time passes

oh so quickly.  The last day of August is here and tomorrow we will be entering a brand new month.  In just a few weeks fall will be upon us and hopefully we who live in "heat wave central" will be lucky enough to experience cooler temps and be blessed with some much needed rain.  We've had a few teasers over the past few days but nothing that's amounted to anything that will make a difference.

The lawn is taking a beating because we need some of this

This has only happened once with any measurable rain since May.  I hate to mention it but I say bring on a hurricane because I'm really sick of this

And as you can tell from the first photo....I'm really sick of it because the lawn is really taking a beating now.  No, not proud of it....just tired of it.  One thing I will always have anywhere I live from here on out is a sprinkler system.  So kicking myself in the hind end for not doing it years ago because living here, while not the desert, we need it.  Speaking of desert...I so didn't sign up to live in the desert which is why I am in Texas although this year it doesn't seem like I live anywhere but the stinking desert.  I mean, 65 days so far at 100+ degree temps.  Seriously over it.  Like back in May, over it.

The #1 record was set back in 1980 at 69 days of 100+ degree temps and while they say we won't quite make breaking the record I say bring it on....we didn't suffer all summer long, for the past 3 months, all 90-some days, just to fall short of the record.   Come on Mother Nature...throw me a friggin' bone, will ya?

With the heat there has been lots of this going on

So many little shaved ice stands have popped up all over.  It's a refreshing treat after a long, hot day.  This cute stand, in particular, I run by nearly every time I am out for a run and when I run at night it's always all lit up and so festive.  The other night I was jonesing for some shaved ice so I took myself on a little date to 1/2 Price Books and then stopped by for a night cap.  It was definitely yummy and there are so many flavors to choose from it nearly blew my mind.  This is the only stand I've seen with personality - a pirate ship complete with a mermaid on the bow called the Skallywags!  Too stinking cute!

The little and I stumbled upon these cute samples of Starbucks at Target one day while we were out shopping.  I must say considering the calories in the regular size the sample size definitely did the trick and I didn't have to consume and entire days' worth just to get a fix!

This summer found us attending a 40th birthday party for a family member (family even though not by blood) where we had a date playing broomball at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter.

Tanner getting ready to play

That was absolutely the most fun I had all summer and I tell you what...there is no question that I can keep up with the boys on the ice.  I was the only girl who actually played the entire hour.  I even scored two goals which had the boys shaking their heads.  All I can say is never underestimate this girl, a 42-year-old girl at that!

This summer also found me quitting the job I started right before Christmas to go back home to work for the company I left back in December.  It's been a change as I get used to the new account.

I received some beautiful flowers on my last day.  I hung around all week long, each day, WAY past my time to leave just so I could hang out with my peeps.  I had become close to several people while there.  I had mixed feelings about leaving and honestly still do.  I know that I made the right decision but it doesn't mean I don't wish I could just take all my favorite peeps from everywhere I have ever worked, bottle them up and have them here with me so we could still work together and have fun while doing it.  I cried all the way home that day and it was probably the hardest time I've ever had leaving a job, especially being there so few months.  And I have to say that my manager tried everything he could that last day to get me hired on full time so that really spoke to me about how much they thought of me and that they didn't want to lose me but ultimately big business is big business....and you never win against big business.  But that's okay...I can still visit and someday should the right opportunity open up maybe I'll go back.  Who knows where life will take me.

We've had date nights

Halloumi Salad @ Cafe Malaga

 Fondue

 Don Piquillo

Cheesecake Martini

even though the man has been working overtime like crazy and hasn't been home much at all this summer.  We manage to steal away for dinner once or twice a month but that's about all the "us" time we've had.  This basically means everything falls on my shoulders so this would be the very reason why I've been so lax in my blogging lately.  Our favorite date night so far has to be our dinner at Cafe Malaga.  Ah*maz*balls is all I can say!  The pictures above don't even tell the whole story about our evening there because that wasn't all the food we ordered.  It realize it looks like a lot but they serve their food tapas style, which is food served on small plates, so it's actually...what is that they say...."objects may be smaller than they appear".

