so spring-y!

that martha really knows her stuff.
i am itching to have a spring gala
so i can decorate like this and make
these treats.
as if. that would be as likely as
my 'dessert party' i talk about. ;)
someday i'll do it. for no reason at all.
..for now this will have to suffice.

my knights

the mask castle.
g&g built it when they
got back from spain.
it's a small playhouse
in the backyard & is such a memory-builder.
the gkids had a
few years to enjoy it before g&g were
on their way to mexico/caribbean.

when they were home for the holidays,
adam had a chance to play in it for the
first time. he really loved it! it's just his size.

among it's features:
touret
dungeon
mote
drawbridge
dragon
knight
gate w/peep door
thrones

virus stuff

my sil melissa called me yesterday to ask why comments were deleted.

someone left a comment (marisar?) that said click here and the robot in me clicked.
(duh) it took me to another page and all i saw was 'virus' and 'checker'
in red and green and really big type.

i exited immediately- bugged that i fell for it- and hoping i wouldn't get
a virus from it. in the back of my mind was the thought: there is a small
fraction of viruses written for macs- there's a good chance this isn't one of
them.

anyway, the next morning there was another one. i deleted it without
opening. (goooood for youuuuu, amy. you get a gold star.)

anyway- i don't know what it was. maybe it was just someone playing a joke.
now you've been warned. :)

hmmm, maybe going private is in my near future.

bailey girl

umbrella

got this song stuck in my head.
(guess i added an extra ella)

we went to the one republic
concert friday and they covered
it. fab.

loved apologize too.

**love the new spring stuff.
gotta thank cherie and rhonna for
creating fun kits that i can play
with!! ah, and the fun new fonts
too!!

that picture

yes, this is the one. it's from may 2004.

i remember i asked bailey to put her
arm around alex, and he was actually
trying to take it off- but it makes for
a sweet picture.

like the quote says - 'calm or stormy
weather'. their relationship goes from
calm to stormy a few times a day. but
it always goes back to calm. they are
good little friends and have a great
friendship.

*thanks for the picture, mom! and thanks to rh who did this page a few years back.

blast from the past

this reminds me of the picture i took
of them @ the beach when they were
1 and 3.

can't believe it's been that long.



(mom, mom, rh? does anyone have a copy of that pic?
i don't have one on my computer.)

sooo cool

i sent some wall art to my sister
(some of which she designed)
and she created this magic.

lovely.




click here.
to see her gallery.

how do i love thee?

be mine

no such thing as too many tutus

loving these tutus.
you can
get
them
here.

peein' m' pants

i got a good ab-workout laughing while we took it, and now looking at
it.

what if?

flagstaff

oh what fun it is to ride on an
orange and black plastic sled!

we had fun riding down the slopes.
the kids were quite adventuresome.
(much more than i was.)
love how they look all bundled up.


*bailey and melis were beauties on
the slopes.

*alex couldn't believe how cold it was
without his coat and gloves on!

*adam was trying to figure out how
to walk in the snowsuit.

*melis and reedy kickin' it.

*more slopes with logan and hailee.


of course it wouldn't have been a miles snow outing with out someone
being sledded out by the emt's.

poor logan
snapped his wrist. ouch! we were so
sad he got that for a christmas
present. not fair. he was such a good
sport through it all. what a trooper!

we take the good with the bad and roll
with it.

it was a fun day filled with wonderful
memories.thanks nana and papa! :)
the kids will never forget it.

awaiting final touches

Bailey and i made a few changes in her
room. we got a majority of it done in
december. now i need to finish.

we made just a few changes:
removed closet doors
replaced with white ruffle curtains
chocolate bedspread
brown flocked damask pillows
bailey pic
sign of her art exhibition
repainted her b (& finial)
added border and new crown
hung the chandelier (thnx granny)

i was happy to find most of the
decos in the garage- (garrett
loves my storage bins) or other
rooms in the house. love that.

i am still working on the wall her
bed is on. i hope to get that done next week. more pics to follow.

i am loving the pink black and brown! it feels opulent to me.

