MAKING MEMORIES OF US

too many to pick just one

2009-12-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

We love
1. this newly discovered blog
2. Our trip to Seattle to watch the Seattle Symphony and the ballet perform the Nutcracker . My mom and the girls and a friend got to go ( poor auntie C. got the flu and had to give her ticket away).

3. Working on my felt gingerbread house

4. Thinking about our 4 day trip to Leavenworth coming up. Snow here we come! That is, if there is any to be seen.

5. Going to see Santa yesterday. As usual the girls have EXPENSIVE taste.

Peggy Sue got married...

2009-10-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was the annual Kerley Halloween bash. Mark and I were not sure we would be able to make it this year because of all the baby happenings, but we were able to throw together a last minute costume idea that turned out pretty great. I have my mom's old letter sweater...class of '61 and some cats eye glasses and Mark purchased an Elvis wig, rolled up a pack of candy cigs in his shirt sleeve and we were off to party for at least a little while!

People came in some pretty great costumes...my favorites were Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Strawberry Shortcake and Miami Vice...Crockett and Tubbs.

Don't know how long everyone partied into the night but it was a hit as usual!

Week 21 and a few days

2009-10-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am with (finally) a prego belly. We took the girls to Craven Farms to get their pumpkins on Tuesday just before it got dark. It is nice to be out there during the week, when the farm isn't packed full of people. We love Craven Farms and we go there every year.

I think we will carve pumpkins this Sunday because the week is jam packed with activities for us. Mark and the girls are baking two cakes for the school cake walk and I can't wait to see how they turn out. They came up with some really good Halloween ideas. Pictures will be posted after they are complete!

You spin me right round

2009-10-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

I think this may be the best coverband I've seen in a long time. I want them to come to Washington something terrible because my love of 80's music never dies.
Check out the band here. And with a super cool name "the Molly Ringwalds" what is not to enjoy?

Wooden candle holders

2009-10-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

aren't these the cutest candle holders ever?

Halloween Pasta and other fun stuff

2009-09-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

In our search to find San Pellegrino "soda" we headed over to Cost Plus World Market and picked up a bunch of fun food items today. I love that they sell holiday pasta. I usually pick up a bag of the shape pasta which includes black and orange colored witches, pumpkins, etc.
This year we saw extra long angel hair pasta there in regular pasta color plus black and it's called "witches hair". We also bought pumpkin flavored pancake mix, a bottle of Ed Hardy Sangria, and some really yummy Pomegranate flavored tea. If you have a Cost Plus near you, I highly suggest heading there. Typically I don't look much at the home decor stuff, but I might next time.
I am so excited for fall. I love all of the pumpkin flavored items out there. I may even try to get decorating for fall this next week. But that means I have to get in the shed. That doesn't sound like much fun!

all i wanna do

2009-08-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it has been another month since I last blogged. I have been doing absolutely nothing. For those of you that have been sick while pregnant you totally get it. I felt so bad when my friend and hairstylist Heather told me she pulled out her old pregnancy journal and had been sick for 5 months. I am just pleading that will not be me because there are so many things to get done and so many more fun things that I want to do!
The girls are going back to school soon. About a week and a half. We have all school supplies purchased and I suppose they will want to pick out their first day outfits soon! It's hard to believe my oldest is going into 5th grade. Time is moving too quickly.
This weekend should prove to be a lot of fun. Our friends Kelley and Lee are having an end of summer BBQ during the day on Saturday. They have the cutest little house in Seattle and they are the cutest couple. Ahhh, the first months of love. Oh, and they are soon to be married. I can't wait. It's been forever since we've been to a wedding!
Saturday night we have a going away party to attend. Over this last couple years we have become friends with our friends Nanny, and we absolutely adore her. She is moving on to a new family and will be extremely missed (luckily I will get to see her from now and then for coffee/passion tea lemonade) and I wish I could afford her to take care of our new little one on the way because she is phenomenal with kids. The new family is so lucky to have her in their lives! But, our friends are throwing her a "peace out nanny" party and although it will be sad, it should also be fun. I suppose I'll have to be the designated driver? Keymaster? Hmm......I don't know that I have been either one of those before.
Hopefully if I am still feeling well on Sunday, my mother-in-law will be coming over for scrapbooking. I am way overdue and am slowly feeling crafty again. My scheduled project is to finish our Leavenworth Cabin trip from last December. There are just a few finishing touches that need to be done. I've seen a ton of cute projects and page layouts so after Sunday I'll post what I get done and the links to the other great projects online.
Oh, did I mention that we have a color scheme for the baby's room? Linda is going to make a crib quilt for us so I am super excited about that. I just have to pick out some fabric and deliver that and the pattern to her.
Nothing else to report at this time, so this is me logging out.

A month...really?

2009-07-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot I could of blogged about over the past month, but I am now 10 weeks into pregnancy land and I am sick and grumpy and I can't seem to shake it yet. I am sure my happy time is just around the corner.
In the meantime we have squeezed in a few fun things.
1. 4th of July at Martha Lake with an added bonus: battle of the rock/mariachi bands.
2. Anti-nausea meds so I could go out to a birthday dinner cooked by the Kerleys. Delicious mexican.
3. Mark going back to his RR job. Yay. A little less stress for awhile.
4. McDonalds friends reunion. It was awesome.
5. BBQ dinner cooked by the Kemps and a beautiful sunny day to celebrate my birthday.
6. Birthday dinner with family and some new cool books for birthday gifts.
7. Ryan's 3rd birthday at Carkeek park in Seattle. We haven't seen Nina or Lindy in a year and were sad that Kelley could not be there. Miss you Kelley! But Lee is hilarious...so glad he made it.
8. My daughters 10th birthday. She's hitting double digits. We're getting her ears pierced and she is getting a birthday dinner out at her restaraunt of choice.
9. Oh and I almost forgot, celebrating 60 years of marriage with Mark's grandparents. I can only hope we are married this long to each other.

So, with that it may be awhile before I post again. The couch is screaming my name right now. I wish this super hot weather would GO AWAY!
P.S. Amanda and I also went and played bingo. We might have been the youngest players there, but it was still soooo fun. Tulalip bingo is expensive! Next time we better win!!!!

celebrity old school

2009-06-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the funniest little blog.
I hope you will check it out and get as many giggles as I do.
Plus you get to see lots of old pictures of celebrities. Boggle Mama is the place to be!

all things bacon

2009-06-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

If you like trinkets, funny stuff or anything unusual that is cheap you need to check out Archie McPhees which is now located on 45th in Wallingford. They have so much fun stuff, but my favorite right now is the bacon flavored dental floss. Maybe Santa could bring me some of the pickle bandaids in my stocking this year? Much better than plain old Target brand bandaids!

Wouldn't it be nice?

2009-05-11T22:40:00.001-07:00

Calling all Mom's out there...wouldn't it be so nice to win one of Madsens bikes?
go here to view what they have to offer!

I "puffy heart" garage sales

2009-05-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I hit a really good garage sale. To me it's kinda like hitting the lotto and a scavenger hunt in one when you go to a good garage sale.
Here is what I purchased for under 20 bucks:
1. Wally Lamb first edition, autographed, special bound hard back book ( The Hour I first Believed)
2. 3 other books (One Good Turn, Generation Loss and The Namesake) all of which I am looking forward to diving into.
3. Two skeins of super cool chenile yarn (cranberry red and mulit-colored)
4. Paul Frank pajamas for MOI.
5. Paul Frank shirt for Molly
6. One yard of flowered fabric in pinks and greens.
7. Ann Taylor black capris that are really awesome looking
8. zip-up Hollister jacket for Hayley
9. Hoodie from American Eagle in yellow that says "sun-kissed"
10. Super cool mirror that I am going to paint and list on Etsy.

I am loving garage sale season already. We are having our own this next Saturday...weather permitting.

Shrek is cozy

2009-04-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

For a long time now, every time we go to Build-a-Bear workshop, the girls want me to buy them sleeping bags for their animals. I usually say no and tell them "I can sew that!"

Well today I did just that. A few months back I picked up some orange fleece and about 5 yards of this super cool flowered cotton fabric at the thrift store. So that is what I decided to use. It was a little hard to sew in the fleece for the lining, because the fleece is very stretchy, but I think it turned out quite cute. Shrek is sleeping very well tonite in his new sleeping bag!