 
A few of our date nights, but only two, entertained the "double date" theory.  We have a couple that we go out with on a fairly consistent basis where we basically schedule 'date nights' a month or two in advance but with the man working so much this has only happened once since May.  I mean, I spent the 4th of July with these friends minus the man and I am so thankful they don't mind the "third wheel" hanging around!  The other time we were actually able to go out I arranged a surprise visit with one of the man's old friends so they could catch up and I finally got to meet his fiance.  They happen to be getting married this weekend and we're looking forward to that wedding.  The fun times with them were spent here:

 Splitsville

which is the very same place we ate this California roll just Monday night.  Yep, you guessed it - another date night for just the two of us.

I've also had mommy-daughter time and this is what we typically eat

The girl is so hooked on this place it cracks me up.  She ♥'s it which makes my ♥ happy because so do I!  And I think I may have sold her on the grilled onions just the other day when she tried my burger with them! In-N-Out is definitely the bomb!  Of course we spend a lot of time shopping so it is a necessity as we need our strength as we traipse from store to store looking for "fashionable" bargains!

I've done a little crafting but considering everything we've had going on this summer I have not spent as much time on it as I had initially planned but I did manage to wrap these delightful little packages for a bridal shower and I do have a wedding gift that needs my attention because it won't make itself and that wedding is three days away!  Yikes!

I've spent tons of time with my boy, too, but he doesn't like it when I take photos although I did manage to snap two on the day he turned 18. I can't fail to mention that the very next day he started college.  Talk about major changes going on around here lately.  Whew!

And that, in a nutshell, is basically an overview of what has happened over the past couple months.  I say bring on September, fall, cooler temps, rain, falling leaves that crunch under my feet and all the glorious holidays that happen over the next few months!  I'm ready....are you?

a day late & a dollar short

Hope everyone had a safe and very happy 4th of July.

Photo taken at Red, White & Boom in McKinney, TX on July 4, 2011 with my iPhone 3G, edited using Labelbox and Instagram.

Happy Father's Day

(via Sweet Petula)

Today is Father's Day.

I wish I could be with my dad today to celebrate 'his' day in style, to dote on him as it is his day and to tell him how much he means to me and that I love him so much more than he will ever know.

I wish I could be with my dad today to tell him that the woman I am is due to the things that he taught me and that HE is my HERO.  I will never stop learning from him.

I wish I could be with my dad today so that I could hug him and feel his strong arms wrapped around me for just a moment.  

I wish I could be with my dad today so that I could hear his voice, in person, while he plays his guitar and sings.  I want to listen to his jokes, his stories and just spend time with him.

Happy Father's Day, dad.

And happy Father's Day to "the husband", the man who stepped in and took on the role of dad to my precious children, the only father they will ever know.  We all love you.

three hundred

For a month I've been sitting here wanting to make post #300 some big whopper of a deal but somehow that doesn't look like it's going to happen.  I've got so many thoughts that run through my head daily and so many ideas/things I want to blog about but time just seems to get in the way.  I read on one of the social networks  in the past day or two that someone compared time sucking to that same black hole that eats our socks.  I can totally relate.

The last month has been a whirlwind and the day I drove home from the airport with an empty car it all came to a screeching halt.  Might have had a little something to do with the 3:45 a.m. wake up call, I don't know.  I know at that early hour there's definitely a fog in my head!  There's always something very hard but also very hopeful for me about arriving at the airport on departure day as I slowly drive by the gate hoping my visitors don't want to brave throwing themselves out of the moving vehicle risking injury then running behind the car to grab the luggage from the trunk to start their trek home.  That trick didn't work for me this time as my brother-in-law threatened he knew someone who knew someone.  You get the picture. 

Truth of the matter is it's always incredibly difficult for my sister and I to go our separate ways.  I love the closeness that we share and am so blessed to have her as my sister, we both just wish she lived here.  Maybe someday.  The husband seems to think it will happen and I really hope he's right.  Funny....I don't think we got even one picture of the two of us during this visit.  So much going on neither of us thought about it. 

There was a lot of celebrating.  A lot of eating.  A lot of exploring.  A lot of everything and it was wonderful.

We're now headed down an exciting new path writing the next chapter in our book.  I'm very happy about the decisions my precious boy has made about school and I look forward to watching him continue to grow and evolve.

