little girl version}

....either way it is our getaway.....

a reflection of who we are......

{but where in the heck did those boys with no shirts come from?}

{the artist}

{my spot}

so....this is my spot....inspired by {project heidi}....

it's actually {my spot} untouched.....although i was very tempted to cheat and fix it up before taking this picture....the small decorating disaster happened one night at about midnight.....with a twinge of guilt that i had nothing sitting on the buffet i started yanking odds and ends from my stash in the garage....yet, quite obviously, would have been better off leaving {well enough alone} since the outcome is, lets just say, ridiculous!! it's my goal in the next week to re-do {this spot}

i do like this little {scale} on my spot, but that is about it...

this is another favorite {spot} that i need to address. my walls aren't pink....if you were wondering....they are kind of a greenish, brownish, tannish color......my daughter painted this picture of our dog when she was about {6 years old}....an all time favorite. the frame that holds my beloved picture is a story in and of itself......i can't even go there right now!

{Shall we dance?}

Homecoming 2006

{fill up a gazillion balloons, add a pin cushion with a a gazillion pins (ya know the cute ones with the big white top), and put {one piece of paper} in just one balloon, that says, "now that you've popped the question, will you go to homecoming with me?"}

Winter Dance 2006

{carefully tape the words on a gigantic, inflatable {snowman} in your living room, take before mentioned snowman to girlfriends house in a driving rain and wind storm, have your mom stake snowman down and hope that it doesn't become air born in the hour that it will take for girlfriend to come home and see it....cross fingers.....hold breath....{now, breathe}

Sadie Hawkins 2007

{send boyfriend on a scavenger hunt all over town picking up treats and notes at 7 or 8 different businesses, end at a sign on the busiest street in town asking before mentioned boyfriend to the sadie hawkins dance}

{sadie hawkin's}

what ever happened to "will you go to the dance with me?"

if you are a {teenager} now a days it has turned into a major production......believe me.....i am neck deep in the mayhem. but, i have to admit, it is kind of fun........

woke up this morning to {pink} balloons, streamers, and confetti all over the stairs leading to zac's bedroom with a trail down to the kitchen counter with heart shaped waffles waiting for him for breakfast.

these kids sure have an {imagination}......

i will try and dig up some of their other fun ideas and post tomorrow......

{not getting "jack" done today}

so....the picture from yesterday is actually from {december}
thus, the candy cane....
this picture is from (today)...
i see there is a {lip gloss} theme happening here