Lazy Sunday

2009-04-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Mark and I started out the weekend with a group of friends down in Seattle. I may have shocked him by saying I wanted to take the motorcyle, and I am so glad we did. It was fun. We really don't do it often enough...you know life gets in the way. Peso's was a good little restaraunt and it was fun to celebrate Becky's birthday.

Saturday, Mark worked and the girls had a slumber party. The Wilson girls are so easy to have over, but I am still exhausted today. Mark and I took them all to the Edmonds beach today to play out in the sun. The tide was out so the girls got to see a lot of sea anemones, starfish and this other creepy crazy sea creature ( the orange wormy looking thing).

We came home and took a nap...my favorite thing to do! When we got up, Mark decided he would take his new bicycle and ride it over to Lowe's so he could see how much time it would take him. He wants to start riding his bike to work when the weather is nice. He got less than a mile from home and the chain broke. Of course now Joe's is going out of business so I bet they are going to be a pain in the you-know-what about putting on a new one. What a joke, brand new and the chain is already broke. He walked it back home and now is at the park with the kids. I expect them home any minute.

I've got the ipod on and I have a project cut out for sewing on Weds with Theresa. She is among the many people we know who have been laid off...so send good vibes this way for her and Mark because Mark just got laid off again from the Railroad...AGAIN! Can we say it enough that this economy sucks?

yesterday and tommorow

2009-04-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

It has been too many days since I have blogged. But since yesterdays visit with my cousin, Naoto, (who has lived in San Francisco for a few years now) I've decided I better keep up regularly. I can't believe it has been over 10 years since the last time I saw him. He is super funny, and personable and so...GROWN UP! Mark and I can't wait to go to San Fran to spend a weekend or so with him. We talked about his next visit here too...with a trip to the Experience Music Project our first stop in a long list of things to do in Seattle. He used to live here but was 2 years old or something when my uncle packed up the family and moved to Tokyo. It will be such a treat to have him visit again and he will always have a place to stay when he is here. So Naoto if you are reading this...take the hint ha ha.
Hmmm...what else have we been up to.
1. Mark was gone to Portland for work and saw "Grand Turino" at the $3 movie house. He gave it two thumbs up.
2. The girls have met 2 new childrens authors in the past week. The first was was Trudi Trueit and the other Peter Brown, author of a few books....but widely known as the author of Chowder. Lots of fun to meet them both. They have inspired the girls to write and draw.
3. Dan and Linda are gone to Hawaaii, so I am in charge of Spooky while they are gone. She better not have left me any presents, if you know what I mean.
4. Reading...finished the book "Wolf at the table" and "Beautiful Boy" both of which were really good. Sad, but good. I am now reading an old book "Peyton Place". I am not sure if I like it yet, I need to give it a few more pages.
5. Teacher appreciation week is coming up and we are planning for that. We love our teachers, so we hope to do lots of fun things for them.
6. WASL is in full swing. I won't tell you what I think of that but may quote an old friend..."waste a lot of school learning". Enough said.
7. Beautiful weather. Love it, love it, love it. I think it is going away tommorow so for that I may shed a tear.
8. Ebay. Can you believe what people will pay for stuff sometimes? I wish I had the patience to do it full time. All I am selling so far is the clothes the girls have outgrown and a couple of odds and ends. It's crazy.
9. Work, work, work. We are getting a garden spot ready and I think my mom may have planted the strawberries today.
10. Royal Princess Bunco last friday. It was a ton of fun. We dressed up. I wore glitter in my hair, my curly hair piece, pink tutu, pink boa and felt very girly. Theresa and Becky joined and it turns out that Theresa and H.J. used to work together. H.J. has a son at my girls school and is my hair stylist. It is a small world and I say that more and more these days.
OK, I am exhausted. I stayed up way too late last night watching Paranormal State (did anyone see the one with the wife beater, miner, great grandfather ghost? Freaked me out!!!) and literally slept with the kitchen light on. I thought that Mark coming home at some god-awful hour in the night might make me jump right out of my skin.

sun, glorious sun

2009-04-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

I used to think that only "old" people talked about the weather. It seemed to be all they talked about. How cold it is, how hot it is...how they have to water the plants, mow the grass, etc. etc.
Now I am officially putting myself into that category. I am super sick of cold weather, wet mushy roads and kids being cooped up. This weekend we got the best weather here in the Puget Sound and we surely took advantage of it!
Yesterday Mark and I took the girls up to the beach in Everett. It is easy to get to and the trail is paved, but every time we go we maybe run into a handful of people and sometimes none at all. When the tide is out the beach is excellent there. Plus Hayley can bring her bike if she wants to and ride with ease. We love it there and it will be a great place to hang out when the weather is nice this summer.
Today, we opened the windows and the slider and let the fresh air sweep through our home. I love those first days of nice weather when you can have the windows open. It makes everything in your bones feel like summer is on it's way! The girls and I took a walk and enjoyed the people driving by with their music blasting. We sat outside at Dairy Queen and ate Blizzards in the warm air. Then we walked back home and Hayley baked and decorated a cake all on her own. She is really getting quite handy in the kitchen and will make a wonderful chef some day!
Now the kids are in bed and Mark is on his way home from Wenatchee. I'd love to steal away with him tommorow for a motorcycle ride because the weather is supposed to be gorgeous again and the kids will be back in school. Hmmmm...we'll see (smile).

Chester French - She Loves Everybody

2009-04-05T00:06:00.001-07:00

I can't get this song out of my head! The video is a bit crazy, but still like the song.

things that occupy my time

2009-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Really we are all still alive here. That is the beauty of blogging. You can do it whenever you want...but then if you take too long in between people start asking where you are (even if you write about nothing exciting!).

We have really been busy again. Spring break is in full swing...not weather-wise, but the kids have been out all week. The sun peeked out here for about 20 minutes, but alas it is raining again.

This week brought us some very good news...Mark is back to work for BNSF! We can now breathe a collective sigh of relief. At least for this week! We did learn that we can cut back, waaaaay back, and still survive. It is stressful, but Mark and I are a great team! Having said that, I enjoy having money way more than not ha ha.

I have also decided to take the plunge back into ebay again. I used to do it, and made a few extra dollars, but the key for me is to keep it simple so I don't get overwhelmed and fall behind.
So if you are an ebay person here is how to find me....littlebirdtoldme1997. I had to set up a new account because I can't figure out how to get into the old one and it was a million years ago and 3 email addresses ago so for me it was much easier to start with a clean slate! I am also cooking up some stuff for Etsy. My mom and I have found some really cool vintage stuff to list on there. That will probably happen next week though because right now I am planning a trip to Portland next Tuesday. Veerada is here from Alaska and I can't wait to see her! Two other dear friends live there (Sheila and Duncan) so I am happy to say that I will be spending time with them too! That is, if everything works out. Luckily, Veerada made it out between Mt. Redoubt spewing ash. It was looking a little "iffy" for a while for her!

It may be another long break, but we are still alive and plugging along. Oh, and we don't have to move after all! We got a really good deal to stay, so I have to finish getting everything unpacked again. OH THE INSANITY!

american crafts flair

2009-03-16T23:34:00.001-07:00

See what my husband bought me today?

Don't you just love the "I love blogs" adhesive flair? I do. American crafts has a bunch of cute new stuff...including sewing machine rub ons!

Went to Vegas

2009-03-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Las Vegas yesterday and I still feel like I am recovering.

We drank many many Lemon Drops, Pina Coladas... gambled a lot...walked a lot and most importantly went to see my beautiful friend Tiffany get married.

We ate dinner at this funny place called "Battista's hole in the wall". If you are ever in Vegas and want some good Italian, and lots of fun head there. It is just off the strip next to Bally's and Behind Gamblin Bills.

Vegas is forever changing, we were just there in September of 2007 and there are already new shops and new hotels going up. My mom and I walked about 4 miles total just to go the Paul Frank store to buy my daughter the cutest monkey, which has been named "buddy".