Tanner,

I wonder where the time went and how we got here so quickly.  As I look back on the years remembering all the special moments that touched my heart I find it difficult to believe that you're ready to start down the road to your future, a future that you will write based on decisions and choices you will have in front of you.  I recall a day many years ago where I couldn't even fathom the thought that you would be old enough to graduate thinking that the time would go so much more slowly and that I "had time" for everything.  I found out all too quickly that that really isn't the case.  The time goes so much more quickly than you can comprehend right now and while you grew up much too quickly and have endured so much more than you deserved, you've come out of it on top and learned so much from it.  I'm so proud of you for all you've accomplished, how brave you are and all you continue to do and be on a daily basis and I am proud to be your mom.  You've so much promise and so much of yourself to share with the world my only wish is that you find what it is you love to do and do it, for life is too short not to.  

You have been all a son should be and more.  I want you to know that I will always be here for you to support you no matter what because I am your biggest fan.

I love you little boy.  

your mommy

Yes, he still calls me mommy and yes, he hugs me anytime he leaves the house as well as before bed.  It's official, he's still my little boy and I'll take it for as long as I can get it! 

(source)

*whew*

So much has happened in the past week that it's hard to believe it all actually took place in such a short time.  And it's May to boot!  How is that possible?  We're closing in on half the year being over already and I feel like it just barely began.  I'll have to start planning for Christmas soon and even I'm not sure I'm ready for that right now!  I've got too much to do in the next few weeks.

Let's see, the wedding of the century took place and it was definitely a fairy tale.  I was up at 3 a.m. CST to participate in the festivities.  It was beautiful beyond words and as my sweet friend Michelle posted over on her blog, these words from the ceremony were magical 

"be who God meant you to be
and you will set the world on fire". 

How amazing for Kate to be living a real life fairy tale~I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like although I digress I do try to at least picture what it could possibly be like.  I will forever consider myself a Princess but clearly I'll never lead a life like she is lucky enough to have been blessed with.

As the mother of a little girl, I sat and wondered the other night how her mum must feel about all this.  How is one even able to comprehend the fact that when this child was born how could they even begin to imagine what her future held for her.  HRH is quite a title to bestow but heck, I'd place it at the beginning of my name in a heartbeat!

 (source)

My own royalty.......

This mom experienced what it is like for her baby to go on a first date.

She also experienced a first prom and all that goes along with it like renting a tux and getting to see her little boy all dressed up with a very sweet and pretty girl on his arm.  This all happened in one night.  Was I ready?  Hell no. I have no problem sharing that I am so not ready for my little boy to grow up.  

I'm so blessed though as he's been so amazing at going easy on me.  He's right there beside me helping me to let go and that's making it so much easier although easy isn't exactly the word I would use to describe what it's like when you realize that soon your baby will be graduating and off to college finding his own way in the world.  Letting go is the hardest part but if the past is any indication of the future it's all good.  I couldn't have been blessed with better kiddos and that makes it easier to handle the big changes coming our way.

So with that we've added yet another driver to the family.

See....I told you that it's been crazy around here with a lot going on in a very short time.  My little is now driving and we're one step closer to the end of childhood with her as well.  Granted I've got a few years left but I know from experience that they are going to rocket by at lightening speed so we're cherishing every moment we have together as a family for too soon it will be over and all that will be left of this chapter will be the echos of the memories etched into my very soul.  The kids have reached a place in their relationship where they don't fight much at all.  It's now more joking around and giving each other a really hard time and believe me they can both dish it out really well.  They're both incredibly funny and that makes for some really great times here.  It's fun to listen to them banter back and forth and oftentimes I sit back to listen and watch just to capture what I can to stick away for memories~it makes me smile and my heart so happy.

Something very big happened on May 1st, 2011~ the U.S. was finally able to take out the mastermind behind the worst terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil - God Bless America and all those who fight, have fought and will continue to fight for our freedom.

I so wanna be a princess

You've probably heard, and if not how could you possibly have missed it, that the wedding of the century is about to take place ~ that is the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.  This amazing ceremony takes place tomorrow....Friday, April 29, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. London time.

I look forward to rising very early with the millions of other people across the globe to watch the wedding of the century, just as I did when Diana wed Prince Charles some 30 years ago on July 29, 1981.  

