Bitty Leprechaun Lass

I made shirts for the family for St. Patrick's Day. I used freezer paper and my Silhouette to cut the shamrocks. Then I bleached the designs into the shirts. I made one for each of the girls and one for JM, but he wouldn't let me take a picture of him.

Blanche burst into tears the minute I tried to take her picture, not sure why. So this is the best picture I could get of her.

Both of the girl's shirts say "Kiss Me, I'm Cute". BG loved her new shirt and was asking to wear it for days.

For dinner we didn't do anything Irish, but I did make rainbow pizza for dessert. After school BG was thrilled about Leprechauns. She learned all about them at school and was so excited to tell us all about it. They found a pot of "gold" and she was so excited about all of it. All night long she was looking for Leprechauns. One found it's way into our house and even colored our milk green at dinner!

Birthday Wishes

Blanche is nearly 14 months old. I thought it was about time to post some birthday pictures.

She got a new birthday dress, which I thought was adorable. JM told me she looks like a little old lady. Admittedly, when she wears a cardigan with it, she does kind of look like a little old lady.

The cake was made by my sister-in-law. She made a cute little smash cake for Blanche too. Blanche wasn't so sure about it. She spent more time playing with the frosting than actually eating the cake. I think frosting in the hair is a sign of 1st birthday success.

She had a fun time ripping the wrapping paper. One of her gifts was a baby doll. It was so cute to see her grab the bottle and immediately try and feed her baby.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Old Friends

When I say old friends, I mean people I have been friends with for a long time, not people who are old. Then again, none of us are getting any younger....

I went to lunch today with one of my oldest friends. I also haven't seen him in a several years. As it turns out, he is one of those friends that you can not see for years at a time and still have great, deep, thought-provoking conversations with. Love those kinds of friends. We had a great time. We talked about jobs, family, religion, and life. He is soon moving to Texas and making the rounds of his friends to say Hello and Goodbye before he leaves the state for good.

Mario and I met when we were 12. Yup, 6th grade people. I had a crush on him so I did what any 12 year-old girl would do- I started talking to his friend. We ended up all becoming friends and I have fond memories of hanging out at the The Pit. The Pit was basically a big dirt field where kids rode their bikes. It was thusly called because there was a large crater in the middle of the field. The Pit is now a condo complex.

We walked to school back in those days. On the way to school was Mike's single story rambler. One morning when my neighbor and I approached, Mario, Mike and Jesse were jumping off the roof and invited us to join them. So we did. We climbed up from the back of the house, walked over the pitch of the roof and jumped off, landing in the front yard. We did this until we had to leave to make the school bell.

Mario's mom didn't like me much. Funny thing, she didn't like a girl calling her 12-year old son, yet I did. As many mothers do, she viewed her son as perfectly sweet and innocent and thought I was a bad influence on him. I know this because she told me on the phone once "You are a bad influence on my son." I was always a little scared of her from then on.

Mario's family moved across town during Jr. High and we ended up at difference schools from them on. Yet, we remained in contact with each other. We each had our own circle of friends, but still maintained a close friendship. We both grew up, I went to college and he went on a mission. I wrote him and told him when I met, then married JM. He once wrote me a letter, while on his mission, telling me I put the "ass in class". JM and I still laugh about and quote it today.

We kind of lost touch after that. His phone number has always been in my contact list, but rarely used. We last got together when I was pregnant with BG, 5 years ago. But today, we reconnected. It was so much fun. It reminded me why we became friends in the first place. He is sweet and funny, thoughtful and deliberate. We have each walked our own paths, but still have much in common. It was great to see him again and share some of each other's lives.

PS- He is single. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll hook you up!

Zoo

Yesterday was free day at the zoo (who knew?) so I took the kids with a friend. It was really nice weather (for Feb) and we had a great time. BG had so much fun running around, seeing the animals, and bossing her friends around.

At one point, they were both looking at the map and trying to decide where to go next. It was pretty cute to see them working together to plan out our route.

We went into the giraffe house. Blanche is old enough that she is really getting interested in seeing things. She loves to point and say "Dis, dis!" It's so amazing to watch her face as see sees and experiences something totally new for the first time.

We let the kids ride the carousel, which BG loved! When we go to the zoo on our own, we don't typically let her ride it because the line is always really long (and we're cheap). But since we got in free, I figured I could splurge for the $2 carousel ticket. Blanche loved watching the animals going around and around.

It was really fun time. It's been a while since we went to the zoo and $Free.99 is my favorite price. It was great to go with friends. BG loved having someone else to run around with.

Happy Me Day

Today is my birthday. I am 29 (for the first time). Somehow, my hands look 80 with all the crazy dry weather.

Somewhere in the recent past, I have turned into my father because when BG asked me what I wanted to for my birthday, I told her "I want you to listen and obey." She laughed and said "No, mom. That's not a toy!" My Dad's standard answer to the What do you want question was "Good kids and a clean house."

My sweet husband arranged for a sitter tonight so we can go to dinner. Not having to find a sitter is such a great gift! I'm looking forward to a night out with JM. I think this is going to be a good year.

What's in My Closet?

Remember how I design and make jewelry? If you don't it's because I haven't done anything in well over a year. I've been having this nagging thought lately that I need to get back into it. Now sure why, but my brain just won't let go of the idea.

So, I'm going to have a Sale Trunk Show. I have a bunch of product that has been sitting in my closet while I was pregnant, had a baby, and dealt with life with 2 kids. I'm finally feeling good about our routine (it only took a year) so it might be time to add some jewelry back in. Back to my stale inventory. I don't feel like I can sell it for full price because it's old, but it's still good quality. Luckily, jewelry doesn't have an expiration date. After a little polishing, it will be pretty, shiny, and good as new. And for those who come to my show- a great deal too!

This post wasn't really meant as a marketing pitch, more a rambling thought process. Yet somehow it turned into that. I don't have a date yet, but I'm thinking late March/early April to give me time to put everything together and maybe even whip up some new things. I'm excited to start creating again. I'll post more details on the show when I get them figured out. You are all invited to come.

Recurring Dreams

You may have noticed, my blogging has really gone downhill lately. (If you haven't, you must not visit very often.) I'm feeling empty on the idea-front. Although I do like to use this as a journal of sorts (hence the kidlet posts) I also have a need to please. I figure if I can't provide something funny, thought-provoking, or interesting in some way, there's no sense in posting. Besides, who really wants to read about my boring day-to-day antics?

Having said all that, I've had several friends lately pick up blogging again after taking a break. I figure it they can do it, so can I. So here's a post for you loyal readers (are you still there?)

I have a recurring dream. I don't recall how long I've had this particular dream, but it pops up every so often. In my dream, I'm back in high school. Only I'm my current, late 20's self being forced to attend high school again. I keep thinking to myself "How can I not have a HS diploma, I have a college degree!?" Yet, there I am to fulfill the requirements of high school. I wander around the halls cringing at the cliques, drama, and all other things high school related. I feel my maturity compared to the other students. Then I wake up and thank the Lord that I don't have to go to high school again.