My most treasured memory of this trip is getting to see Tiffany after 20 years apart. She has wonderful, sweet kids and just married the nicest guy. I can't wait to take Mark and go out to Missouri to visit them, or we may wait until they move to New Mexico! Anyways, we won't let it go 20 years this time. We used to have so much fun together as kids...she was and is still like a sister to me!

not much time

2009-02-26T23:44:00.000-08:00

Having a hard time winding down after this jam-packed day.
Tommorow my husband is having a birthday! But I will always be slightly older (and wiser ha ha...right Mark?) We are celebrating with some Hazelwood friends and a couple of other good friends over appetizers and drinks. It will be a much needed stress relief after all the garbage that goes on with being laid off from your main source of income! Plus we have been sick, sick some more, and guess what...still sick. You think you've gotten rid of the flu/cold/WHATEVER it is and then it is back. I think everyone we know has had it, and it does not help that we already have worn out immune systems from packing, running around, work, school stuff, laundry...you know the drill! I sure hope we get some nice weather soon, so we can be on the upswing to better attitudes and better health.
I am off to bed to dream of pomegranate mojitos and artichoke dip. That is hopefully what will fill my stomach tommorow night.
Have a great weekend everyone. I don't want to jinx it, but I think my niece is actually coming over for dinner on Saturday. This will be the first time since Christmas that we have seen her. Only time will tell.

Guitar Hero love

2009-02-15T20:34:00.001-08:00

Our friend Bridget came by for a visit today. It has been ages since we've had a chance to talk (read: gossip) and it was fun. Her daughter, Jordynn, is staying over for a sleepover and right now she is trying her hardest to beat Mark at Guitar Hero. Hayley and Jordynn played for awhile, before Hayley decided to take a break. It will take a very long time for us to tire of Guitar Hero. And Mark bought us a new Wii game, Rock Band, for Valentines day.

Right now Jordynn is killing my ears with her not so great playing...gotta go get some ear plugs!

I love this chicken

2009-02-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

Tonite Mark made his "famous" chicken for dinner and it was D-Licous!!! He also made aspargus with parmesan that was wonderful too. Our stomachs are very happy tonite.

Tommorow we are planning on making homemade cinnamon rolls that we did not get to make today.

We had a great day at home together (other than taking Hayley to get a new haircut) and we are just about to start the Planet Earth series that was a Christmas gift.

But right now I am off to dish up some ice cream.

Hope everyone had a wonderful happy day!

Welcome sweet baby

2009-02-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

Today we met Simon, my dear friend Amanda's first child. He is the sweetest most adorable little boy! I am so happy for Amanda and Craig!

Hayley and Molly could not get enough of holding the baby, they were fighting over holding him the whole time we were there!

It was really good to see Amanda, Craig and Simon. We're going to go back and spend some time with them in a couple of weeks, so I can get my baby fix!!!

So we don't have really big, romantic Valentines plans tommorow. If the weather is nice we may head to Greenlake to walk and get some outdoor pictures of the girls together. Hayley is scheduled to get her hair cut at Heather J's place. Then Mark has decided that he wants to cook dinner for us, so that will be nice. He is great in the kitchen, just doesn't do it very often so this will be a treat for us.

As for tonite we ordered a heart shaped pizza. Papa Johns does a lot of gimmicky things and this is by far my favorite!

Happy Valentines day to you all...or not if that is what you prefer!

Seinfeld - Hennigan's Scotch (Kramer Drunk)

2009-02-12T22:43:00.001-08:00

This cracks me up every time..."you can walk around drunk all day..." and then the song he sings about Hennigans is hilarious!

the new do

2009-02-11T17:46:00.001-08:00

Molly got her hair cut today. Doesn't she look adorable? So much better for her little face. You should have seen how much hair was on the floor when Heather got done! Thanks Heather. She loves it.

my apologies

2009-02-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry fellow readers, I can not figure out why blogger keeps spacing everything so far apart. I am not doing that on purpose. Forgive me for the funky looking posts!

the last few days

2009-02-08T19:31:00.002-08:00

As usual, life has kept us pretty busy around here. This next week all I have planned is Molly's new haircut and Bunko at Angie's with the girls. Oh, and work, work, work...yuck!

Anyways back to the good stuff.

Friday was dinner and drinks at Chopstix for Theresa's birthday. The piano players were good, as well as some of the other patrons at the restaraunt. I am a firm believer that people watching is the best form of entertainment. The food was good and so were the drinks. It was also fun to see old friends and some newer friends.

Saturday was a lazy day. I totally spaced a friends party she was having. I just remembered today, and thankfully I am forgiven. I totally thought it was next Saturday and that is why it is important to use the planner you purchase (note to self).

Today we crafted, went to a swimming party at Mountlake Terrace Rec, braved Wal-Mart so Hayley could use a gift card for another Nintendo DS game, and crafted some more.

With that I think I am headed for bed early to FINALLY finish the 4th Twilight book. I am so ready to move on to Slumdog Millionare. Hopefully the book will be as good as the reviews I am hearing about the movie.

P.S. Smokey is not happy about me packing things up! She has been very naughty, hiding behind the boxes, trying to stick her head in and just generally not moving off of the boxes so I can use them!

going back to the art journal

2009-02-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

my art journal felt neglected. There have been so many other things taking up time that I could not sit down to work on my 52Q art journal. I am happy to say I am one question away from being caught up.

Here is question 4 "when I look in my eyes I see...."

This was a fun one for me. The girls want to work on theirs this weekend, so after a sleepover at the Wilsons, birthday party at Mountlake Terrace Rec pool, etc. they may get to it. I am excited to see what they come up with.

We bowled last Sat. and had fun. Erin and family came with us, as well as my Dad who is a "bachelor" while mom is gone to Moses Lake. The food was terrible at Robinhood lanes, but to make up for Ethan won a party there for bowling the first strike in the under 10 years group. Pretty cool! We love bowling, but are finding that the Wii ( and crappy bowling balls) hinder our ability to bowl as well as we used to.

And with that I am off to watch my favorite reality show, the biggest loser. Who are you rooting for? I hope that Dan (orange team) is the biggest at home loser, and I would like to see the son from the brown team or maybe the daughter from the purple team win at the ranch.

Buddy Holly Live in New York With Peggy Sue 1958

2009-01-27T18:33:00.001-08:00

it's so easy

2009-01-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

Often Mark would say I have wierd musical taste. When I was little my Dad would always sing Buddy Holly songs, or a song called "Chantilly Lace" by the Big Bopper. So it is easy to say that I love old music, partly because of my dad. Buddy Holly has always been a huge favorite of mine.
Today I read this article and am sad to remember the death of three musicians who impacted the music world in many ways. Right now we are listing to Buddy Holly's "every day" which was also on the Stand By Me soundtrack (one of my all time favorite movies) and the girls love it.
Ritchie Valens, who also died in the plane crash with Buddy Holly, is another singer who I like. When the La Bamba movie came out I think my friend Tanya and I watched it like 17 times or something. We were in middle school at the time, so that can partly explain the crazy watch a movie over and over again syndrome we had!

organizing

2009-01-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today we tackled the garage. It was full of stuff that needed to go. Mark left here with a carload of stuff to donate to Value Village. This next week I will begin to empty the rest of the stuff out. Once that gets done, I can start on the rest of this place. It looks like we are in for a move sometime in April/May.
I also spent some time scrapbooking, but did not take any pictures today. I did a few 12 x 12 layouts. Then I went through Molly's school papers, because I have only scrapped her Montessori School years and want to get started on Kindergarten. I have the cutest album from K & Company that I am going to use for her school stuff. Tommorow will be spent working on that and catching up a couple of house chores. I sure hope it warms up soon. This sunshine has been great, but it's still so cold out!
It should be my bed time, but I am going to get cozy and watch some more Comedy Central. Dane Cook is on right now and he is hilarious. Tommorow night is the new Katt Williams special and he is also a favorite of mine. I can't wait to go see another comedy show. As soon as Dane Cook comes around again I plan on going to see it with Erin and anyone else who likes him as much as we do!
That's all for now.
Good night!

Welcoming # 44

2009-01-20T22:55:00.001-08:00

Today is a good day. This is the first time I have ever watched an Inaguration, and I am thrilled to have watched it. I could have done without Aretha's large bow hat, but other than that I feel hopeful and proud to be a U.S. citizen. I wonder if this is how it felt when J.F.K. was elected? This is how I imagined it, a young President with the ability to bring change and hope to the people of America. I feel like President Obama can relate to those of us wo are in the "younger" demographic and I love that he has young children. We have a long road ahead of us with this economy...but again I feel hopeful! I support my President!

party pics

2009-01-19T00:09:00.000-08:00

You know everyone is having fun when a certain party guest (not me) spills her alcoholic beverage on the floor and the dog is loving it! It was truely a fun time for everyone...especially Preston who has NEVER had a birthday party. We took so many pictures, too many to put on here, and I can't wait to get the little scrapbook done for Preston to remember this by.

We have such good friends. Who's hosting next? Not us...we're contemplating a move to be closer to the girls school. Ahhh moving, not much fun but a great way to purge your home of items not necessary!

