A Sweet Life

I mentioned on facebook today that it's a sweet life when I can buy a vacuum and a camera all in one week's time. 

That I put a vacuum cleaner on the same plane as a camera goes to show you just how my life has changed over the years...Let it be known that I was JUST as excited to get a vacuum cleaner, as I was purchasing this new camera...crazy, I know...but still...it's my season of life right now...it's where I'm at...

and it's a sweet life!

Although, my vacuum did have a 4 day advantage...so when my battery got charged for the cam...well, let's just say I put Peanut to work, while I "fiddled"!

I don't think she minded much...

and afterwards...we went outside to see how the baby birds were doing...they're almost full grown now...

Yep...I'm living a charmed life:)  Thank you Jesus for such incredible gifts!

I've been a little busy...aaachoooo

Ahhhh, this weather is gorgeous...I can't complain about the sun, the puffy clouds, the "warm enough air that we can actually wear shorts all day"...

However, our forecast of sunny with a chance of SNEEZING...let's just say that I'm trying to enjoy my planting and flower beds through the drizzle that is my nose!  Last month's pollen went away, as did the allergy craziness that broke into our pocket books with inhaler treatments, claritin and nasonex for the girls...but, the May pollen has attacked my sinuses with a vengence. 

But, never fear...Claritin and kleenex are on the way...and I WILL survive! 

Our garden is coming along nicely...I don't have a lot of pictures right now because my camera and I have been a bit busy...

Busy?

Yes...you see...my good friend AM and I decided that it would be fun to shoot a few weddings a year together...we love photography, we love hanging out together and heck, why not make a little money while we're at it to support our addiction to Starbucks and McDonalds Frappes...

And so, last Saturday (and this Saturday I might add) we had/have weddings...I can't show you all the pictures b/c I can't really blog about it until Friday...but, I can't NOT show you at least ONE picture with the vain hope that you will desire to come back on Friday and check out the CTPhotoMemories blog as well...

Here's just one...which, for a non-decision maker like me, was VERY difficult to choose...and so I cheated and put two on instead...so just don't tell and humor me and check out the other blog on Friday...deal?

In other exciting news...I'm heading to a store tomorrow to purchase this:

I've been saving up for a longggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg time for this and I'm quite nervous about it.  However, I have a feeling that after using it for about 3 seconds I will be utterly delighted and may not be able to drive home immediately without capturing a few shots with the employees, and maybe even a cash register or two...I'm SOOO into detail shots ya know...

That's what's going on so far...AM and I are heading to D.C. on Friday...leaving my man with all the girlies...I"m sure I'm going to miss out on some serious Dairy Queen runs...but, I will try to be content with my Starbucks aboard my flight and the conversation with a fellow indecisive, yet giddy photographer!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Coffee

I don't really like coffee. I know that I rave about Starbucks...but, let's just get real here...that ain't coffee...that's just some froo froo drink...and I LOVE them!...but anyway...

My parents always had some brewing every morning of my life growing up...and I like that welcoming smell of home...and caffeine permeating the air! 

However, the taste...well, the taste is somewhere between dirty dishwater and warm flat pop that's sat out in the sun and all the ice cubes have melted so it has that, 'not quite pop, not quite water' mix to it...

As you can probably tell, I'm not too fond of the "coffee" taste...

On the other side of the fence...for some reason, pop and/or hot chocolate in the morning puts me on such a sugar high that I can taste my own teeth!  And the fact is, I need me some caffeine in the morning...I just do...

I've got little ones depending on me...and I've got to have enough energy to update a facebook status and check a few emails while I'm at it...

it's all about priorities here...

Okay...so all this to say, I have attempted to begin the coffee adventure...I started out with a little International Coffee flavored drink...my fav:  swiss white chocolate mocha...it's just enough coffee to be coffee and a whole lotta white chocolate to disguise that fact. 

