Can You SEE ME Now???... Blinded by THE WHITE...

One of the yucky things that winter brings is a FILTHY CAR... snow, sleet, sand, road salt and freezing temps wreak HAVOC on your cars appearance... covering it in a haze of gray to "salt white"... let's not even talk about the interior!


Yesterday one of the Moms I know (from school) was REAR-ENDED while waiting to make a turn into the Grocery Store Parking Lot... the person that hit her told the police officer that they could not SEE the taillights were lit up because of all the "road build up" on them... (let me mention at THIS point that the person that REAR-ENDED said Mom was 83 years old... a topic for another time)... anyway... the police officer DID NOT issue a TICKET (to the 83 year old)... but DID "strongly suggest" to my "Mom Friend" that she keep her taillights (and headlights) cleaned off... so she could/would be more visible to other drivers... GOOD ADVICE (I think)... but the 83 year old driver SHOULD have been ticketed...

I came straight home from school and took the advice given to my "Mom Friend" and cleaned off MY taillights AND headlights

So... take a walk around your car... would YOU be "visible" to "other drivers" (maybe an 83 year old driver that probably SHOULDN'T be driving anyway??? Sorry... I did say THAT topic was for another time!)...

Take a few extra minutes to clean off your taillights and headlights... better to be safe... than sorry!

We are under another WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY... forecasted for 6-8" of the WHITE STUFF by tomorrow morning.... so far... so good... NOTHING is falling from the sky... YET...

Disney Distraction...

Thankfully lately I have been given a distraction from the NEVER ENDING white stuff falling from the sky and the FRIGID cold temps... I have made a "mini-wardrobe" for "the girls" (Ruthie and Julie)... with "help" from Lilley-Kate (ok... not really help... but company... she loves to sit with me while I sew... she plays with the fabric scraps and buttons and ribbon... we sing little songs and just chat)...

One of my "projects" was to "pimp up" some premade garments sent to me by a friend... they are going to "escape" the cold and head South for a "Disney Distraction" soon... and her little one couldn't go without some "Disnified" duds... so I got them done lickety split and had a "Disney Singalong" with Lilley-Kate...

I'm trying REALLY hard... I can't remember the last time we had a sunny DAY (the sun HAS peeked out a couple of times... but sadly not for long)... I'm hoping this week the weather will co-operate and I can "get outta Dodge" to a neighboring state for some shopping! Keep your fingers crossed!

Perspective...

I have realized that in the grand scheme of things... it COULD be a LOT worse... Spring WILL come... Spring WILL come... Spring WILL come...

Off Kilter...

Exactly how I have been feeling... like I'm going to fall off the edge... struggling to stay upright...

Made Me Laugh...

And right now... I DESPERATELY NEED a GOOD LAUGH...

Body Statistics
It takes your food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.

One human hair can support 3 kg (6.6 lb).

The average man's penis is three times the length of his thumb.

Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.

A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.

There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.

Women blink twice as often as men.

The average person's skin weighs twice as much as the brain.

Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.

If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.

Women reading this will be finished now.

Men are still busy checking their thumbs.

BUTT COLD...

Yep... it's COLD... beyond FRIGID... to BUTT COLD... you know the kind... that kind of cold that when you breathe through your nose you can feel your nosehairs freezing... and the kind of COLD that makes your BUMS cold...


0* here people... Z E R O... and that doesn't factor in the windchill... Which is another type of cold ALL TOGETHER...

Hope everyone is staying WARM and COZY... and keeping their BUTTS COVERED!

Cyber Play...

Lilley-Kate had a VERY SPECIAL Play Date today... a CYBER PLAY DATE with a VERY SPECIAL FRIEND!!! They were so cute chatting it up and decided to play "Hair Salon" together... VERY SPECIAL FRIEND is quite the hair stylist and Lilley-Kate listened intently to the instructions and followed along... Styling first Julie's hair... and then Ruthie's hair...

The girls have already made a date for their next "Hair Salon Session" and Lilley-Kate is excitedly looking forward to it!

A Reminder of "Home"...

Lilley-Kate is an AVID bird lover... I think she probably inherited it from her PAPA in Virginia... Her most favorite bird is the cardinal... the official bird of our home state (ok... Michael and Lilley-Kate's home state by way of the Virginian Creed)... My parents got her a beautiful Audubon puzzle for Christmas... 500 PIECES!!! Slowly and methodically Lilley-Kate (with a little help from Daddy) completed the puzzle... When she finished she said... "Isn't that the most pretty cardinal you have ever seen?"... yes... yes it is...