Mute Math - Spotlight (HD - Live on Jay Leno)

2009-01-17T22:53:00.001-08:00

This is a great song :)

today

2009-01-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

STILL RECOVERING FROM THE BIRTHDAY BASH LAST NIGHT.
Mark says "peach vodka is very yummy" and I say "we've never had more fun".
Two thumbs up from the Peters!!!
P.S. Heather makes the best Sangria ever.

concert

2009-01-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

Tonite was Hayley's 3rd/4th grade concert. The kids sang 4 songs with the 4th grade and then 4 more because Hayley is in the choir. It was nice to have Grandma Linda, Grandpa Dan, Grandpa C.H. and Grandma Jackie come to watch. Thankfully we did not have any nose picking, but Hayley looked like she was going to fall asleep.

52Q week 2 question

2009-01-13T14:17:00.001-08:00

This is my completed entry for question 2 of the 52Q art journal.

Question 1-COMPLETE

2009-01-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. Hayley, Molly and I started our "art journals" for the 52Q project. Question 2 is already up, but we will tackle that later on this week. I am so excited that my girls and I are doing this together. We each have a bound journal we are doing this project in. Here are a few sneak peaks of what we accomplished.

Strange and wacky internet

2009-01-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

I don't recall how I stumbled apon Emily F's blog but I am sure better for it. I find her really inspiring in many ways...as a mother, a wife, and as an artist. It seems strange at times to be reading about someone whom you may never meet in person, but you feel like you know them even in some tiny way. Emily has started a new "project" called 52Q which you can learn more about here . I am excited to be almost complete with my 1st tag ( I jotted down a few thoughts today on what would be on it, and how I want it to look) and then I will post it here and on the flickr group. A big thank you to Emily for her blog! My one and only New Years resolution this year is to work more on my craft projects-complete them and use things I already own. I think this project will keep me inspired to carry out my resolution and will also be insightful to myself.
P.S. 30 Rock kicked butt tonite on the Golden Globes. I heart 30 Rock.

Super thrifting

2009-01-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today Hayley had a grandpa/grandaughter "date". She loves going places with my dad and hanging out. I think it's because he pretty much lets her do whatever she wants! They went to the movies to see a John Wayne movie...they show them at the Galaxy Theater in Monroe once a month or so. For some crazy, unexplained reason she loves watching John Wayne movies which is right up my dad's alley (and Grandpa Dan's too). Then they went to Costco, where I am sure she talked him into buying tons of snacks for her and Molly at the office. It reminds me of the time that my Mom had flown to Washington (back when we still lived in Fairbanks) for a Doll Convention. My dad and I decided that my moms idea of grocery shopping sucked and we headed off to the "Hub" grocery store which back in the day you could find just about anything in the world and the grocery carts were almost twice as wide as a normal grocery cart. I believe on that shopping trip my dad would quote me as saying "this is what I call shopping!"

Anyways they had a good time, despite Hayleys ongoing cough/cold.

Molly on the other hand could have attended two different birthday parties today (one for friend Anna who is 6, and one for best friend Sierra who is turning 8), but Molly is super worried about Mark leaving for 3 weeks. She absolutely adores Dad and could sit for hours with him in his recliner watching Sportscenter on ESPN. You know you love Mark a ton when you can stomach that channel for hours on end ha ha.

While the girls were having their "dates" my mom and I decided to hit the thrift stores. We were like two junkies over all the goodies we saw and purchased. A couple of my favorites are the old piglet (1960's era) which I picked up for $1.00, yes only a buck. I have the Winnie the Pooh to go with him which cost me a wee bit more than a dollar. My mom also found me a magnetic/black wood board that has the name of my blog painted across the top. How perfect is that? I found a few good books for Molly and a super cute Paul Frank Julius the monkey bathing suit which was a huge hit in her eyes! My mom bought Hayley 2 signed Lucy and Me prints which I told her to put away for a birthday gift. Hayley has taken on my childhood collection of Lucy and Me bears. We found tons of other stuff and I am so appreciative of my mom treating me to a thrift store extravaganza today. I think we have both been a little stir crazy of late.

This past week I also decorated for Valentines day. I NEVER decorate for this "holiday", but I have the cutest pink tree and purchased some red heart ornaments with a gift card to hang on it.

And finally...the big news: Mark got accepted to Engineering School. I am very excited for him and that is why he will be gone to Kansas City for three weeks. He will have some more training back in Seattle and then to wrap it up at the end of his 20? weeks he will go back to Kansas City for two final weeks. I know he will do awesome!

Celebrating new music

2009-01-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

Over on Elsie's blog tonite I read that her boyfriend is going to be on the Tonight show with this group so I have it set to record. I really like finding new music and am happy that Elsie blogged about it. We will be watching the Tonight show on the 15th to enjoy some good music!
I haven't been taking time to blog, I have been sucked into Facebook and getting back to a regular routine now that the kids are back in school. We had a great Christmas and New Years. Our friends, the Kemps, who hosted the New Years party stopped by tonite for a quick visit which was a good surprise. Molly had Girl Scouts and the ever popular treats will be available soon. I am sure you can figure out what I am talking about.
Other than that I went out for Thai food at this great little place in Lynnwood called Talay Thai. We had fun (Tina, Preston, Heather and I) while getting some P.T.A. work done. They are a great group to work with and it is nice to get together for dinner and chatting. A 40th birthday bash is in the works for Preston and it is really going to be a lot of fun. More on that later.

present for the little miss

2008-12-23T21:15:00.001-08:00

Here is the last of the Christmas presents. It was discovered today on the top shelf in my closet! I purchased the vinyl cloth and chalk cloth last summer at Ben Franklin with the idea of making my niece, Ryan, this cute portable chalk placemat. The perfect thing to take with to restaraunts to keep little people busy. The buttons/embellishments can not be removed unless a stick of dynamite is used on them! I love the way it turned out, and I hope she has lots of fun with it.

little deer lips

2008-12-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

I finally went to work yesterday after many days of being home. The kids played out in the snow while I caught up some paperwork. After awhile they came in to warm up and just shortly after coming inside two deer came up to eat by my window! I went outside to get some pictures, because it has been a few months since the deer have been at our property. They travel up the road a few miles and then work their way back to our office. I never did see any other deer than these two young deer. The kids were pretty excited to see them!

Last night the girls went to a slumber party and Mark headed for Portland. I had the whole place to myself. You would think I would sleep in, but no I was up bright and early. We are ready for Christmas now for sure! We are having family over for Christmas Eve and then heading to Renton on Christmas day after we do our traditional Christmas morning breakfast (Santa Mark cooks). Grandma Linda and Grandpa Dan will be joining us for breakfast this year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Can't wait to see the excitement when the girls open their Santa gifts!

Stealing Home part 2/10

2008-12-17T22:13:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the scene where they are driving home from the beach and the parents see them smoking, etc.
This movie reminds me of how much I love trips to the beach!

anti-snow

2008-12-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

I usually love the snow. The more the merrier...I am after all an Alaska girl at heart. But the snow/ice/school delays for 2 hours totally throw me off. We have so much to do this week. Molly has her Girl Scout Christmas party tommorow night, Hayley has a Holiday concert on Thursday and Sunday Hayley is having a holiday tea party for her girlfriends. We can not have any more snow or ice. There is just way too much to do!
So today I am a little "go away snow and ice". But my fire right now is sure toasty warm!

taking a break

2008-12-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

I am taking an short break from blogging but will be back soon.
Grandpa has been in the hospital for a week and is being taken to the nursing home tommorow, Aunt Sharon's dad died of a massive heart attack this morning, and Mark may be looking at getting laid off from work for who knows how long. Hopefully work will pick back up, but it doesn't seem to be happening yet.
So I am going to take these next few days to get some projects done at home (the kind that feed my soul), take the girls to see Santa, and then I am going to start working as much as I can at my bookkeeping job.
I'll keep you all posted as to any new developments!
Keep your fingers crossed...too many friends are either out of work or hours cut back right now. The economy can't keep going down right?
P.S. we had a blast this last weekend in Plain at the cabin with our friends, the Kemps. One of these days I'll post some pictures.

Christmas fever

2008-11-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Mark is home today, he has been gone most of the week. We spent the day putting up the tree, baking and spending some time together as a family. We had sooo much fun today. A million thanks to Mark for carrying up all of the Christmas stuff that I did not get to yesterday.