I was a little girl going into the junior high (7th grade) and couldn't get enough of the fairytale.  I remember camping out on the living room floor and taking it all in, dreaming of that day when I, too, would marry my prince and live happily ever after.  

Don't all little girls dream of their wedding day when they, too, are a princess at least for a day as they marry their prince?

(image)

Seriously, aren't these two just adorable?  Kate could not be more beautiful and William is so handsome as he resembles his beautiful mama. 

(image)

I wish them both a very happy and beautiful life together and I look forward to, as I am sure we all do, watching where life takes them on that journey.

Happy Easter

(image)
A blessed Easter holiday to you and yours.

filthy chaos

 

Life on the homefront is complete chaos, filth and total boredom.
Everything is out of it's place and not where it should be.
Because of that we can't get to much of anything.
There is dust and dirt everywhere as we complete things that needed to be done and are so long overdue.
There is lots of noise and many men who are in and out of the house all day.
We've taken to eating out for every meal since for the time being and we're running out of choices.
Today I took off of work so the hubby could try to get some rest as another 10-day stretch is on the calendar. (I feel for him in a big way.)
He'll have to suck it up tomorrow because I will have to go back to work ~ lucky for him I have Friday off.
My weekend will be spent cleaning and getting things back in order.
Until then I'll be pacing back and forth hoping for time to move a bit faster and dreaming of when my house will look like a home again.

Do you ever feel....

....like no matter how hard you try to keep it all together that there are times when there is just so much to do you're not sure how you will get it all done?  Sort of like the "when it rains, it pours" theory though I'm aware that you can use that theory for many other things as well, and not all of them positive!  :)

We are in the midst of so many things here and while being busy has never been a problem for me~I've always been a go, go, go girl who feels naked without 42 things going on at once~I'm studying the calendar trying to figure out just how we are going to manage everything and still be prepared for all that is on said calendar, and all that seems to be added daily, over the next several months.  There is lots and lots of goodness in the works but it's going to be an uphill battle getting there.  I know there are good things at the end and our focus is on getting through it together, as a family.  There will be lots of celebrating, visits from near and far and tons of family/friend time. 

I, myself, have a lot of things I am going through personally so it's probably a great thing for me to have so many diversions to keep my mind occupied as I learn to deal with things like my baby boy graduating high school, a first date, prom, college, my littlest little starting driving school and all the fun things associated with finding out if I have given my children the wing span they will need to fly.

I spent some time creating with one of my favorite little toys, my Silhouette.  Oh. My. Gosh. does that thing make me happy and my creating even more fun and easy!  With over 13,000 images to choose from just in my library there isn't anything I can't do with it!

I also dug out my sewing machine and have been crafting sweet little zero calorie Peeps out of felt.  Remember my post about them here?  I couldn't resist anymore and seriously, there is absolutely no guilt at all! 

 Oh my, have you had the chocolate dipped Peeps?  To. Die. For!  Honestly I'm not a big Peeps fan but I do ♥ the chocolate bottom dipped Peeps.  And you know, it's gotta be good if they have their own website!

We've been visiting the gardening center, Calloway's nursery, with the littlest little.  She's having a ball with her garden this spring.  She's already got some strawberries and she is patiently watching them turn color.

 While we were at Calloway's I got a quick pic of a beautiful little flutterby in this bunch of flowers.

See it?  Sort of like a Where's Waldo but with a butterfly!

When you walk into the nursery the floral scent knocks your socks off.  A few days later we stopped by Wally World and happened upon our favorite flowers for $5 already nearing bloom.  We couldn't help ourselves so we bought a pot of Stargazers and quickly potted them when we got home.  Several days later we've already had some absolutely gorgeous blooms and oh my, they smell soooo good!  

Other garden residents are chives, basil (of course!), jalapenos, Serrano peppers, parsley, cilantro.  She has started some lavender, oregano and pumpkins as well in starter pots.

My layout for first quarter was completed around the middle of March using Best Creation, Inc's Jubilee.  I played with some fun butterfly paper and bright colors for spring.  I am a cutter.  I love to cut.  No, not that kind of cutting,  I love the dimension and I'm not sure why but cutting is so calming for me.  

