Repost: Gesu Bambino

Gesu Bambino

...my Christmas present to all of you! Yes, I guess that means I've been officially driven to "regifting"! Lol. You don't mind, do you?

In which I denounce crafting...

I've refinished the same Christmas gift about 3 times. I made a set of photo blocks for my mother-in-law. Super cute project. But I warn you, it is a pain in the _______ to make. In fact, I might even put that on the tag... "Merry Christmas, your present was a pain in the ______ to make! And peace on earth."

The instructions are to first, paint your wooden blocks - so that the edges or sides you don't use have a finished look. And I didn't do that. I applied my photos first and then painted the sides I chose not to use. Some black paints leave residual behind. And it gets on your fingers. And then it gets on your photos. And if you try to wipe it off the photos you'll take some of the finish off your photos. Even if you've applied a waterproof sealant like mod podge. So, buy good paint that does not rub off. Moving on...

Next you mod podge photos to a 4x4 set of wooden blocks (you dissect the photos to fit over 4 blocks on each side, and they fit together like a puzzle, in the shape of a cube... make sense?) You have the choice of just covering the outside of the cube with photos, or adding them to the inside as well, so that every side of each individual block has part of a picture on it, and every which way you turn the blocks they can form a picture.

Did you know how much mod podge likes to stick to itself? So, mistake #2, do not mod podge photos on the inside of the blocks, outside only. Okay. Moving on!

Before applying the photos it's important to make sure they face the way you want them too. So that your kids aren't upside down on one side, for example. Not as easy as it sounds, I am afraid. I felt like I needed my high school calculus teacher assisting me with this one. UGH!

Maybe it's just stress coming to a head. But I feel the insatiable urge to grab a few of those cute little "I took the handmade pledge" bloggy buttons and mame them. And forget baking anymore goodies, I'm regifting the zucchini-banana-pumpkin-whateverelseisinit bread, too! Hmph!

On Dasher, on Dancer, on Donner, on Blitzen...

On sugar cookies, on toffee, on truffles, on cinnamon...

First in the round of baking this year was cookies with the kids. Found these fun candies at World Market. Aren't they festive looking on top of a cookie In the recent Pier 1 Imports catalog I saw these fruit wheels perched on the rims of glasses. How fun!

Christmas Spirit

Every season starts off the same - waking up at the crack of dawn on Black Friday and trying to convince myself that's officially time to prepare for Christmas. Although there is the music and red and green to prove it, I'm not always feeling it.


Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. However, as I've grown older, added more children to my family and more responsibility to my plate, it's gotten harder and harder for me to find the time to just enjoy the feeling of Christmas. I struggle with finding the joy in shopping and wrapping and giving and baking and decorating and warding off the stress in it all. But I love the memories all that work helps to create.

Christmas music is a constant for us during the month of December. I love it of course because I am a musician, but music also triggers memories. This morning as I drove my children to school I had one such memory trigger. Blue Christmas by Elvis came on the radio and I was immediately taken back, back, back to decorating the Christmas tree with my parents and my brothers. We listened to the same old records every year - Barbara Streisand, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby. They echoed through the house as we sorted and decorated. We usually had some goodies to munch on and it was just a very lovely time for our family. Everyone was happy - that was the best part. Happy and GOOFY. My Dad would always say just the right thing to send us all into hysterics, snorting our eggnog and choking on our cookies.

So if you find yourself caught up in the hullabaloo that really has nothing to do with the happy feelings of Christmas, take some time to reflect on your happy memories. I like to think about my first Christmas with my husband. I remember opening my eyes and looking up at the ceiling, I remember what song came on the radio, I even remember what I wore to my in-laws for breakfast, because I was so excited.

Bring on the Christmas cheer!

Just had to share this...

http://joytoeveryone.com/index.htm

2 fun holiday craft ideas I'd love to get to...

... but in case I don't (and honestly? proably won't), I'll share them with you!

I got this idea off the cover of Garnet Hill. Tell me this isn't a great idea for homemade Christmas cards.



And tell me these aren't perfect for stockings! Think of all the cute socks they have in the $1 aisle at Target... that means they'd have to be made on a small scale.. but, uh huh. I want to see how yours turn out. ;) And if you get a hold of the catalog they have some darling fishy shaped ones on the back cover that would be ULTRA easy (like for non-seamstresses such as me).

Yummy baby alert!

See the new photo blog: http://photosbylei.typepad.com/

San Antonio Rock n' Roll Half Marathon

About a year ago I decided to start running. I'd been working with a personal trainer to help me lose the last of my stubborn baby weight, and in the process I learned that I was capable of doing so much more with my body than I'd ever thought was possible.

On my first day of training I couldn't even do 1 push-up. Not even 1! After 5 weeks of intense training I was able to do 15... then 45 and now 100.

Before I began working with her I considered it a good week if I'd walked for 30 minutes 3 times a week. Now I am working out 5 days a week - 2 days of strength training and 3 days of running.

I've amazed myself with my potential - potential I didn't even think was there! On the positive side, it's given me a lot of self confidence and rid me of a lot of self doubt. I have a lot more energy. I'm not constantly worried about my physical appearance anymore (will those pants make my hips look wide? will that shirt accentuate my pooch?). And I feel great - physically, mentally and emotionally.