The tree looks awesome, as do the rest of the holiday decorations. I am really in the Christmas mood now! Here are a few other things we did yesterday and today.

*Put together a gingerbread train and house
*bake almond roca-it's delicious
*bake gingerbread people and decorate them
*watch football

Tommorow is back to normal...Hayley has Sounders camp tommorow night and then the rest of the week we will finish up some baking and getting ready to head to Plain to have a fun filled weekend at the cabin. Our girls are excited to spend a few days with their "cousins" Katelyn and Ethan.

Notting Hill - When You Say Nothing At All

2008-11-29T23:39:00.001-08:00

This movie is on the Oxygen station right now, I forgot how much I loved this movie!

Turkey day

2008-11-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

I am just about to make sweet potato casserole to take to my brothers. He has never had a Thanksgiving dinner at his house, so we are pretty excited to go there.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day spent with friends and family. Eat up!!!

the silver fox

2008-11-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

Last night we were discussing Anderson Cooper and I was wrong when I said he was a Rockefeller. He is in fact the son of Gloria Vanderbilt! This does not make me like him any less, and like Kathy Griffin, I may have a little crush ha ha!

Tickle my funny bone

2008-11-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

So last night was the much anticipated Kathy Griffin comedy show at The Paramount Theater in Seattle . I can honestly say I have never laughed so much in two hours. She rocked!
Originally my better half was supposed to go, but because of his work schedule he could not make it. I called up Erin (one of my oldest friends-not by age mind you!) and asked her if she could go and the deal was sealed. We planned to meet my sister-in-law Dannie and Kelley at Dragonfish for dinner and drinks, but because of a reservation/hostess goof up, we headed over to Nordstroms Cafe for a cheap, quick bite to eat. Then we met up with D & K at the theater and headed in for the show. Another friend from Lynnwood was also there with her sister and they were in the row in front of us, just a couple of seats down. They loved the show too! After the show we went back to Dragonfish (the hostess gave Dannie and Kelley free dessert). Erin tried a chocolate cake and I had passionfruit cheesecake. Both were very tasty. I also had a vodka infused Lime Rickey, which could easily get anyone tanked! Because I was driving I only had one. Believe me though, I would go back to happy hour there and drink $2 drinks anytime!

We had a great time, and I enjoyed spending some time with Erin-just the two of us because it has probably been since High School that we have gone out alone, without kids or husbands!

The night owls

2008-11-19T01:42:00.000-08:00

Mark almost always is in bed way before me (unless he is working the night shift) but tonite we are going to bed super late! It is 1:40 and we just got done playing with our Wii. And "wii" are pathetic, because it has been like two hours of playing or something!
I hope tommorow goes by fast, I have a couple of big projects at the school tommorow. Then on Thursday I am going to see Kathy Griffin at the Paramount in Seattle with a couple of friends and my sister-in-law. By the way, Happy Birthday Dannie! Forever 29 right?
I am planning on starting a new book tommorow that Mark bought me on Sunday. It is the new Wally Lamb, called "the hour I first believed". I am sure it will be good, and I am very happy that this book is out because it has been forever since the last one. I ordered the third book in the Twilight series, it should be here in the next couple of days and then I will read that and the fourth to finish out that series. I wish I would have read the series a year ago when I first looked at it! That way I would have it all read before the movie comes out. I really enjoyed New Moon. If you have not read this series...do it!

Wii love it so far!

2008-11-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas it seems like we have a ton of people to buy for, so this year Mark and I have decided to get a jump start on some of the shopping. I am not going to do the Black Friday thing this year. Really I don't feel like standing in the cold or rain to fight with overtired people.
Yesterday we went out and did a little shopping at the mall. We found a great book for my dad, and we made a big family purchase.
Last year we wanted to buy the Wii system, but because of it's popularity we could not ever find it in stock. We decided to wait until this year to get it as a gift for all of us. Mark has a friend who works at a game store, so he was able to get us a discount on some games and now we are the proud owner of a Wii system along with Aerosmith special edition Guitar Hero, and some other games too! We cracked it out today to see how we like it, and we bowled a little. The kids don't know we bought it, and as a special surprise we are going to take it to the cabin in Plain when we go in December. Along with dancing to Erin and Alan's DDR, we can rock it out Guitar Hero style. Can't wait!

Fashionistas

2008-11-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

This morning went against my nature as a night owl. We were up at 6 and by 7:30 the girls were dressed, hair curled and ready to go for the Fall Nordstroms Childrens fashion show. My mother-in-law took pictures, so I will have to post them later. The girls had a blast! I was really proud of them, especially Hayley who is normally really shy. I can't wait to share the pictures!!!
We have lots to get done this weekend, but for now I am going to be a couch potato for a little while and drink my yummy salted caramel hot chocolate, courtesy of Starbucks.

Excitement over this discovery

2008-11-14T15:23:00.001-08:00

Today my sister-in-law gave me the most wonderful childrens pattern. It is called "Claire" from Portabellopixie. You can view the blog here and delight in all of the wonderful ideas! I can't wait to get sewing some of the projects. The awesome thing about this pattern set? It goes from size 6-12 months up to 8, in ONE package. A super deal! I am in such a crafty mood this week. I am thinking about projects to complete, and I am hosting a scrapbooking day on November 22nd, so I am really hopeful that I can get the finishing touches on our wedding book done! I am soooo close.
Happy Friday!

We're back online!

2008-11-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

I want to apologize now to any of my Facebook friends who may have recieved an email from me/facebook carrying the koobworm (?) virus. Two days ago I got an email looking like it was coming from my friend Lindy via Facebook, but it was a stinkin' virus. We could not get on the internet and after countless hours with Norton tech support and playing a waiting game with Comcast, we are back online! By the way...if you ever have to deal with Norton just do like my husband did...hang up on them. They are idiots and tried to charge us $100 dollars (they said we would not be able to re-install our software without them taking care of the virus first) for something we took care of ourselves. And the fact that you talk to someone in the Philippines is maddening. Why are we not employing our U.S. citizens? Don't EVEN get me started on that one! I am now frozen out of my Facebook account until they get their password reset link working too. Which sucks, because I have another grade school chum who is wating for me to confirm them, and my friend Keith who I used to work with just added me! Ok, whoever said Facebook was not addicting is crazy!
With that here are a few things we do while we have no internet:
1. Clean. Ugh!
2. Think about how much fun it will be to go to Kathy Griffin next week with Dannie and Kelley and my husband! Afterwards I am going to come back to Lynnwood to hit the midnight showing of Twilight with a great group of girls.
3. Take an unplanned nap in Marks recliner
4. Work on Christmas gifts. I have finished some embroidered dish towels for a friend who shall remain nameless.
5. Think about and make a list of things to bring/do at the cabin. I have a couple of art projects planned and I am looking for my recipe for hot buttered rum. If anyone out there had a good one, feel free to pass it along! The cabin is only a few weeks away, so it better start snowing. We want to get in some massive sledding. I also looked up another local activity in Plain that I would like to surprise the kids with. I haven't talked about it to Mark yet, so he will probably read it here first (ha ha).

Well, gotta go Celebrity Rehab is on.. it's my new addiction.

no singing the blues

2008-11-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

First night at Sounders camp was a success! A ton of kids turned out and the Starfire Sports Complex is really a great place to play soccer. Hayley played really well against some kids that were much bigger than her, and had a lot more experience. We'll be back next week for the second session for sure! She loves her new blue Sounders FC jersey!!!

get your head in the game

2008-11-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

I am taking the day off from work today because today is Hayley's first day at the Sounders soccer camp. We are all pretty excited around here!

She played a great game yesterday (it was the last game of the season) and has her team party next weekend. Both her and Molly want to play again in the spring, which will be great!

So other than that, we had a busy few days. We went to High School Musical on Ice with the Girl Scout troop. I have to admit, it started a bit rough for me and I don't usually like musicals. But after awhile it became less "cheesy" and our favorite part was when the actors/skaters had the basketball scene. The basketballs fell from above and then they did the whole routine to the "get your head in the game" song. The girls all had a blast.

Saturday we got our first Christmas gift completed. I won't be posting any pictures because the recipient will know it is for them.

Today I am going to work on a project or two. I am planning on listing items this weekend in my etsy shop. I have had it set up for over a year, and I have done nothing with it! It is about time don't you think?

