It's over already?

There's just something a little melancholy about the week after Christmas. Taking down Christmas lights, packing up the ornaments, getting back into the day to day hustle and bustle...

I haven't had the heart to take our tree down quite yet. I usually like to leave it up until New Year's in an effort to keep the Christmas spirit alive a little longer. We're actually lucky that our tree made it through to the big day. Noah inadvertently knocked it over a couple times as he tried to give it a "hug". (Yes, he loved the tree THAT much!) Of course, there were also moments when he took his plastic golf club and started swinging at the ornaments. (Nice, huh?)

That being said, I may need to take the tree down a little earlier this year.

A Big Squeeze for Santa!

So my kiddos are just a little bit excited about Christmas...

Make a Smilebox greeting

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Once Upon a Christmas Time...(Fro & PSF combo)

Once upon a Christmas time, long ago, a young man with a skater-style haircut beckoned a young woman whom he had recently taken on a first date to help him decorate a Christmas tree. The young woman happily obliged as she had a teensy weensy crush on this young man.

They arrived at his humble abode (an old "trailer" that he shared with two roommates) fully equipped with spray-on snow, cheap glass bulbs from the local Wal-Mart, a few strands of lights, and some blue tinsel that the young man managed to find in his mother's attic.

Since the tree was only three and half feet tall, the ingenious young man and his buddies devised a way to suspend the tree from the ceiling, therefore eliminating the need for a tree stand. Due to the miniature nature of the tree, there were plenty of lights left over to string around a bicycle rim that the young man (a manager of a bike shop) had previously hung on the wall (with a red light bulb in the middle to add an extra touch of tackiness.)

The young man and young woman were so pleased with their decorating abilities that they decided to pose for their very first picture together in front of the dangling, overly spray-painted Christmas tree...

...both of them completely unsuspecting of the fact that thirteen years later, they would have celebrated their twelfth wedding anniversary, have two beautiful children, and be decorating their thirteenth Christmas tree together.


(Here's hoping that this little tree makes it to Christmas day. Noah has already knocked it down twice.)

***Share your photos from Christmas past here OR click there...

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Trying to Tackle a Writing Career

For this week's tackle, I thought I'd focus on the latest effort I've made trying to break into the writing world. I wish I could devote more time to this pursuit, and I plan to after things calm down a bit around here...hopefully sooner than later. But I'm still on the lookout for writing opportunities. Recently, I submitted a personal essay/story to a local mommy networking website to see what kind of response I would get and to put my name out there. It's actually previous blog post that I tweaked a bit. Since my target audience is moms (aka - you ladies), I thought you might be able to offer me a little feedback.

So here goes nothing...


Big Girls Don't Cry
I made a complete fool of myself today at the dentist office. I've had quite a bit of dental work done lately. First - a huge filling for a tooth that broke while we were in Disney. (That was a nice surprise as we were waiting in line to meet Ariel.) And then a crown prep a few weeks ago for a tooth that has needed one for awhile...but I kept putting it off. Getting a crown is definitely not my idea of a good time, unless I've just won the Miss America pageant.

Regardless, today was the day to have the crown "delivered" as professionals call it. I drive over to the office, cringing the entire way there. For some reason, my mouth is very stubborn when it comes to Novocain. During my last two visits, I was injected at least three or four times before the anesthetic finally kicked in. Honestly, needles don't bother me that much, but since those shots went right into the lower jaw area, those muscles were sore for days. I was popping ibuprofen every four to six hours for the pain.