This past weekend I ran my first race, a half-marathon. This is something I never thought possible. Much like the first time I was asked to do a push-up, I remember the first time I tried to run. It was back in college, about 12 years ago. I lived with 2 runners at the time. I'd always danced for exercise, so it was a new experience for me to do something so hardcore. My roomates asked me to join them several times and I chickened out several times. But I decided to give it a shot one night. Oh my. Wow. I decided then and there that running wasn't for me and that I just wasn't athletic enough.

Fast forward to now. About 4 months ago I was running 3, sometimes 4 miles. But knowing I could go that far was miracle enough to know I could push myself much further. And so I did. I modified a novice half marathon training program that had me increasing my mileage by 1 mile every 2 weeks, up to 12 miles which I ran the last weekend before my race. And with the exception of 2 or 3 times I succssfully stuck to that schedule throughout.

On race morning my alarm went off at 5 am. My very first thought? To be completely honest, it was "I don't want to do this today!" It was very cold outside. We'd arrived in San Antonio the night before and had quite the experience picking up my race packet and getting dinner. The city was packed with out-of-towners. I knew this race was going to be big, but word was that 70% of the runners were non-Texan. Out of 33,000 registrants, that's alot extra people driving around. There was lots of traffic and lots of lines, everywhere we went. I had a feeling that this race was going to be like no other. And I suppose it wasn't, as it went down in history as the largest running event ever.

The race was scheduled to start at 7:30. We left the hotel around 5:50 and set out on the 15 minute drive to the parking lot where I would then have to take a shuttle to the starting line. It took us 50 minutes to get there because of traffic, of course. Which was fine, I was still there 50 minutes before the race was supposed to begin. When I got to the line for the shuttles, I began to panic. It wound around and around and around the lot and had HUNDREDS of people in it. I knew there was no way they were going to get all of us there by 7:30!

A man next to me in line interupted my thoughts or dread and fear and said, "Is this your first race?" I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Is it that obvious?", I said. "Well, your race number is in the wrong place!", he tells me. Hehe... I'd pinned it on the back of my shirt. But I didn't think it mattered and it felt less in the way there. Little did I know that it would also have prevented me from finding any pictures of myself after the race! So I got it pinned to the front of my water belt where it still felt out of the way, but was visible. I listened as Neil entertained me with how he'd gotten to this, his 59th race. He also taught me all about "throw away" clothing, since I also had some confusion as to whether to wear my race number on my top layer or my bottom layer of clothing. I am thankful for Neil because he broke the ice for me that morning, and helped me feel like I belonged there.

I also met a women named Suzanne. And Suzanne and I stuck together right up to the starting line. She'd run a couple marathons and was doing this half marathon "just for fun". How nice it would be, I thought, for this to become "fun". Lol! Because I was a bundle of nerves!!! Not to mention freezing my derriere off. It was about 40degrees outside and we were just standing there getting stiffer and stiffer and the minutes drolled by. I was grateful to have conversation with Suzanne to keep my mind off the chaotic morning that lie before me.

We finally got on the shuttle, which was heated. That was nice. But when the shuttle dropped us off a mile from the starting line I didn't think it was so nice anymore. I had to warm up all over again! And I had to go to the bathroom. So we dodged into a Whataburger along the way and got in line with about 30 other people that wanted to avoid the porta-potties. The manager was so kind to let us crash his joint without buying any food!

After relieving ourselves one last time we continued on our way. Alas, it was about time to start the race. I'd not eaten anything in over 2 hours, and I am hypoglycemic, so I broke out a marathon bar which I was saving for after the race and ate half of it. I also stretched a little. Thankfully my muscles had loosened up enough from the walk that they were responsive!

They conducted a wave start, where all the runners are organized by corral (based on their projected finishing time). I didn't make it in time to start with my corral, so I went with Suzanne to hers. She'd decided to begin walking so I had to say goodbye to her as I quickly memorized her email address. We hope to end up at the same race again sometime in the future!

The first 2 miles of the race were all about getting around walkers. Which was difficult. I wanted to break out full speed, taking advantage of the adrenaline rush I felt, but I couldn't. I was feeling pretty discouraged... but strong. Around mile 4 I could see that my hopeful finish time of 2:10 was looking fairly bleak. Which disappointed me because I finished my 12 mile run just a week earlier in 2:01. So I knew it was very possible. I continued trying to dodge people and zig zag my way through the crowd, and the next 4 miles went by pretty quickly.

By mile 8 it seemed like the crowd was thinning out a little. They had several local bands playing along the way, and I had a good running mix on my mp3 player. I also thought a lot about how far I'd come, and got all teary and choked up a few different times. I looked around at the spectators cheering us on along the way and felt so proud of myself for doing this! I knew my husband and kids were home cheering me on just as they had my very first time around a track. That brought me comfort and I decided that it didn't matter what my finish time was. All I had to do was put one foot in front of the other and keep going.