Hope EVERYONE had a WONDERFUL weekend!!!

Building a Wardrobe... And Snowman

Today was spent watching the rapidly falling snow... AND helping out Lilley-Kate's "girls" (who according to her were seriously "wardrobe challenged")... sewing a few simple skirts... and outfits for "the girls"...

WE had a break in the snowfall and Lilley-Kate and Michael headed outside for some fun... of course... a snowman was an order...

We currently have around 10" of the white stuff... more forecasted overnight... the plows (that stopped plowing earlier in the day) have resumed their routes and the sounds of snowshoveling and snowblowers can be heard throughout the neighborhood... we'll see what the morning brings as far as additional snowfall... HOPEFULLY not much!

White Stuff...

We are in the middle of the first "major" snowfall of the season in these parts... it started snowing yesterday evening around 6ish... and has continued ever since... according to the weather reports we are averaging 1 1/2"-2" an HOUR... so the plows have stopped plowing... once this is over we could end up with anywhere from 12"-16" of the white stuff!!!! I ran outside and took some pics to share...

Luckily it is light and powdery so far... so shoveling and getting around isn't too much of an issue!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

SHAM...

Lilley-Kate was INTENT on getting the SHAMWOW for Michael for Christmas... so we did... and yes... Lilley-Kate made ABSOLUTELY SURE that is was MADE IN GERMANY (taking heed to BEWARE OF IMITATORS)...

After having INTENTLY read the instructions (at Lilley-Kate's urging) before using... Michael and Lilley-Kate have come to the conclusion...

The SHAM is not so WOW...

Baby It's COLD Inside...

Well... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Man... is it just ME... or do the days between Christmas and New Years seem to DRAG ON FOREVER??? I'm glad to be done with the "holidays" and looking FORWARD to the New Year... and warmer weather to come!!!

Back to school today for Lilley-Kate (and back to Dance after a Holiday break)... she was SO EXCITED about going to school this morning... I think she was really starting to miss her classmates and Mrs. Pfeiffer... Nick is still on break... but I think is planning to head back to school on Saturday...

So... we woke up this morning to a CHILLY house... not thinking much of it though... since it's not unusual... we trun the thermostat down during the night (trying to keep 3 levels comfortably warm can be expensive)... but I realized that the house was going from CHILLY to COLD... so I checked the thermostat... yep... 58* and dropping... so I call the "heat guys"... they are SUPER NICE and came right out... replaced a bad FAN BLOWER BOARD... so we are warming up now...

We planted the Narcisuss bulbs about a week ago... kinda an after Christmas Tradition... they had already started sprouting in the box (kinda nervous about that)... HOPEFULLY in about 6 weeks we'll have fragrant paperwhites to enjoy!

I have some "goals" set for 2009... I figure goals are easier than resolutions... We'll see how it goes as the year progresses!

Hope everyone is enjoying the "back to normal" normalcy!!!

I'm SO EXCITED... and so is SHE!!!...

For a while now I have been TRYING to get Lilley-Kate to let me paint her fingernails... she seems genuinely "delightfully interested" whenever one of her girlie friends are sporting painted nails... "Oh Mommy... I LOOOOOOOOOVED Kylee's sparklie nails"... and I would always ask her if SHE wanted sparklie nails... "Oh no... I wouldn't love MY nails sparklie... but I LOVE Kylee's nails sparklie"... whenever we were in the vacinity of the nailpolish/nail care stuff I would TRY to get her interested... but no luck... then TODAY...

As soon as she saw the nail polish display and a package of "nail gems"... the "bug" bit her... "Mommy.. can you paint my nails and put these sparklie things on them?"... I couldn't buy the stuff fast enough (I had to be super quick before she CHANGED HER MIND right???)... so... she (we) chose a soft frosted lilac polish... and a package of "nail gems"... as SOON as we got home (thinking my window of opportunity could close at any minute) I sat her down and we played "nail salon"...

She was THRILLED with the results and couldn't wait to show Nick and Daddy when they got home... she's already talking about getting PINK SPARKLIE POLISH the next time we go shopping!!!

Totally Addictive...

Nick's girlfriend Samantha came for a "post-holiday" visit for a few days... It's always nice to see her (and Lilley-Kate LOVES her)... she's super sweet... and gives Nick an intellectual run for his money... Well... shortly after she arrived on Friday she got a hold of Lilley-Kate's FIND IT tube (a gift from SANTA... at the suggestion of a VERY FABULOUS ELF!!!)... and then found Nick's FIND IT tube...