When I walk in this morning at 8am, I’m still trying to figure my way out of this. I offer to treat them to breakfast instead of going through with the "delivery" (which would have been a heck of a lot cheaper than the crown), but they just chuckle and smile sympathetically. I reluctantly sit down in the dental chair, and right away, spot that dreaded syringe which pretty much resembles a weapon out of a sci-fi movie. My dentist assures me that he should only have to give me one big shot in the very back of my mouth and just a couple little ones around the tooth. He knows how much I love these shots. I brace myself and try to think about something else...All of a sudden, I feel a wave of emotion come over me. A lump is in my throat, my face feels flushed, and I am trying everything in my power not to burst into tears! I'm thinking, What is wrong with me? I've never cried in the dentist office before. I know I'm tired. Both of the kids and my husband have been sick, I’m going to bed too late, the kids are waking up during the night and EARLY in the morning…but crying? in the dentist office? Really?

I'm still fighting back tears as he removes the needle and starts to explain the rest of the procedure. My heart starts racing, my hands start to tremor, and then the levy breaks. Tears are streaming down my face....this is crazy!!! My poor dentist looks a reasonably surprised as I'm apologizing for acting like a baby. Then he asks, "Do your hands feel shaky?"

"Yes. This is so weird" I squeak as I’m laughing, crying, and trying to catch my breath all at one time.

Then he proceeds to explain that the shot he gave me had epinephrine in it which can get your adrenaline going and sometimes trigger reactions like this. He says he wanted give me the "good stuff" for this procedure because the numbness would last longer.

Here I am thinking that I’m on the verge of some kind of Mommy meltdown. The sleep deprivation, work stress, constant cleaning, endless laundry, bedtime battles, acting as a referee between the kids, and keeping my two-year-old off the kitchen counters all day has finally caught up with me, but, surprisingly enough, it was the epinephrine…What a relief!



My BIO -
Kelli is a slightly sleep-deprived, multi-tasking, former school-teaching, chocolate-loving mama of two amazing kids. She is finally pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an author and is making her first published writing debut in a bestselling anthology series, A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers (due out in April 2009).


Be sure to check out what other moms are tackling at 5 Minutes For Mom!

Third TAG's a Charm

It's about time, huh? I've been tagged three times over the last little while, but I haven't had a chance to play yet so here I go!

The awesome Robin recently tagged me with this one...
What to do: Post the 4th picture in my 4th folder.
TA-DAH!!!
This was from Valentine's Day this past year. Pat got me these pretty flowers, & Abby loved them. So I took a few pics of her "stopping to smell the roses."
I couldn't resist posting this picture too. She's such a little cutie.

Then my good friend, Terri, tagged me with this one BEFORE Thanksgiving. (Sorry to take forever, girl!) This one might take me awhile so I'm going to shorten it a bit, if that's okay! :)

The Lucky #7 Tag:

7 things I can do:
1) carry a tune
2) play piano a little bit
3) make a mean batch of rice krispie treats
4) a triple time step
5) spend hours in Barnes and Noble (I don't ever get to, but I could!)
6) drive a stick shift (I can teach you, Terri!)
7) eat a half a bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies without even realizing it.

7 things I can't do:
1) a cartwheel
2) play guitar (but I'd really like to learn)
3) get Abby to preschool on time (aahhh!)
4) resist chocolate
5) ask for help sometimes...even though I probably should.
6) ignore spelling errors(It's the teacher in me, what can I say?)
7) keep my house clean (at least not since my kids learned to walk)

7 things I say most often: (I consulted the kids & Pat on this one)
1) Hurry! We're going to be late!
2) Who loves you so much? (and the kids say, "Mommy does!")
3) Noah, get down!
4) Silly kid.
5) Abby, did you hear me?
6) It could be worse.
7) Just give Mommy a minute, please!!!

And last, but not least, keeping with the #7 theme, Reneca and Kalisha tagged me for this one BEFORE Halloween. I tell ya I don't know where the last couple months have gone. (Sorry, ladies!) I'm going to cheat a little bit on this one and link back to a 7 random fact meme I did a few months ago...it has pictures and everything!

Whew! Three tags in one post! Pretty good, if I do say so myself. :)

Of course, now it's my turn to tag a few people.

You're holding your breath, huh? Thinking, Oh I hope it isn't me, I've got so much to do...presents to wrap, cards to mail, cookies to bake, kids to chase...