Jar of thankfulness

2008-11-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking alot about how our family of 4 does not talk a lot about what we are thankful for, or really appreciate about ourselves or the people we know. I am going to decorate a jar for the month of November and each day we will write down on a slip of paper something we are thankful for and then deposit it into the jar. I think it would be fun to read them aloud to each other on Thanksgiving. I am hoping this will help the girls to get along better, instead of the constant bickering that seems to occur these days. I will let you know how it turns out!

Wahoo!

2008-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

All I can say while watching NBC right now is WAHOO!
And how exciting that my children can be a part of this history that has been made tonite...something positive. I don't usually get political, but I did get goosebumps watching Barack Obama speak tonite.
Enough said.

The nun and the school girl

2008-11-03T21:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we were just waaaaay too tired to blog about the Halloween bash I co-hosted at the Kerley's on Saturday night. We had a rockin' good time. There was good food, good music, and AWESOME costumes. Some of my favorites were Strawberry Shortcake and Huckleberry Pie, the Husky cheerleader who broke out in cheer AND did the splits, 70's basketball player, and my husband-a.k.a. Sister Peters.

A big shout out to the Matson's who brought the yummy ham and cheese ball, Maria who has adopted T's recipe for bean dip and all of the other food. We ate and drank ourselves silly. We also made some new friends who are so much fun to party with. Maybe next year we can get them to wear a costume! Becky, Theresa and I are already coming up with ideas for next years bash. It is going to be even better. Note to self: avoid setting off smoke detectors and getting a phone call from the fire department.

we went trick-or-treating and all we got was this lousy 10 pounds of candy

2008-10-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

We went out trick-or-treating near our old house and had a ton of fun. We met up with some friends and their kids and hit up lots of houses of Hazelwood families.

There were even a few houses that ran out of candy. We are so happy that it was not raining tonite. Our friends little 3 year old daughter came back from each house yelling "Dad, I got candy!" It was the cutest thing.

quit clowning around

2008-10-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

We just got home from the school costume party, which was packed. The girls had a ton of fun.
Most common costumes: Pirates and Princesses. I think Hayley was the only clown and she got tons of compliments on her costume. Now the girls are getting their soccer stuff ready to go because we have to be out the door at 8:15 in the morning. Whoever created this soccer schedule must not realize that I am not an early bird! I may have to stop to get a coffee, if I don't have time to brew a pot at home.
Mark and I are getting excited for the Halloween bash being hosted at the Kerley's next weekend. Tommorow is the big decorating day...we have a ton to get done. Hayley has an afternoon soccer game so we will have to take time out for that and then get right back to decorating. I know the decorations are going to be awesome...our friend Becky is renting a U-Haul to bring all of the stuff she owns. Yes I did say U-haul. That is not a typo!!! I have to make sure to get a picture of her as she rolls up. Hopefully we'll be there in time, I don't want to miss the initial unveiling of the contents of that truck.
Other big news we have to share: Hayley is going to a youth development program with the Seattle Sounders starting in November. We had the option of sending her for a specific soccer position, but decided to send her to learn the fundamentals of soccer. Then after the holidays, we will send her back for another six week round for defense, striker, whatever she wants to do. I know I am shocked at how much the girls are loving soccer. I am even enjoying it, and finding that the rules of the game are pretty easy for even me, the non-sports parent, to understand. I love that the girls are so excited about the game. Hayley has even asked me about playing in college so we had the whole talk of getting good grades in school, playing well and then she could possibly get a scholarship to college to play! Dream BIG Hayley!

This next week is conference week, and then trick-or-treating on friday. We like to take the girls over in our old neighborhood. They get to be out on the street and see school friends and even go to some of their friends houses. I refuse to let the old door to door tradition die off. We just don't find it as fun to go to a mall to trick-or treat.

Even though it is only a little after 9, I am headed to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. With Mark gone to Wenatchee, I can hog the whole bed to myself!!!

Rodents

2008-10-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I ran across this article today, and my stomach turned a little. Just last week a few of us Mom's were talking at soccer practice about our various rodent experiences. My memorable mouse experience was when we went to Vegas in 2007 and mice were running around at the bus stop in front of Caesars Palace. Yuck! Thank god we have never had a problem with them in our home. I guess that is one benefit to having cats for pets.

27 Dresses - Benny and the Jets

2008-10-04T22:13:00.001-07:00

I just watched this movie. I really liked it much more than expected.
Hands down favorite part was this part where they are smashed in the bar singing this song. "Sorry lyric police..."

I heart LIFE

2008-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last night was the season premier of Life starring Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Dreamcatcher). It was awesome!
If you are not watching it, you should because all the cool kids are doing it.
Next episode is this Friday.

I love you Curious George!

2008-09-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we have just completed our busiest week...possibly ever? Along with all of us still fighting off this cold we still managed to do all of the things on our list this week.

1. Go rollerskating on monday

2. Managed to get 2 kids to soccer practice at two different places (luckily Mark had a night off)

3. Helped put on a BBQ for about 120 people-successfully and then attend my first P.T.A. board meeting as a new board member.

4. Help out Barnes and Noble (Alderwood store) by dressing up as Curious George and visiting classrooms and also the school walk-a-thon. It was super hot, I thought I would for sure have a heat stroke. But how cute is it to hear Kindergarten students yell " I love you Curious George!" That makes it all worth while.

5. Watched Martian Child with John Cusack-who is one of my all-time favorite actors. I really liked this movie.

6. Attended a soccer jamboree for the better part of today for both girls.

7. Sewed the first of 2 bags for the girls to carry their soccer stuff in. I got the cutest fabric at the Goodwill awhile back, with a Christmas present in mind for another little soccer player we know. Luckily there is enough to make three bags. They will fit cleats, soccer ball, shin guards, water bottle, snacks and more. I did not even use a pattern so I can't wait to call Grandma V and tell her. She will be so proud!

8. Party at a girlfriends house tommorow. Her teenage daughter will be babysitting and we will be hanging out. It is a nice way to end a more than hectic week.

I'm not a soccer mom. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!!!

2008-09-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have said I would NEVER be a soccer mom, driving tons of kids around in my mini-van rushing here and there. But today is a new day. The girls started soccer. We have a team of Panthers and Soccer Diva's. They had a blast.

Even though Molly is still fighting off a cold, and I am surely under the weather something fierce, I enjoyed watching the kids. Now I am off to drink a nice hot cup of tasty *ahem* theraflu and watch some good television. Even though Mark and I bought seasons 1 and 2 of Dexter today, we won't get to that for awhile. We will be watching How I met your Mother and then probably be off to dreamland.

Sarah Palin speaks in Los Angeles

2008-09-19T22:16:00.001-07:00

An old friend from Alaska is playing Sarah Palin. This is good stuff!

soccer girls

2008-09-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Guess who decided they want to play soccer this year? BOTH of our girls. They start next week and are super excited. Molly knows the team she will be on, and it is basically all of her little girlfriends. We don't know Hayleys team yet, but she will get paired with other students from her school. I won't ever be a "soccer mom", but I am pretty excited for them. They don't usually show interest in sports, so Mark is probably pretty excited too. We do a lot of girly stuff around here!

today in our home

2008-09-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on, as is the reason for my absence from blogging. School is in full swing. Hayley has joined the choir and seems to be pretty excited about that. Molly starts back to Brownie scouts this week and is really looking forward to learning some new things and earning badges!
Yesterday we went to the duck race in Sultan and we met a man who ran in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, along with Jesse Owens. You can read about it here . He talked a bit to us about sitting behind Hitler when he was watching the medals ceremony. He also told us about how at that time he only trained for 2 months, not year round like athletes do now.

Mark braved the river to help catch ducks. He said his feet were numb when he got out!

Last night Molly's friend Zoey stayed over and I decided to get decorating for Fall/Halloween.

Then today, we planted some plants and put sugar water in the butterfly dishes.

Now I am just waiting for my friend Theresa to get here. We are going to do some scrapbooking while our husbands are at her house watching football. Like Theresa said, we are now football widows ha ha.

back to school

2008-09-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

The kids are back to school in the morning. I was asked by the school principal to take photos all day Wednesday, among various other projects for the school that are coming up soon. Possibly because of all this business, I may be missing in action for awhile.
I am super excited, overwhelmed and anxious to get everything done and done well!
The girls are excited, they have their lunches packed, clothes layed out and can't wait to see their classmates.
I will be lonely again at work without them there, but happy that they are in school.
I'll write soon.
Love, me

Lesson learned

2008-08-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

One thing you don't want to do is lock your keys and your purse in your car, when you don't have a spare set of keys available! Yep, you guessed it...that is exactly what I did tonite. The locksmith left awhile ago and I now have my key and purse back in a safe place. When they called to confirm my address, the locksmith asked if I was the guilty party! I could not blame this one on Mark or the kids!!!