It's time to go get my goodies to create my 2nd quarter layout for Scrappin' Bunnies.  If you're wondering, most of the time I have no idea before going in to pick out paper/embellies what I plan on creating.  The paper is usually what speaks to me and since I've stopped adding my photos to the layouts I find it a little harder to decide on what I want to create.  I'm guessing it should make the process a bit easier but no one ever said I made things easy!

I've been back on the running wagon, heading out at least 3 times a week and we got the bikes out last night and headed out for 5.5 miles.  When we got home I went out for a mile run to top it off.  Night off of running means it's time to dig out Jillian and let her kick my ass.  Three cheers for bikini season!

another round of ink

Rob working his magic at Ink, Inc

I would have never guessed that I would have wanted another tattoo after I finally caved and got my first one this past September.  It's sort of a funny thing really, especially since I was told that once you bit the bullet and got inked you would want another which I totally didn't believe.  One thing is true though, I'll never look like Kat.  For me the first one became a bit of a "I'll show myself I can do this" fight within me because I was so freaked out about it but I also knew I really wanted one, and had known for quite some time.  I had finally decided what I wanted to wear for life and I was totally convinced that IF I ever got one I would totally never do it again.  Alas, that didn't last long because I did it again.....TWICE last night.  I got the business from my youngest~she specifically told me she didn't want an "inked up mommy" and that "they shouldn't be visible."  Funny being Eric has four and her response to me asking her if that bothers her was no, she was used to them. She's truly been so funny about it and actually told me I was grounded when I got home.  She evn stayed up past her bedtime to see them she was so concerned what they would look like.

This time my girlfriend and I got matchy-matchy tattoos which we had been tossing around doing for a while.....a Japanese symbol for friendship on our foot and since we were both born in 1969 she got the number 69 in Japanese under her friendship symbol and I got the number 69 on the inside of my forearm in Greek.  There's that typography issue I have rearing it's ugly head again! ( The number 69 has more meaning for me since it was also the number of my dad's race car(s) when I was growing up and that brings back a lot of memories for me.)


Go check out these tattoos on Elsie's blog, especially the ones in this post.....I love them and only wish I could manage to endure the pain to do one similar to it.  We actually cheated a bit and applied prescription strength numbing cream then wrapped our areas up with Saran Wrap so when it was our turn we didn't feel much of anything.  It worked so well that Rob actually said I looked like I was bored.  I don't care if it takes away something from the whole concept of the process, I'm allergic to pain!  

Domestic bliss....

or so we once thought. Crafting & making things has long been one of those beloved ways to make our homes feel cozier and friends feel more special when we gift them handmade lovlies and that to me is domestic bliss whether it be cooking, sewing, crocheting/knitting or even mixed media.  These days it seems the time goes faster, the days are shorter and we're all much more tired than our parents or grandparents ever were.  There's something to fill our every waking moment and with the need for both adults in the household to work, it leaves little time for us to snag a few moments of uninterrupted time to ourselves to be creative. 

I've been tripping over a bag of beautiful fabric & a 14x20 feather pillow form picked up on a shopping trip with a friend back in July of last year at Cutting Corners.  As with all things I stuck it in the studio and there it sat.  And sat.  And sat.  Like with most things.  Eek!  So many unfinished projects as well as projects I have wanted to tackle that I have all the supplies for but I haven't been able to find the time.

As I was cleaning my studio yesterday in preparation for overnight guests as well as graduation in less than 10 weeks, I pulled that bag of goodies out and decided I would make that pillow come hell or high water.  I'm happy to say that it turned out wonderful and didn't take me but probably 90 minutes total.  That's almost as good as instant gratification!

Getting ready to sew it shut.

Finished!

two posts in one day?

I really couldn't help myself from posting again today after coming across this adorable Peeps bunting on Pinterest, especially since Easter is only a month away.

I mean really......

  (image)

Seriously....isn't this just the cutest thing you've ever seen?  I just love Peeps!  I refuse to eat them but I love to look at them - they're so stinking cute!  Dana from MADE was guesting over on V and Co. last March and posted this adorable tutorial. 

Okay, if that doesn't get you, check out this pink one.....you know how I love pink!