You can breathe easy. I'm going to leave it totally up to you! If you want to pick one (or all) of these and play, that's great! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know, I'll definitely come by and check it out. Otherwise, happy last minute shopping, present-wrapping, card-mailing, cookie-baking, and whatever else that is on your TO-DO list! I'm just happy to have checked all of these tags off of my list!

They were fun, though. Thanks for thinking of me, ladies! (I promise I won't be such a slacker next time.)

Look What I Made!!!

A dark chocolate fudge cake layered with dark chocolate mousse...and I made it for Pat's birthday. (Am I a nice wife or what?) Yes, me...The person who, up until recently, only owned one, somewhat warped, cookie sheet and wasn't quite sure what a cooling rack looked like.
(These were recently on sale so I stocked up. Aren't you proud of me, Diana?)

Those who know me best know that cooking and baking definitely don't make my top ten list of favorite things to do, but it is kind of fun to make a special cake for a special occasion...once in awhile. And I figured since Pat got me this yummy ice cream cake/pie for my b'day not too long ago....
I should do something nice in return!

Of course, it's no Blue's Clues cake, like I made for Noah's b'day...but everybody still seemed to like it!
Click here to see what other moms are up to on Tackle It Tuesday!

So Long, Farewell...

Fall, you will be missed! Abby and Noah have LOVED having you around.

They will miss swimming in the leaves...

throwing them at each other...

playing hide and seek...

wrestling around with Daddy...

and scooping up armfuls to chuck at Mama while she's snapping pictures...

(I really lucked out capturing this moment...such genuine smiles. I just love it.)



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Woman Overboard!

The waves have been rough this week...a "Radio the Coast Guard" and "Throw me a life preserver" kind of week. (Actually, it's been more like a few months, but who's counting?)

We all have challenges we have to deal with in life. Some are much greater than others, and I am thankful for the things that I have not had to endure.

I thank Heavenly Father every day for the health and safety our family has been blessed with thus far. I know we have a lot to be grateful for.

Just like the ocean, life is unpredictable, and when the waves get rough, we appreciate the smooth sailing so much more.

Until then, I've just got to tighten my life jacket, stay afloat, and hug my kids a little tighter.

(And eat chocolate...lots of chocolate!)

Oh Martha, you'd be so proud....(maybe)

So I was planning on making those little turkey cupcakes again this year, but I couldn't get these little pilgrim hats out of my head. I saw them on the Family Fun website. (such cute ideas!) There's just something about dipping marshmallows into melted chocolate. (Did someone say fondue?) So I enlisted the kids, of course. But I have to tell ya...this is definitely a two parent operation if your kids are under the age of five, unless you don't mind chocolate getting ALL OVER everything...you should have seen my kitchen table, the chairs, the kids...especially Noah. :)



Doesn't quite yet have the Martha flair, does it?

How's about this?

It's all about the presentation, right?

Or if you're like me...it's really all about the chocolate.

Just Fabulous!

First of all, I have to beg Chelle's forgiveness for taking almost two weeks to pass on this blog award she so graciously bestowed upon me. I think she was feeling a little sorry for me after she read this post, but that's okay! I'll take it. haha :)

I actually started on this post last week, but haven't had a chance to sit down and finish it. In fact, right now I should be cooking dinner, putting in another load of laundry, doing dishes, etc...but the kids are snuggled up next to me watching Milo and Otis for at least another ten minutes, so I thought I'd better seize the opportunity.

(...Okay,I spoke too soon. Now Noah is climbing on my back and pushing buttons on my keyboard with his feet. This will have to be short and sweet....ouch! knee to the head...)

Cue - Copy and paste!

As with any award, there are rules. The rules of this award are:


1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.


Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as well. To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gidget.Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

EMAILS/COMMENTS ARE COMING, I PROMISE!!!