On to better things now. I am uploading photos of our 2007 Vegas trip. This is what I plan on scrapbooking this weekend at T's house. I have a sage green Making Memories album picked out for this trip. When I told T what I was working on, she said that is what she is planning on working on too! Now I need to get photo's uploaded for her.

School is almost ready to start. Last night we (the P.T.A. board) went to a conference at Cascade High School. We learned a little more about what our jobs entail, and got a little bonding time in too! I think we have some wonderful things planned for the school this year. I am super excited about being a part of making my kids lives better and their fellow classmates. A special shout out to Alderwood Barnes and Noble for adopting our school. They have lots of great stuff planned for our kids and I know my girls will be thrilled.
Today we met the entire staff, introduced ourselves and told them a little about what we have planned for them, and the students. One thing I love about Hazelwood is how well we all work together. I am impressed time and time again with our Principal and all of the staff. It is really the best school around. The girls are lucky they get to go to school there.

The other exciting thing I have to share is that Mark and I are just around the corner from our 11th anniversary. I am trying to plan a fun, romantic night out and have a few ideas. We have not really had a date night in a long time. We were thinking of going to El Gaucho in Seattle, but I think we will use our gift card to Anthony's and then go out for drinks...maybe at the Matador? I am hoping the weather is nice because I have one other possibility, it requires NO RAIN so do a little finger crossing for us that the weather will cooperate. You Seattleites (this means Kelley, Lee, Dannie, Rob) are more than welcome to meet up with us for drinks. It is Dannie and Rob's anniversary coming up too.

That's all for now. I am off to do a little reading.

Old friends and BIG news

2008-08-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today was an unexpected sort of day. I went to Safeway in my old hometown, Monroe, and ran into an old friend. I literally have not seen him for 15 years. His name is Aaron and has a 2 year old daughter. It was nice to see him, it was as if it was just yesterday that we were in school together. It makes me feel a bit nostalgic, and also that I wished I had kept in touch with a few other people from school.
Another exciting bit of news from an old high school chum (who was my maid of honor when Mark and I got married) is that she is pregnant and due in January. I am super excited for her and I think she will be a great mom. She already has a step-daughter who she is really great with. Congrats Amanda! We can't wait to meet your new little special someone.
I'm off to scrapbook. I got a lot accomplished today, and now I want to put on something funny to watch and get some craft time in before I get sleepy.

Youtube is wacked out

2008-08-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

The posts from Youtube that you can see with the Beatles clip was posted way back in July. I was telling my friend Rose how they never showed up and now magically they have appeared. Almost a month later. Totally strange.

We do it like the pioneers would have

2008-08-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a fun camping trip to White Pines with some good friends. The weather was super hot and we spent a lot of time either in Nason Creek or soaking our feet to keep cool.

The kids had a ton of fun together and played really well. We even tried out Hayley's new Lasso Golf game, which kept the kids and adults entertained.

We were really roughing it, no showers all weekend. We also ran out of space in our coolers, so we decided to use the creek to keep our drinks cool-you know just like the pioneers would have. Erin and Mark tried to catch a salmon in the creek with their bare hands, but no such luck! The salmon were huge and this is the first time we have seen any at Nason Creek.

Erin wanted to walk part of the Iron Goat Trail so we started where the town of Wellington used to be. It was a little spooky walking through the old snow sheds, and being at the site of the avalanche disaster that killed so many people. We did however find out that our daughter Molly is a little Forrest Gump as far as her running skills. She has no problem keeping up with Auntie Erin!

On another note, we bought a new car. It is a Nissan Xterra. We need to get a picture of it, but I did not want to take one today because the car is dusty from camping. I will try to do that soon.

We are exhasted after this weekend. We were packed and on the road by 7 a.m. this morning to avoid the thunder and lightning storm. It blew over pretty quickly, but we wanted to stay dry!

The Beatles-Birthday

2008-08-15T18:52:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Miss H. She's 9 today!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Psych

2008-08-15T18:47:00.001-07:00

Love this show! I am trying to find a clip of the second episode from this new season, they reference Ferris Buellers Day off.

The car is dead

2008-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

Today, we had to finally decide that yes, we did kill the car! Mark has been working on the Rodeo when he can, and he finally came to the conclusion that it is not fixable. So we promptly took it to the car crusher and sold that bad boy!

Now we have the scary task of purchasing a new car. So many to choose from!

Tonite I scrapbooked a page with pictures from 2001. When we went to the cabin back in March, I put random pictures in a plastic box to scrapbook. My goal was to get most of the pictures scrapbooked, but there was not enough time. Now I have been going back to that box and randomly pulling pictures out.

Here is the page completed tonite.

Craft results

2008-08-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

We had fun getting some craft projects done on Saturday. Here are a couple of pictures.

What tommorow has in store for me

2008-08-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday is supposed to be rainy here in the Puget Sound. I am actually happy. I feel like I have not cooled off since our camping trip to Winthrop back in July.
Miss H has a swimming and slumber party to go to tommorow so Molly and I will have a day of crafting together. One of my BFF's, Rose, may come over also (she better or else is what Molly said! Ha Ha.) so we will hopefully get a lot done. Tonite has been about looking through supplies and sort of re-organizing and re-visiting what I have. One goal of mine lately is to use old tools and products. I typically go with the new stuff, but I am finding that a lot of my old mixes well with the new. I am still in love with the Cricut machine and can't wait to use that, along with all of my wonderful Thickers that I have collected up. The goal eventually is to not purchase alphabet stickers and to use the Cricut and my alphabet stamps instead.
Projects on my mind for tommorow:
1. Paint and decorate shadow boxes with Seabrook group photo
2. Scrapbook in both girls school scrapbooks (this will help get my paper problem closer to being under control)
3. Having a stress free, fun day with Molly and anyone else who dares drag their stuff over to my house!!!! ROSE THIS MEANS YOU!

******update on the helicopter: It is not flying over anymore. No news on any of the local stations either. It is times like these I almost wish I had a police scanner. But then I would have to move my family to some white trash home, drink Schlitz beer and sit on my front porch in a broken down recliner.

helicopter in my neighborhood

2008-08-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, we live near Boeing field so we are in their flight path. I did not think much of the first few minutes of helicopter noise above. But now it has been over a half hour and they are still flying around. I just went through our home, making sure all windows are closed and locked except the back deck which nobody could climb up. Hopefully nothing major is going on, at least it is not being reported yet! I will update if there is any news. Here comes the helicopter again. Wierd.

not so lazy 5 days of vacation

2008-08-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

We are home, safe and sound. I say this because we have been gone to Eastern Wa. for the last 5 days and on the way home today on Hwy 2 in Baring I watched a guy and his passenger, who were riding a motorcycle, dump their motorcycle on the Hwy and proceed to roll towards my lane! I actually did not even know he had a passenger until we pulled over and I ran back to see if he was hurt. Mark was a couple of cars behind me driving his motorcycle, and had also (along with an e.m.t and various other people) pulled over. He never saw the accident happen. Thankfully they seemed to be ok by the time the ambulance got there, at least no major injuries. I can't even say it was really their fault, although by law they are probably at fault. I saw a vehicle 2 or 3 in front of them, make a quick right turn onto a side road, causing all vehicles behind to hit the brakes, causing this motorcyle to make a quick stop which is never good.

Anyways, we had a good trip. Weds was off to Moses Lake to see the grandparents. My cousin came over the next day with her 3 kids (2 of whom I have never seen) and we had a great time just hanging out and letting the kids play. It was very hot out, so we got a bucket of water and sponges and the kids played for over an hour "drawing" and scrubbing the cement driveway. I enjoyed seeing Nikki, I have not seen her in about 3 years? She just had another boy in April who is a doll. He smiles all the time and does this funny eyebrow raising thing when you talk to him. He reminds me so much of Nikki as a child.

Friday we left and headed to my brothers cabin in Plain. The girls and I spent Friday night there alone and then Saturday Jamie, and my two nieces and nephew came over. Mark also got to come over because he had some unexpected time off from work. We took the boat out to Lake Wenatchee (better known to us as the lake that is really trying to be an ocean!) to do some inner-tubing. If I did not know better, I would say that this is the windiest day ever at Lake Wenatchee. We took all of the kids, two adults and one dog out on the lake, proceeded to try and sink the boat by taking on waaaaayyy too much water and decided to call it quits. Harley, our 3 year old nephew said it all by this quote..."Dad, this isn't fun anymore." Couldn't have said it better. The kids went out swimming a bit in the water until I think they could not stand the cold wind anymore.