I think every chance she got... she had one of them in her hands... searching for the HIDDEN ITEMS... thinking maybe I'll be purchasing another one as a "belated Holiday" gift!!!

I must say though... FIND IT Tubes are TOTALLY ADDICTIVE!!!

Here's Your Sign...

OK... so yesterday I had had just about enough "Holiday Cheer"... WHY is it the days between Christmas and New Years seem to go on FOREVER???... anyway... I went to a not so local shopping center to see what I could see... came out to find that the HOLIDAY WREATH that I had on my van had been STOLEN!!! OMG... WHO the HELL steals a wreath off of a van??? Well... I took it as a "sign" of sorts... so TODAY (instead of on January 1st as traditionally) the Christmas decorations are COMING DOWN...

I'm not mad at the THIEF who stole my wreath (I mean... it was just a little $2.50 thing)... Maybe... just maybe... "Post-Holiday" insanity possessed them... and seeing that Holiday wreath on my car sent them over the edge... and instead of screaming out in pure frustration (which would've been kinda weird in the middle of a parking lot)... they decided to quietly remove the wreath from my van... Hey... I can TOTALLY RELATE to that (although I probably would've just done the screaming in frustration thing)... or MAYBE... just maybe... they needed a wreath for THEIR car...

Either way... I took it as a "sign"

A Handy Daddy...

We had made the decision earlier in the year that THIS YEAR would be Lilley-Kate's year to receive her (first) American Girl Doll(s)... I started "covertly" asking her every time a new catalog would arrive "Who are your favorite girls?"... and she would always answer the same way "I love Julie and Ruthie"... try as I might... I could NOT get her to love KIT (my personal crush)... decision made... order placed in plenty of time for Christmas...

Once the Girls arrived (and might I say in a VERY inconspicuous box... YIPEE) the anticipation for Christmas started to build... I consulted an American Girl "expert" (a FAB FRIEND of mine who's daughter has MULTIPLE girls)... how to "take care" of them... what would be some fun "accessories"... well... DADDY definitely knew what HIS contribution would be... the Girls were going to need a place to sleep right???

So the wood was purchased... and pattern found... He worked secretly in the garage after Lilley-Kate had gone to bed...



And built a bed for RUTHIE...

And Julie too...

I made the "bedclothes" (sheets, pillow cases and "quilts")...

I'm happy to report that both Ruthie and Julie have totally loved their comfy beds...

*Added at Michael's request is that the wood for this project cost approximately $12.00 for each bed...

Next project... Wardrobes based on Simplicity 3936...

A Christmas Wish...

From ME to YOU... MERRY CHRISTMAS to EVERYONE!!! I hope you all have SAFE and HAPPY celebrations!!!

Christmas Countdown...

Last night we decided to take a bit of a "road trip" to a (not so) local nursery to visit "Santa's Lane"... this has become a yearly tradition... the trees (there are about 100 in all) are beautifully decorated and there are LOTS of holiday ornaments and decoration to see...

Lilley-Kate was THRILLED that Nick agreed to come with us...

The PINK pointsettias were a FAV of both ME and Lilley-Kate (I think it was the glitter on all the petals that we loved the most!)...

LOTS and LOTS of beautifully decorated trees... I think I have come to LOVE the "very decorated" look... (I got lots of good ideas too of things that can be ADDED to trees... other than traditional ornaments)...

A big "trend" was the Colored trees... Lilley-Kate and I particularly like this PURPLE tree... they also had PINK, ROYAL BLUE, WHITE, RED and even a BLACK tree...

The most favorite tree of all of course had to be the BALLERINA TREE...

I hope everyone is getting their last minute things done!!! Tonight we will be popping popcorn and taking a ride around our nieghborhood to see all the Christmas lights!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!

Merry MISH-MASH...

I've been working through my "GET DONE" list... and am finally making a bit of progress...
1. More ornaments for Lilley-Kate's "Very Mary" tree...


2. Cookies baked... packaged... and delivered to friends and neighbors...

3. Holiday "Thank You's" to Lilley-Kate's teachers (at school and dance)...

4. Finishing up the dance year with parties in both TAP and BALLET...

WHEW... is it January YET??? It seems like Christmas "snuck up" on me this year... too much to do (or too much I WANT to do...) and not enough time... I only have a couple more things on my list to get done... before the 25th...

"Holiday" Crafting...

Today I had the opportunity to visit Lilley-Kate's class and spend some time with the kids making a "Holiday" craft... I needed something "easy" and "quick"... and these chenille stem candy canes fit the bill perfectly!!!