I've recently been turned onto the fact of some creamers...which meant that I had to break out the ole 4 cup Mr. Coffee that my mom got for me when I went to college...I'm not quite sure WHY she purchased this for me seeing as I never used it...seeing as I HATED coffee...but, I think she musta had some hope...

And so it now sits on my counter and every so often when I feel the necessity to stay up past midnight checking other people's facebook statuses and such, I pour myself a cup 'o joe and dump about 1/4 cup of creamer into it...and I'm ready to go.....

Along with this, I believe it gives me opportunity to use my many mugs...of which, my husband made me throw out about 1/2 of my collection...so now I have reason to keep some...THIS being my favorite...

reminds me of the olden days when I used to be OCD about all sorts of things, especially studying...which got me the mug in the first place...but, then again, I guess not much has changed...

except for the fact that I now drink coffee...

Counting Down the Days

We're on the countdown...

Only 12 more days for Sweetpea and 7 for Peanut...

of school, that is...

I'm ready to be done with yankin' them out of bed in the morning and nagging them to brush their teeth, get your shoes on, quit dilly-dallying, find your coat, where are you shoes?, get your backpack, did you get your homework, SERIOUSLY, WHERE are your shoes?...all before they have to be out the door for the bus...

Yesterday was the bright spot in the week...the day when the sun decided to show it's face and we took advantage of it...

I did a crazy thing and bought a frame...just for fun mind you...it wouldn't go with anything in my house, but I thought it'd be cute for some pictures...here are a few of my girls that I thought I'd share...

Go on over to CTPhotoMemories and see another cute on with a family...

Gone so long

I've been away again...at least it feels like it.  I"m having a hard time finding a groove...not that I have much rhythym or any dance steps persay, but rather an organized settleness to my life...I find myself completely spontaneous one moment and frustrated the next as the piles of laundry, dishes and bills pile up around my house. 

Perhaps everyone struggles with it, but I have really had a hard time lately...prioritizing and finding a balance...IS likes to explain it to me in that EVERYTHING becomes a BIG thing for me IN THE MOMENT...

case in point:  I realized recently that we really need storm door on our front door.  Whenever it rains, the water pours in under the door.  We mop it up with towels and all is well.  It doesn't happen ALL the time, but sometimes...and in those moments, I go nuts...I start researching storm doors all over home depot, lowes and any other door selling place...and then I rearrange my entire schedule for the next day in order to go and look at those doors...they've now become the IT thing to do...forget about the fact that I have library storytime with my youngest, forget about the fact that I haven't exercised in 2 days, forget about the fact that I need to make lunches...stop the presses people, Mamarazzi needs to figure out storm doors!!!

And then, I have the moment of realization that we can't BUY a storm door right now...it's not in the budget this month and it's really impractical at the moment.  At this point the depression sets in of, "Ugh, I wasted all that time worrying about that and researching...and I have nothing to show for it...blah blah blah"...

And THEN...I decide that I need a camera bag...and the cycle begins again...
Sooooo, that's where I've been this time...being consumed with another project until my head aches at 11pm at night because I've had too much coffee and soda to keep myself awake...and I wonder if I"m even making any sense at this point anyway...

I thought I'd share the pictures b/c that way I will feel like I did get something accomplished...and the fact that I need to show my mom what I did:)  I hope to find my groove soon and get over these temporary moments of OCD...

I recently found this picture in our small camera...evidently I was trying to show the two of us having to go outside in order to board our plane when returning from Grand Cayman...needless to say, when I saw this picture, I teared up...remembering the sun, the relaxing, the Cayman Lemonades...

and then I remembered the fish and I was okay again...

So, I've entered yet another phase of PROJECT MANIA...I've decided that I will not be able to find a camera bag that will suit my needs and my budget...which is pretty much impossible since, as many have stated before, "champagne taste with a beer budget"...

And so, I embark on another journey of design and creating my own bag and little camera strap to boot...

My work begins here by taking this simple and yet so frustratingly difficult to understand pattern because of my limited understanding of sewing 101. 