Carol @ The Siswick Construction Zone

Because Wendi Said So

Heather's Hodgepodge

Mrs. de Miranda @ The Road Less Traveled

Tracey @ Just Another Mommy Blog

If I hadn't jinxed myself saying the kids were distracted, I could elaborate more as to why I picked these ladies, but you'll have to find that out for yourself by checking out their FABULOUS blogs. :)

Now...five FABULOUS addictions?

(Noah is trying to close the computer as I am typing...What happened to Milo and Otis?)

1) Taking pictures of my kids. I am a camera happy mama!
(Okay...as I was typing that Noah found my camera and turned it on. No joke. I got it back from him and then Abby tripped over my laptop cord and the whole computer fell onto the floor. Luckily the floor is carpeted. Still...this is why I hardly ever blog when the kids are awake. Hence, I haven't blogged much at all lately because I am so tired by the time they go to bed.)

2) Used to be kinda addicted to blogging, but I've had to tone that down...(see italics above.)

3) Children's books - I'm a little dangerous with Scholastic Book orders, & I tell ya, I'd move into Barnes and Noble if I could.

4) Chocolate
5) Chocolate
Chocolate definitely deserves two spots. I could really use some right about now.

Tackle These Turkeys!

A couple Thanksgivings ago, I found this cute idea in a Family Fun magazine (11/06). Abby LOVED making them. We made the cupcakes the night before and then on Thanksgiving morning, we decorated them while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Since Noah is now about the same age as Abby was in this picture, I thought these would be fun for them to make this year.

(For those of you who are thinking about making these turkeys,I promise, they were easy to do...otherwise I definitely would not be posting this idea. I do not claim to be a domestic diva in any way, shape, or form. Just click the link above for directions. Have fun!)

To see what other moms are tackling, click here!

We've got our work cut out for us...

One of the things I LOVE about our house is that we are surrounded by trees. We've lived in this house for three and half years, and every fall I mean to take pictures of the autumn leaves before they fall off the trees and blanket our yard, but I always miss it....until now! I took this picture last week and within two days, the leaves were already falling. I caught them just in the nick of time. Whew...especially since this may be our last fall in this house.

Abby has been especially excited for the leaves to turn and start to fall. She's been asking for the last two months, "Is it fall yet?...I can't wait to jump in the leaves!"

Huge piles of leaves are never lacking around here...once we start to rake them up, that is. :)

Click here for more PSF!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I've hit 1000!!!

1000!!!!

1000 profile views!

I've hit the big time now.

Is there a special meme for that one?

(Geez, I hope not. Can you imagine?)

Of course, it only took ELEVEN MONTHS from the time this blog was created to get there.

But in all fairness to myself, I didn't really start posting much on here until March...so that's not too bad, right?

And just trying to make myself feel better, profile views are counted separately than visits to your blog page.

And yes, I know I could add one of those site meters, but I may be setting myself up for disappointment.

Still, I only have myself to blame for my lack of visitors as of late since I haven't had time to post (or comment on) much of anything.

One of these days, things will calm down and get back to normal, right?

Until then, don't think I've forgotten about you!

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to post a Wordless Wednesday this week!

Maybe...just maybe. :)

"You have to follow your dreams..."

The AWESOME Agape Children's Choir sang on Ellen today in honor of the Presidential election. (Click here for the Change My World music video!)

"We might be small, but our dreams are not."

Listening to the lyrics reminded me of a conversation we had with Abby recently. As we were driving home the other night, Abby noticed the first star in the sky. Pat reminded her to make a wish to which she replied, very matter of fact...

"You have to follow your dreams if you want to get your wish."

Taken back a bit, I said, "Wow, Abby! You are so right! Don't ever, ever forget that."

Children teach us so much, don't they?

How blessed we are to live in a country where we have the freedom to vote, the freedom to choose, and the freedom to follow our dreams.

"How-wa-weeeeen" Highlights!

I had every intention this year of not spending any money on Halloween costumes. I planned for Abby to wear her Cinderella dress, and Noah seemed fine with the Nemo costume Abby wore a couple years ago.