The kids had a fun time crafting... and we even "snuck in" some Christmas (I mean "Holiday") songs after we were done making the candycanes!!!

On The Road...

Well... today is "the day"... our "family" Christmas celebration with Michael's family...

Let's just hope the BIG PINK ELEPHANT in the room is wearing a festive Christmas outift...

Student of the Month...

Lilley-Kate was so excited on WEDNESDAY... she had been chosen STUDENT OF THE MONTH (for December) by her Reading Teacher... so all the SOM got to have a PIZZA PARTY in the library with their teachers and parents... each child got a certificate and we got to owrk on a craft together...


Each of the kids (and their parents) got to decorate a painters cap... the kids were allowed to wear them to school on Friday...

It was exciting to have lunch with Lilley-Kate's Reading teacher... all the kids were so proud of themselves... and we were SO PROUD of our FAVORITE GIRL!

WAY TO GO LILLEY-KATE!!!

One of Five... and Ornament Love...

I had always dreamed of someday having a tree in each room of the house... SLOWLY we are accomplishing that... this year we have 5 trees up (actually 6 if you count the little lighted tree in Nick's room)... we "graduated" Lilley-Kate to a full size (6') tree this year and decorated it in "very Mary fashion"...

I made the felt Scotties (in black and white and a cherry print)... SUPER EASY!!!

I bought the wooden Ladybugs at JoAnn's (they were already pre-painted)... just added a ribbon for hanging...

I've always LOVED snowflakes... and these really helped fill in the trees in the Living Room and Dining Room... they are SUPER GLITTERY (which looks magical at night with the lights lit)... Found at the DOLLAR STORE (12 in a pack... I have over 100 snowflakes all together on the two trees)...

Ever since I was a little girl I have LOVED this ornament on my parents tree... My Mother made it the first year she was married... there is a set of 4 bells... she gave one to my sister and one to me last year... it's one of my most treasured ornaments...

Hope everyone is finding time to enjoy the holiday season!

A Confession...

On "Black Friday" I went with my SIL (the FENCERIDER)... her Mother (the SPARKLIE ONE) and my 14 YEAR OLD NEPHEW (don't ask WHY a 14 yo BOY would want to spend the day shopping with 3 women... b/c I kept asking myself that all day and couldn't figure it out...) ANYWAY... about 3/4 through the day we stop at a "local java hut" (14 yo just HAD to have a HOT CHOCOLATE... again... WHY was he with us???)...

We all get hot chocolate... and FENCERIDER goes into the restroom... and comes out all huffity puffity... "Why didn't ANYONE tell me I had a big BOOGER hanging out of my nostril?" she asks red-faced... well... 14 yo says "Good thing you saw it"... SPARKLIE ONE says "Oh Honey... it's no big deal"... What do I say (very innocently)??? "I didn't even notice it..."

THE CONFESSION... Yea... I SO NOTICED IT... don't worry though... I would tell YOU if YOU had a big BOOGER hangin' out of YOUR nose!!!

Nutcrackers and Gingerbread Houses...

This weekend was fun-filled and FRIGID (our high this weekend was on Saturday... 27*)... One of our Holiday Traditions is to go and see the Nutcracker Ballet put on by our local Regional Ballet company... it's such a fun afternoon...


We also had our "2nd Annual Gingerbread House Party" with The Hardts... This year Mrs. Hardt and I decorated our own houses (can I tell you I TOTALLY enjoyed that!)... the girls had a fun time... the house smelled like a candy shop!

Give-Away Time x2 !!!!

My DEAR FRIEND JENN is having a GIVE-AWAY!!! Just visit her ETSY SHOP... pick which headband you like... then leave a comment with your choice on her BLOG... you have until FRIDAY... so get on over there and enter!!!

ALSO...

AMY over at MOMMY and BEYOND is having a GIVE-AWAY with some FABULOUS things to choose from (I'm secretly hoping for the zipper pouch or bracelet and earrings! )... You have until MONDAY to enter... just leave a comment!

Give-Aways are always such FUN!!!

YUMMY GOOD!!!

When I find something we (and I personally) like, I tend to tell EVERYONE I know (and even those I don't... LOL)... Well... we LOVE this popcorn!!! It's sold by the BOYSCOUTS yearly (but you can order it year round from HERE... a portion (70% on average) goes towards supporting Scouting in your local area... that is a good thing... both for the Scouts in your area... and your TUMMY!!!

SUCCESS!!!!

I FINALLY found a pair of boots that met ALL the requirements... I'm SO EXCITED ( NOT excited enough though to go run out in the snow and play though!) !!!