(image)

I think this will most definitely be on my list of to-do's for Easter decorating.  Let's just hope that list doesn't get left in the dust.

I've so missed lurking around the world wide web recently. 

summery goodness

Matthew Mead and his crew have been at it again and they are teasing us with this little video of his newest release coming soon.....

Pre-order your copy here - it's schedule to arrive in mailboxes around Mother's Day.

hey, hey

we're alive and kicking over here.....barely.

March has arrived and it came in like a lamb.  Will it go out like a lion?  Guess we'll just have to wait and see. 
It's so exciting to watch the outside world as I travel to and from work each day.  The buds on the trees are starting to bloom.  The grass is coming alive again and slowly turning green.  The birds are chirping like crazy so you know spring is just around the corner.  It's funny how just in those few hours I am at work the buds pop out just a little bit more and it looks different every time I drive down my street.  Oh the beauty of the world.  Spring always feels like a new beginning and it's so exciting when new beginnings lie ahead.

(source)

Don't you just love that house?  I dream of living in one just like that with a wrap-around porch and lots of rooms for all kinds of fun to be had in them.  A cozy room for each of my family members to stay comfortably so we can enjoy holidays and special occasions together in the same location.  Wonderful breakfast buffets and lots of picnicing and barbeques.  Ahhh.....one can dream, right?  Imagine what it would look like at Christmas.  Dreamy!

We've been dealing with the flu around here.  My MiniMe was really, really sick last week but finally went back to school Tuesday.  She seems to be much better as she was pretty much back to her old self Monday afternoon when she was finally fever free after 4 days.  She was able to sleep in Monday morning having kept her home from school which I think did her a world of good.  No one else has come down with it, thankfully.  The other little person in the family has been taking the preventative the doctor prescribed to him so he stays well.  Eric and I decided to take our chances ~ those scripts are not cheap by any means, even with insurance.  I bet Tanner wishes he'd a had a preventative before he came down with the nasty flu he got attached with at Christmas time.  Boy was that boy sick though luckily everyone else avoided that round of flu as well.

I've discovered this fun site......odosketch via Kal and have been having the best time playing on it tonight sketching away.  It's almost insane how much fun I'm having and owning a Wacom tablet really magnifies the fun I'm having as I doodle and sketch to my hearts content.  There's only so much one can do with a mouse and drawing isn't one of those things.  You can save your art if you create an account.  This will definitely be an outlet for me, so I can connect with my art on some level hopefully on a daily basis.

Have you checked out Pinterest yet?  I haven't been on the computer much lately with a sick kiddo but holy guacamole there are some great images/ideas that are posted over there almost constantly.  It's a veritable inspiration vortex that will suck you in and you'll be so glad you were although that load of laundry might not feel the same.

Tomorrow my company is having a meeting on Help Build Hope for Haiti.  I'm excited to find out how we will be able to help. 

I've completed my first week of Mouse, Paper, Scissors with Jessica Sprague and Heidi Swapp but haven't done anything with my second week as of yet.  The She Art Workshop with Christy Tomlinson started Monday and I've been watching the videos but have yet to get started on my projects as I am waiting on my canvases to arrive from DickBlick.  I've got just two weeks worth of videos for Soul Restoration to watch then I can work on that course as time allows.  It's a amazingly wonderful course and Melody Ross rocks it - so worth it on so many levels.

in the interest of Pinterest

Have you heard?  Surely by now you have seen it all over other blogs you've visited....Pinterest is a site that allows you to create virtual inspiration boards by "pinning" photos you find on the web that hit that "spot" and make you go all weak in the knees.  You can create categories for your favorites, making it easy to find them at a later date and if you need a quick dose of inspiration it's super easy to search the appropriate category that you name so if you're into the crafty creations or homemade yummies or even need a style file for home or wardrobe help it's all at your fingertips.  