All in all it was fun. My mom and Dad came over Saturday evening. My sister-in-law drove over Sunday morning and early afternoon we went in to Smallwoods to the petting zoo and to drop a mint on delicious peaches, the petting zoo, milkshakes, and the cow/tractor ride. Kathy and I also sampled some of the best wine! I tried rhubarb and she tried pomegranate. I can't wait to purchase a bottle of the rhubarb. They were out this time.

So glad to be home to sleep in my own bed. The kids start art camp tommorow, so I have two hours to myself each morning. What ever shall I do?

How sad

2008-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this article today about Estelle Getty, better known as Sophia on the Golden Girls. I have always liked that show and "Sophia" was the main reason for that! How sad that she has passed away.

all hail the mighty camping trip

2008-07-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

We love camping. I can't figure out why...it goes against my nature to have dirty hands and "seasoned" feet (our friend Jen called them that instead of disgustingly dirty). But we do love it. And we love to try out new places every now and then. This year we went to Lake Pearrygin. I really hope that is the correct spelling. It is just outside of Winthrop, Washington.
We had the best time despite my car sickness, the sweltering heat, and the fact that our tent was 9,000 degrees each morning.

As I am waiting for the computer to finish uploading pictures I see that one of my fellow campers has also posted about our trip so I will link to it here
so you can read her funny post about it! I am glad she liked her book that Mark found for her. It was a perfect purchase.

We can't wait to go back next year. If you go, watch out for deer on the Highway. We encountered 2 on our way home.

muppets anyone?

2008-07-12T21:20:00.001-07:00

I read about this over on Pop Culture Junk mail and thought it was worth sharing here also! I love it when you can find something this silly on the internet. My favorite is the Jeff Foxworth one. See for yourself.

I don't know how big families do it!

2008-07-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

I have four kids in my home right now, and I am exhausted! They have all been getting along so well, but still it has been a very long day. It is 9 and I have them laying down to watch a movie.

Hopefully by the time they get done, they will be good and tired. They should be! We went to Mark's company picnic today at Jennings Park in Marysville. We won a bike for Hayley which was perfect since we planned to go purchase the new bikes before our camping trip next weekend. Then we came home, the kids swam for almost 2 hours. When they got done they were hungry so I told them we would walk down to Dairy Queen and have dinner and ice cream treats. We must have walked over a mile, but the kids were happy.

Tommorow will be a day of relaxation, some scrapbooking, and then Monday will start another hectic summer week.

Local-ish band

2008-07-12T00:27:00.001-07:00

Because I usually don't discover new music-ever-I want to say that I really like this Portland, Oregon band Blind Pilot. Yay for some good local music! Give them a listen.

Last Comic Standing second semi final : Marcus

2008-07-11T23:48:00.001-07:00

Mark and I think this guy is so funny. He does great impressions! Especially his Christopher Walken!!!

kids "dig" the Sultan Shindig

2008-07-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a suprise! I actually had fun at the Sultan Shindig. I usually don't have a good time at fairs. I think they are overpriced, it's always hot, the kids whine, etc, etc.

This time was different. The kids had fun on the rides and miss H. wanted to go in the dunk tank! Mark brought her bathing suit and she got dunked a few times.

Here are a few pictures.

Oh- and we finally tried an "old school bbq" pulled pork sandwich. It was delicious! They actually have converted an old school bus and are usually on Hwy 2 in the parking lot of the Reptile Zoo. If you are ever out that way, it is worth a stop to try some of their excellent food.

no idle hands here

2008-07-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

Look at what we've made! There are many more to come, but here is a peek at what's been finished so far!

The girls are looking forward to making their "own" money. They get a small and I mean small allowance, but this will be a great learning experience of what goes into having a small business (you know cost of supplies, inventory, time....). See anything you like?

creativity in the air

2008-07-07T23:13:00.001-07:00

I'm up to a lot this week in the creativity department. Here's a list of what is getting done at my house:
1. Lots of hats being knitted. We are gearing up for fall already. The girls are very excited about selling their hats at local shows. Honestly we are planning on one show, but if all goes well, we will search out some more that are cheap or free to be a part of.
2. Shadow boxes with shells and a group photo from our Seabrook trip. I went to Michaels to buy shadow boxes and they are not cheap. Here's a little tip: go over to the section with the wood stuff you can paint and instead of paying 19-25 dollars, you can get a shadow box for 6 bucks!
3. Finishing up a cross-stitch for Molly. It is one of those me and my big idea kids. I think I will make a beach bag and sew it on that for her. Easy Peasy!!!
4. Planning a scrapbooking day. I have a ton to get done. I am thinking this Sunday...so girls in my posse look for an email in the next couple of days.

for your viewing pleasure

2008-07-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

swimming, Seabrook and slumber party

2008-07-03T20:48:00.001-07:00

Well as it shows, we have been busy! We have had some super hot weather (except yesterday and today...can we say Thunderstorm?) and been taking advantage of our pool.
We took a much needed trip out to Seabrook with 4 other families and had the time of our lives. I like to call it "the stepford wives community" because it is sooo perfect. We had fun at the beach, riding horses, flying kites, hot tubbing, playing cards, riding Pee Wee Herman style bikes, cramming myself into the little red wagon for a jaunt down Fireside lane, and just having a ton of fun! We want to make it a regular family vacation every year.

Last night was Miss H's 9th birthday. We had a slumber party (5 girls in all). Everyone got along extremely well, so well that they were still up at 2 a.m. The acorn does not fall far from the tree where my girls are concerned. Hope the other children were not too grumpy for their families today.

Tommorow night we are off to our friends in Stanwood to whoop it up for the 4th of July. The have a great view of the Camano Island fireworks show.

Have a safe and happy 4th!

I'm not dead

2008-06-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Be back soon to blogging world. Lots going on in our lives right now.
Off to bed to dream of our upcoming beach trip.
Sunny weather please stay for awhile!

Girls night out!

2008-06-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

We went to Belltown to dinner at a wonderful little restaraunt called Tavalato. They had the most delish lemon donuts served warm. We were treated to a bunch of high schoolers out on their prom date. Baby faces, no updo's on the girls (w.t.f.?), and akward conversation. I would not go back for any amount of money...except to change the fact that a friend we went to school with died shortly after graduation.
Ok, back to a happy post.
The movie was the best. I highly recommend seeing Sex and the City. Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha were in perfect form in this movie. I loved the music, the story line, and will probably ask Santa to bring it to me in my stocking. The Big Picture movie theater was really a cool place. It is a 21 and over establishment. There is nothing like getting served drinks while you are watching a movie. Two girls were so trashed during the movie that they were passed out cold at the end. We had a good laugh at their expense. I must note that they were NOT a part of our group.
It was so fun to get dressed up and hit the town. A big thanks to T's dad for driving us and picking us up so we could all let loose.

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

2008-05-29T19:04:00.001-07:00

Don't get me wrong here, I love my husband and my b.f.f. Rose to the ends of the earth...but if they don't quit reminding me of this song from Tracy Morgan I might have to murder them! Now I am choosing to plague you with it, ha ha ha!!!!

I'm alive...so alive

2008-05-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

This week has been a huge waste. I have been sick with the stomach flu all week, and now I am back to work. The only thing accomplished by being sick was getting caught up on sleep, and I finally watched the Grey's Anatomy episodes that were waiting on the DVR.
Will report more after this weekend. T, myself and a bunch of girls are going down to Seattle for dinner, Cosmos, and a little movie we know as "Sex in the City". New York better watch out, Seattle girls are in the house!!!

I've caught a bug

2008-05-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

My head is buzzing with crafting ideas these past couple of days. I am going craft crazy!!! On Sunday when I was scrapbooking with my sister-in-law, I silently made a vow that I would not spend any money on scrapbooking supplies until the end of summer (with the exception of adhesives if needed). When I decided to do this I think it helped me kick start myself into all of the projects I have been wanting to complete. I have a box of pictures that originally went with me on my scrapbooking retreat last March, and since Sunday I have been randomly picking pictures out to scrapbook. It has been great, I don't feel like I am in a rut and have not been getting tired of scrapbooking one "event". Wish me luck on getting a lot done the next few months.