And then, much to IS's chagrin, I demolish one room in the house where I spread out everything...

Here's what I have so far...in case you were curious...not sure why I picked the colors that picked except to say that I was on the phone with my mom while in Joann's trying to make a decision and sometimes you just grab stuff and go with it!

I have to attach the bag strap and the stuffing and the pockets and, well...I"m not done yet...when I finish, I'll post more pictures of my "masterpiece"...have a happy day!

Saturday Survival

Hi!

We decided to start off this weekend with a lack of sleep, cranky children and enough chapstick to make Angelina Jolie's lips very happy!!!

Peanut has taken up with licking her lips...continuously...like, nonstop...as if the world is going to suddenly be without water and she must moisten ever two seconds in order to bypass this horrible oncoming of drought...thus, her lips and the surrounding area resemble the Joker from Batman...now, this doesn't seem to bother her any...nope, she has a hefty helping of self-confidence as you will see evidenced below...however, it can be painful to see the sores surrounding her mouth and so we've invested in Burt's Bees, Chapstick, Blistex, Aquaphor and all knowns of petroleum jellies known to man...I'll let you know how this works out...

In continuing news:

My Italian Stallion declared Friday morning that he was unable to move his neck or head in any direction except to hold it at an angle in which he appeared to be a mime trying to get out of his imaginary box.  I know how this feels and there's pretty much nothing you can do about except take mouthfuls of Ibuprofen, have a glass of wine and for my husband, perhaps a nice cigar, fresh from Grand Cayman, in the garage:) 

I think that this stawberry pie helped ease him out of the pain a little...along with the survival of another soccer weekend...

First the strawberries...we hit the jackpot this Saturday.  At least those were the words of the 3 other girls that live on our redneck property.  We've got the PVC pipe trellises, we've got the "marijuana looking" herbs still drying in our garage from last years parsley and basil pickings and we've got strawberry plants for "ground cover" in our "Flower bed"...and today, we hit the motherload! 

We quickly whipped up a pie and stuck it in the fridge...and then into the freezer...and then into the fridge...and back into the freezer...b/c someone doesn't seem to have enough patience to wait until the "Gel" cools enough before pouring it over the strawberries...but, I wouldn't know ANYTHING about that...

Next...let's talk soccer...because we know that although Italian Stallion feigns ignorance...he KNOWS he is adored by those little U8 and U6ers, as well as all their parents...and I'll add my little two cents, "he's a pretty great coach if I do say so myself"...The skills he teaches, the teamwork he initiates, the determination he develops and obviously, the HUMILITY he exemplifies...(see below) 

               After a quick pass by Peanut to a teammate in which said teammate shoots it straight

               into the goal...teammate says, "That was an awesome pass 'peanut'"...Peanut replies,

               "What pass?  I was trying to kick it into the goal and you got in the way!"

Both girls survived another weekend of soccer...Even having to wake at 7:30 on a Saturday morning which only confirms our self-sacrifice and love for the game...(well, that and the fact that I forgot to get Sweetpea's jersey in the dryer the night before AND that I got to drive a second car to the game so we could finish our chocolate chip pancakes)

Peanut, continuing with the development of that humility, wanted to discuss over dinner the fact that she made 4 goals...

"hey, did you know I got 4 goals today?"  "Can I have a hotdog?"  "Ya know, soccer is all about having fun, and that I got 4 goals today?"  "where's my napkin?"  "Oh, Sweetpea, you did a good job in your game but, ya know, I got 4 goals!"

Yeah, we may have some more "work" in that department!

We also have some more members added to the said Redneck Property...a cute little family of robins...although this is one Mama that pretty much HATES my hubby, which is a whole new experience for him, let me tell you...but, he figures she'll get over it...and so he stomped right up to the nest and took this picture...I complimented him on his use of the thirds principle...He said he was just glad he still had his eyeballs and that they weren't pecked out by the divebombing mommy...

And there you have it...a Saturday Survival!