Like...say.....this super cute idea for party hats

You can also:  re·Pin (rē·pĭn): v. to post another person's pin to your own pinboard should you find the goodness among all that appears once you enter the main site.  I've started down the road to enabling so if you're so inclined to check out my finds go here.  I've just started "pinning" so bear with me as I grow my files of inspiration.  I think I'm gonna ♥ this - so much easier than tumblr. 

it's a beautiful day

As sure as the sun comes up each day, the cold temps, snow and ice left us leaving behind an amazingly beautiful past 5 days.  Mild temps in the 70s, slight breeze - yep, beautiful!  Just as luck would have it a meeting that was scheduled for this afternoon at work was canceled and the quick lunch date I had with a coworker ended up being an all day affair.  The mild temps and sun allowed us to sit outside a beautiful store called Patina Green, a place where I would just love to move in and never leave, and have lunch.  Seriously this place is stunning. 

 (source)

 *and just for the record, this photo was taken in the bathroom of their store - yes, I did say this place was stunning - I could totally live in this bathroom*

Janie and I both lunched on this beautiful organic and locally grown salad with biscuits that was topped off with a sinfully delicious chocolate chip cookie. 

When we finally checked the time it was after 4 p.m. and we realized that we had just chatted away two and a half hours in the sunshine and soft breeze.  It was a great way to spend time getting to know one another better and I had the perfect afternoon, something that I don't often take the time to do, and am so happy that I did.

in winter's path

Once again we're up for another blast of Old Man Winter.  He's sending down an arctic front which will bring us another round of rain turning to sleet which will then turn to snow.  Not exactly sure on how much we'll get...I've heard 4-6" as well as 5-8".  Guess I'll wait until it's all over to calculate just what we actually get.  Wondering if the kids will be out of school yet again since it's only going to be a high of 29 tomorrow with a low of 10 which will make for treacherous driving conditions.  There are already school closings posted for tomorrow around the area.  We're once again going to be experiencing rolling blackouts as the temps dip back to near the single digits.   

Remember this little yummy I mentioned to you the other day?  If you're aching to take a little peeky-poo you can do it here:

I took the plunge and spent the $3.30 on it to devour the 170 pages with no ads.  There are some big name artists in this little baby and I'm excited to take some time to sit down over the next few days, in between all the other creating and deadlines I'm working on right now.

I supposed it's about time I rush off and finish working on these little "lovelies" so I can get another box ready to be shipped tomorrow.

I really should have been on the ball and had it done and sent off today but for some reason I just can't seem to get everything done.  Do I sound like a broken record?  Alrighty....3, 2, 1....here I go.  Wish me luck on finding a box that is small enough but yet big enough so I don't spend a fortune sending it!

well, well, well....

It's February already?  Didn't that just creep up on us and bite us in the tushy?  The year is a little more than 1/12th over.  The first half of the first quarter is nearly done.  Kaput.  It's almost time to celebrate all the l♥ves in your life as Big Red Heart Day is now only 9 days away  Before I know it I will be dragging that decrepit artificial tree down from the attic and decorating it all over again.

We've been really having a great time with the weather this past week. The week started out well with temps that were way above normal.  They actually were that way towards the end of last week as well.  We're talking 80 degrees.  Seriously.  Monday was a good day but overcast.  Monday night all hell broke loose and we had storms, rain, sleet, thunder snow.  You name it, I think we had it.  I woke up to about an inch of ice on the ground and had I owned a pair of ice skates I could have gotten to work really easily.  This is what it looked like as I stepped out my front door.

We were literally covered.  It was an ice rink out there.  And it was really strange.  You see that dark spot near the mail box?  That's actually water pooled underneath the ice.  That was what it looked like all over the place.  It was really weird.  I have never seen anything like it before even growing up in South Dakota.  I had a field day with it as anywhere I walked I would stomp the ice trying to break it.  Yes, just as one of the guys from work said, I am reliving my childhood and believe me, I am in heaven over here this week!  Work?  You ask if I went to work since I mentioned it?  Yep.  I went to work every day this week and made it on time everyday.  Knowing how to drive in this weather I was a force to be reckoned with as I blazed a trail to work every morning.

Remember me mentioning the temps being above normal?  Well, the temps have now been below freezing, averaging the teens and 20s and wind chills in the single digits and even below, for more than 100 consecutive hours this week which meant that with gray skies the ice didn't go anywhere quickly.  That wreaked havoc when we woke up to what was supposed to be less than an inch of snow yesterday morning really was 6+ inches and it snowed almost all day long off and on.