**i have to remember when i am decorating that it will not look like a catalog. people actually live in my house. i can't count the # of times i have seen a lovely piece @ a
store. i catch it
in the corner of my eye. i walk over to it- envisioning it in my house. it would add the perfect touch to _____
and as i reach for it and admire it in my hands, i see that perfect accent get totally trashed. i see one of my children spilling on it, or breaking it, or droping it, or getting pb or something
else on it, and i lovingly place it back on the shelf. it's not worth it to buy something and then get upset when it's ruined.
it's not fair to the kids- and it's not fair to the object that could be gracing some kidless-home's shelf or wall. nope- not for me. yet.

like i said~ people live at my house. check the inset of bailey's wall. that is a candy cane headband on the scrolled planter and of course dora's baby brother, a brush, a cup of water from the
night before.... it goes on.

perfect nonsense

**disclaimer: those in my family on the garns side have
a fixation on food texture. i am not sure why we even
notice it- but we do and it makes a HUGE difference to
us. i totally remember my mom saying to her brothers-
while eating something- 'oooh. do you know what would
be good with this?' and she'd go in depth about something
that would take something good to the next level. then they'd
agree and say 'or this...' or 'yes, and then a little of...'
i am now my mother and have caught myself in the very same
conversations.



reese's peanut butter- hearts.

the name alone stirs my soul.
seriously.

could there be anything more perfect?
more delicious?

i am not a fan of the regular reese's pb cups.
1- i don't care for the hard ridges the paper creates
2- the pb seems hard too

the holiday reese's pb cups are PERFECT. i love how soft the
chocolate is! the pb is soft - and there's more of it
in the holiday shapes.

i'm so glad reese's finally figured it out and released
v-day hearts
easter eggs
halloween pumpkins
and
christmas trees

i think the egg came first- but i don't remember.

thursday i bought two bags of 35 small hearts to
give w/ a valentine for the kids' classes.

we had them eaten by friday. we shared the joy
with kim and her kids and jeff and cherie too.
i had others on my list too -
until i saw they were all eaten. (how on earth...?)

on the way home last night- alex and bailey
were talking about the hearts. alex commented
that they were so delicious
he couldn't stop with just one. then he said,
'it's a shame they only make them once a year'

i was dying inside. too funny. before i had
kids, i wondered if they would loath chocolate like
their father does. i'd have no one to share holiday treats, the
joy of a movie with treats, or the occasional baked
goodies. i now know i am not alone. my kids
definitely inherited my strange passion for all things
chocolate.

wait till alex sees the pb eggs- it will make his month.

life

a happy b-day shout-out!

happy birthday, kellie kah!
aka sallie the blue gill...

i hope your day was as wonderful as you are. you are a true beauty inside
and out. :) i love this picture of you.
you are radiant.

we love our aunt and sister!

muscle memory

jen dillie gave an awesome talk in church.

she related a story about skiing.
she went with some friends who had been before
but it was her first time.
she got 'stuck' in ski school learning at a slow pace
and doing simple things over and over and over.
frustrated that she was wasting the day while her
husband and friends were off skiing- she asked the
ski instructor if maybe she could leave. she explained
that she'd practiced stopping enough and was sure she had it
by now.
the instructor explained to her that she may feel like she
knew how to stop by now- but that her muscles needed to
know how to stop no matter the circumstances. (like losing
control and panicking). she was
building a muscle memory.

very interesting. (i decided i could have used the whole 'muscle
memory' theory to my advantage 4 yrs ago when i broke my leg
skiing. there was no ski school for me. gar thought it wasn't needed.
he also thought poles weren't needed- and that i could start on an
intermediate hill.... that's a whole 'nother post).

so then she talked about how many things we just use muscle memory
for. creating a m.m is the entire purpose for bailey's piano practice.
making pb sandwiches is definitely a muscle memory for me. as are:
driving to places i know (carpool, mom's house, grocery store...)
showering
applying make-up
getting dressed
making signs
cleaning house
my stand-by dinner recipes
... and probably many more things
i do on a regular basis.

the important thing is to not let some things become
m.m. (muscle memory) tasks.
she mentioned scripture study and prayer.
excellent!
i would like to add-
how i handle relationships that matter to me.
my children and my husband.
(all family and freinds)

i don't want to have precious time slip away
because i am resorting to mm actions to get
through the day- or the week. i want to put
my ALL into the things that are important
to me. my whole heart, soul, and all my
energy.

so this week i am really making a point of
letting my heart direct me in:
prayer
scripture study
personal relationships.

i feel like i could use meaningful conversation
and interaction. i could benefit from meaningful
scripture study, and i definitely want to feel close to
the Lord.

here's to a new week. :)

vintage love

i've always loved these pictures of my grandparents- especially the one on the left. (thanks for the copies, cherie!)

i love:
how they are dressed!!
the kiss
the arms
the tip toes
and just the feeling i get when i look
at them.

grandpa looks like a tall drink of water- but mostly cuz granny is
4'9!! he he he.