Then I saw the Thomas costume at Target.

Not that it's the cutest costume ever, but Noah LOVES Thomas! He's pretty much obsessed. The first thing he wants to do every morning (without fail) is play with his "choo-choo chains". So you can imagine his face when he saw this costume!

Of course, there was no way I could have bought a costume for Noah and not Abby...especially since she is obsessed with the Barbie Diamond Castle movie right now and dances around the house singing "Con-nec-ted! Con-nec-ted!" on an hourly basis.

And Target just happened to carry the Princess Liana dress too.

What can I say?

Maybe they'll want to wear these again next year. (haha!)
Here's my favorite Halloween picture of the kiddos (despite the red eye that I couldn't edit.) I love how Noah is tilting his head and grinning from ear to ear. They had a blast trick-or-treating. They were so good about saying thank you for their goodies, and then Noah would enthusiastically say "Appy How-wa-weeeeen!" It was too cute.

We've got some great kids (as their Daddy always says).

Here's a few more fun pics...Smilebox style.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

UPDATED - A Treat for YOU on Halloween & SMILE awards too!)

I've had Halloween coming out of my ears this week! Getting costumes together, spider-themed storytimes, baking witch hat cupcakes (thanks for the idea, Diana!), Abby's preschool party, Family Movie Night/Costume Parade at the library, and another special Halloween storytime this morning...Whew! And now I'm trying to get my house somewhat presentable and DECORATED before trick-or-treating tonight. But I thought it might be fun to leave a little treat for YOU, my bloggin' friends, this Halloween!

TRICK OR TREAT!

I know...not quite as good as a handful of chocolate, but it's gotta be a close second. Who doesn't LOVE receiving a blog award????

A few weeks ago, Kalisha and Reneca over at Mommy Lounge presented this award to me. I was beyond excited! And, of course, I've been meaning to spread the love. Honestly, I have yet to come across a blog that I didn't like. The cute pictures, the hilarious stories, your honesty, creativity, the cute layouts, fun carnivals, the advice and encouragement...so if you are reading this right now, snatch this bloggy award up! From me to you!

*******STAY TUNED! I'll be passing on another award hopefully this weekend. Laural (currently known as Mamasphere for just a little while longer...) bestowed this awesome award upon me:

Here are the characteristics of the SMILE Award:

~You must display a cheerful attitude.
~You must show love to others.
~You must make mistakes.
~You must learn from others.
~You must be a positive contributor to blogging.
~You must love life.
~You must love kids.

Here are the rules for the Smile Award:

~You must link back to the award creator. (I'm sorry! The address is too small on the award. I can't quite make it out. Anyone else have better eyesight than me?)
~You must post the rules if you are a recipient.
~You must choose 5 people to pass the award to. (On my TO-DO list for this weekend! It's so hard to choose!)
~You must fit the characteristics of the award.
~You must post the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
~You must create a post sharing your win with others.
~You must thank the giver of the award...

Thank you, thank you, Laural! This award really brightened my day. I admit, when I first read the characteristics, I wasn't in the best mood, and I thought...ME??? Cheerful? Are you sure? haha! :)

Linky love coming soon!

Happy Halloween!
******
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(Updated 11/1) Okay! This was harder than I thought! Especially since so many of you gals have already received this award. You guys are just too awesome. So I thought I'd try to spread the love a little further and pass this award to a few deserving gals who aren't sporting this "bloggy bling" on their sidebars quite yet.

1)Elizabeth @ The Mommy...etc - Honestly, I've only visited her blog a few times, but I plan to visit more! She's a girl after my own heart...an aspiring water, a new mom, her daughter is named after my favorite flower, and she just posted the cutest pictures of a SPOOKTACULAR Storytime they went to. (You know how I love storytimes!)

2)Cecily @ My Chaos My Bliss - Okay, I've said this before, and I'm saying it again...you have to see this gal's pictures, especially the ones she takes of her kids. The love she has for her children is so evident through her pictures and her writing.