This is what my trip in to work looked like:

I'm not sure now much we ended up with all total (somewhere between 6-8") but those weather men were way off their calculations yet again.  I swear, the only job where you can get paid the big bucks and be wrong almost 95% of the time.  I know, I know....Mother Nature cannot be "predicted" and I have great respect for weathermen since I am a "weather" lover.  Did I already mention I'm in heaven?  I think I might have.  I got to play in the ice and play in the snow.  I wanted to do "donuts" in a really bad way and "plow" snowbanks of which we have never had down here.  It wasn't a total loss though, the kids had a record 4 days off from school due to the weather, unsafe driving conditions and rolling blackouts we experienced.

Superbowl XLV is here this weekend and I cannot even begin to imagine how many people are stranded elsewhere trying to get here because of these storms. I wonder just what all those who actually made it are thinking about the weather.  To add insult to injury now there are big sheets of ice sliding off the stadium which have injured people.  And to think the weatherman is predicting rain and snow possible tomorrow as well as another round of the same mid week next week.

Did you hear Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow so the prediction is we will have an early spring.  Somewhere in the past week or so on TV I heard them say that we will be seeing temps in the 80s by the end of February.  Blech!

So aside from the weather I've been trying to score as much time as I can in my studio, braving the cold (these houses down here were so not made for cold weather) and working on my Soul Restoration class.  As is typical for me, it's into week 4 now this week and I'm just barely getting through with week 1.  Maybe I'll be done by the time part two of Soul Restoration rolls around in June.  Honestly I need to get moving on it because unfortunately we do not have forever access to the class so I need to work through it quicker so I can view all the videos, etc.

The little one wanted to learn to sew and we forged ahead on that project, Simplicity Learn to Sew pattern #2286, and hit a brick wall.  Still need some time and a huge amount of help to figure out what went wrong.  The casing on the skirt is not measuring up with the darts and the sides of said skirt.  I've been scratching my head for about two weeks now.  And all my Little wants to do is finish her skirt.  Hopefully this will not make her shy away from the fun she has had learning to sew, which she says she loves.

The Little had her 15th birthday last weekend.  We celebrated and ate like kings around here.  A shopping spree at XXI was her gift from us so we headed down to NorthPark Center where we perused the two floors chock full of clothing and the little boutique attached full of fun sparkly yummies.  And I got the sparkly floors and chandies made me happy!

She tried on armfuls of clothes and walked out a very happy girl as her wardrobe begins to bust.  That girl needs another closet!

I've come across a few really fun things in the 'net' recently.  Take a few moments and check all these yummies out!

diy valentine's cakes from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.
As I was reading Heidi's blog earlier this week she had this video up and I couldn't help but smile and knew I had to share.  This little lovely was originally featured on Design*Sponge and is from Tiger in a Jar.  Total happiness.

A new issue of the little online mag from inspireco to peruse will be released soon.  Check out the back issues here.  They are divine!

Speaking of divine little lovies to read on the web.....how about this little doozie appropriately named Simply the Sweet Life?  Several very lovely ladies, who are also Spark sisters, have some goodness tucked away inside.  The very talented, adorable, bubble, spunky and sweet contributors are April Meeker from second sister suaviloquy, Rhonna Farrer who is 1/3 of the House of 3, and Margie Romney-Aslett from The Girls' Paperie/The Girls Loft. 

Okay, that picture of the cake has me going.  How about checking out the lovely and uber talented Rosie over at Sweetapolita?  Oh my gosh that girl can bake a cake!

 Sweetapolita

Holy guacamole, doesn't that look yummy.

Is your mouth watering?  Do you want a piece?  Or two?

Wait for it.......here's the whole deal:

 Sweetapolita

I think I've just died and gone to heaven.

I may be jumping off the Boston Creme Pie bandwagon and doing a quick exchange for this dreamy darling for my birthday cake this year.  I actually was thinking about this cake by Allrecipes because it's awful divine in and of itself but I think some very deep soul searching is in order here.  I mean, it is, however, a cake fit for a princess, dontcha think?  And if you want to bake one for yourself head over here, or click on the link underneath each photo, to snatch up the recipe quick!


Now that oughtta keep you busy for a while!