3)Robin @ A Day In The Life - This gal loves life. She has a great smile, loads of talent, and is one tough cookie. She's been through some crazy ordeals lately such as enduring a burst appendix for THREE months and she didn't even know it! Talk about "Grin and Bear it!" She loves her nieces and nephews to bits and has a mother's heart. I know she and her husband Matt will be wonderful parents, hopefully soon!

4)Kalisha and Reneca @ Mommy Lounge - I really can't believe this ladies haven't received this award already. They are always posting great ideas to encourage moms to pamper themselves a bit, make life a little easier, and they post the cutest stories about their kiddos.

5) Kristen @ Loving Our Simple Life - The name of her blog says it all, doesn't it? She's a camera happy mama...just like me, although her pictures are much better than mine. (I really should take a class.) I was especially touched by this post. I've been thinking a lot about that lately too. There's an awesome new CD by Hilary Weeks called "If I Only Had Today" that I've been meaning to post about... The inspirational lyrics go right along with her thoughtful post.

So, there you have it...WHEW!!! I promise to post the lyrics to that song very soon. Right now, I need to go help my hubby with dinner.

Yes, he's making dinner tonight.

Now that's definitely something that makes me smile! :)

Pickin' Pumpkins!!!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A couple weekends ago, Pat and I took the kids pumpkin pickin' for the very first time. Strangely enough, I don't recall ever going as a kid. (Am I the only one?) I remember picking out the biggest pumpkins we could at the grocery store. All these years, I never knew I was missing out the hayrides, the search for that perfect pumpkin, pulling with all your might until it pops off the vine, and then seeing how many Daddy can manage to carry out to the car. haha :) The kids were too cute out there in the pumpkin patch. I just had to share the pics!





Noah stayed in one place just long enough for me to snap this attempt at a posed pic with Abby. He was all over the place! Even with all those pumpkins surrounding him, he was more interested in throwing rocks in a puddle he found next to one of the irrigation lines. Silly kid...just gotta love it.

Can't Seem to "Tackle it" Tuesday - HELP!

As you've probably guessed from my post title today, things have been a little crazy around here. Hence, I haven't posted anything in a week, my house looks like a tornado touched ground, and I feel slightly guilty for blogging right now instead of planning my storytimes and seminary lesson for tomorrow. But I'm justifying it due to the fact that I need some type of Organizational/Time Management INTERVENTION and any tips you could offer me would be GREATLY appreciated.

I used to consider myself an organized person being a school teacher and all. My classroom was tidy and I knew exactly where everything was...even with 24 students. I had daily lesson plans. I knew exactly what time the kids would go to art, eat lunch, play outside, etc...

Fast forward to the PRESENT! I only have two kids and my house looks like a war zone. My husband's schedule is completely unpredictable these days so I never know whether he's coming or going. I'm waking up BEFORE the crack of dawn to teach seminary (an early morning Sunday School class for high schoolers)and praying that I can get out the door without the kids waking up. (Yesterday was the FIRST time, they both stayed asleep...it was a miracle! Of course, they were up again today.) I'm rushing back home to get Abby ready for preschool and myself ready for storytime 2-3 days a week. I have an all-day conference tomorrow, another meeting on Thursday night, a Teen-Read week library activity on Friday night, etc... etc....etc...

I'm hesitant to even post this seeing how there are so many of you out there who have a much heavier load than I do. I guess that's why I'm seeking out your expert advice. I've read articles, visited FLY Lady, etc...but I would just LOVE to hear some tips from you ladies who are in the trenches along with me.

For starters - Do you schedule your housework? plan your meals a week in advance? have a certain day that you run errands?

Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

I wish!!!

Thanks in advance for your tips. I need all the help I can get!

*Now if you'd like to read about SUCCESSFUL tackles, click here. :)

Better Late Than Never, SITStas!

So in case you haven't heard, the SITS Blogathon is going on right now! If you've never visited this site, you've got to check it out.

Not only is it decked out in pink and leopard print, it's a great way to find "saucy" bloggers and for them to find you. And as the button says, this site is all about supporting your SITStas by leaving a little comment love.

I'm still fairly new to the SITStahood and haven't made roll call as often as I'd like to, but here are a few saucy blogs that I've come across in this great, big blogosphere...

The Most Important Work (Jen was the one that told me about SITS. Thanks, Jen. Be sure to check out the pics of the awesome Carnival b'day party she just threw for her daughter. Too cool!)

The Pink Teapot (A classy blog about simple ettiquette with an even classier playlist! Louis Armstrong, Harry Connick Jr, Ella Fitzgerald...I love it!)

My Chaos, My Bliss (I admit, I found Cecily before finding SITS, but I had to link her. Have you SEEN her photos? I only wish I could take pictures like that.)

Mamasphere (Laural was one of the first SITS girls to routinely leave comments on my blog and that was even before I joined the SITStahood...And she is HILARIOUS! This post is a crack-up. Yes, it was that funny, I went back through her archives to find it.haha)

Oh! The SITS girls just posted a really cool necklace....I'm hope I'm not too late to enter!

Happy blogging, SITStas! I can't wait to "meet" more of you. :)

Children's Books on the Brain....

Guess who has a new book out?

Only my most FAVORITE children's author & illustator...

Mr. David Shannon. (well known for his clever & colorful DAVID books. If you have never read these, you've got to pick one up. Love them!)

All you moms out there tripping over obstacle courses of tonka trucks and mega blocks will definitely appreciate this new book...


Click here for more details and reviews. There's even an interview with the author himself.

I started laughing just seeing the book's cover on the display wall at Barnes & Noble. We are in need of a major "Too Many Toys" intervention in this house...especially with Christmas around the corner.

Enough about me and my giddiness for children's books....

What is your (or your kiddo's) favorite children's book and/or author & illustrator???

I just have to know! (Maybe I'll use it in one of my library story times.)

I Have to Accept It...

I know. I know.

It's FALL.

I have been in denial.

I'm just not ready to let summer go yet.

Mostly because I had great expectations for this past summer (aka - wanted to spend a week at the beach) and they just didn't materialize.

But I have to let it go. (It's October for heaven's sake. I had to turn my heater on this morning...so depressing.)

Time to switch gears and stop moping.

Time to focus on all the fun FALL festivities.

Maybe take a day trip to the apple orchard like last year...






Awwww...isn't she a cutie? We had such a great time. Abby still talks about it. And I'm sure that Noah will enjoy it even more this year. (I'm sure I'll be chasing him all over the orchard.)

Okay...I'm feeling better. Maybe even a little excited...especially if I can try one of those apple cider doughnuts. They smelled SOOOO good when we were there last year, but the line was so long. Here's hoping! :)

Happy Fall!


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Sincerely Fro' Me To You - 90210 revisited

I can't believe I'm posting this.

There are so many reasons why I shouldn't...

the HUGE glasses...

the cropped bangs...

the untamed Brooke Shields eyebrows...

But I'm doing it anyway 'cuz with all the crazy stuff going on in the world, we could all use a laugh.
*
*
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Yup! That's me...right next to Jason Priestly aka "Brandon Walsh". I was a fan.(wasn't everybody?) This picture was taken on my 15th birthday, and yes, this poster hung on my wall until I graduated from high school.

When I heard that a NEW 90210 was coming back to TV with a few cast members from the original show, I admit, my interest was peaked. I've seen a couple previews and clips from the new series, but Kelly & Brenda just weren't my favorite characters. Now if they bring back Jason Priestly, I may have to DVR it once in awhile.


Need a laugh? Click here!

WW - Kisses for Mama

Kisses for Abby (1 year)


Kisses for Noah (1 year)

For more WW memories, click here!