As I hit mile 11 I was feeling pretty fatigued. All the slowing and then trying to pick up the pace and make up time was hard for me. Almost everyone walks through the water stations, which I was not prepared for. There were also several bottle-neck areas along the route where we moved from nice wide roads to narrower ones. So I really had to focus to keep my spirits up and not get frustrated.

At mile 12 there was a nice drop which I enjoyed sprinting through. Then we turned a corner and there was an uphill climb ahead of us. A pretty steep one. I wanted to scream! I mean, how rude to make us finish a race like that! Lol! But I did it (cursing only a little;))... and at the top of that hill I ran full force for the finish line. Most people had really slowed down, so I found a clear route and I just went for it. The announcer said over the mic, "And runner #16894 finishes strong!" That felt so good to hear.

I slowly meandered my way through the masses to the medic station, where I downed a salt packet and stretched my muscles well (they were feeling a little crampy). I ate a bagel, a banana, drank a yogurt drink and a powerade and more water and I was feeling pretty good! Even today my hip flexors are a little sore, but that's it! I think my training was so slow and steady, but persistent, that I was well prepared - physically - for this race.

My chip time was 2:31. In Februrary when I run my NEXT half marathon I know I can make my goal time of 2:10, and maybe even better! I've decided that I want to keep this up. I finally, after a year of trying to convince myself, feel like a runner! And although it was somewhat disorganized, this race was exciting and the perfect learning experience for me. I am grateful for the opportunity, I enjoyed the energy of the runners around me, and I am especially enjoying the sense of accomplishment I feel now that I am done!

Censoring the words of an elementary school boy...

One of Jonah's recent spelling assignments was to write 2 sentences using the words "I" and "what". Here is what he came up with...



I made him erase "What the heuck (heck)?" and think of another sentence before turning it in, but not before I took a picture! Lol!

I have little restraint

When the urge to create hits me I can do nothing else. Food and sleep mean nothing. And I just have to get it out of my system. Or who knows what might happen.

Wash board turned magnet board:



A "Thanksgiving" Tree, whose leaves will be donned with our many blessings come FHE Monday night:





Hobby Lobby, my favorite treasue trove, had a few of these darlings for 50% off:



I came way too close to decorating for the holidays early this year. Instead I reembraced Fall and used greenery in and around my pumpkin/gourd shaped candles and grapevine balls. The banner was purchased from a friend who's selling them... super cute and perfect for a "Favorite Things" party I hosted on Saturday night.



My laundry room has needed some TLC. So I added a few goodies to help it not feel quite so neglected.







And I found some new fabrics for my Whimsy Wipes. The brown and pick one reverses to brown with pink polka dots, and has the same furry border as the black one. Delicious. And soon to be up in my Etsy store.





I am sure my kids will be glad to wake up tomorrow to real meals and a once again attentive mother, who's gotten her creative fix for the month.;)

Happy Halloween!

Pssst... check out THIS great give-away.

Happy spooky 4th birthday!

My 4 year old had a birthday party this weekend. It was so, so fun. We played ring toss with pumpkins and hula hoops, and "A gift for Mummy" (which is a game where you hide little prizes in toilet paper and "mummify" your guests until a prize falls out of the roll). We also had a cute little monster pinata filled with goodies and jumped on our brand new trampoline! For story time we spread out a big pinic blanket and munched on gooey chex mix. The book we read was Halloween Sky Ride by Elizabeth Spurr.

Drew got a pumpkin cake this year which was uber easy to decorate. I used Wilton's decorator's frosting in a tube to draw my Jack 'o Lantern face and filled it in with black sugar. Breezy!



Here's a few pictures that I remembered to take. But for the second time in a row I forgot to get one of my darling cauldron of bug juice! :( Ah well, you'll just have to picture it (and of course try it when you get a chance). All you do is mix Sprite and lime sherbet and drape gummy worms over the side of your punch bowl (cauldron). Be sure to garnish each cup with a yummy worm!









Don't you just love the last one?

The party favors were snatched up at the dollar spot in Target. Love that place. Each felt bucket contianed either socks or gloves, the prize from the mummy game, and their goodies from the pinata. Also pictured here is a really easy table decoration. All I did was take a brown grocery bag, dissect it flat, cut strips all around the edges, and twist away. The base is weighted down with marbles. The idea came from Family Fun - my favorite place for party ideas.

For Tamlynn and Nettie

I even put on an apron for ya. ;)

cute felt clips

I made these for my niece's birthday. What makes them so fun is a combination of unlikely textures - ribbon, felt, and metal. They were super easy to assemble. All you need is felt, ribbon, single prong clips and buttons or other embellishments. Cover the clip in your ribbon of choice. Cut the felt in the design that you wish. I cut a flower and layered it with a pinked circular center. Then finish it off with some ric rac and a button or maybe a scrapbooking embellishment (the "b" is for Bella, but I think numbers, i.e. for their age, would also be fun). No sewing involved, I just used my beloved hot glue gun.

Voila.

Feel my pain...

3 days ago I would have said that I'd do anything to have my healthy little girl back. She's got a viral bug and her fever has been up around 102-103 since Saturday. I hate looking into those sad, sunken little eyes and feeling like there's nothing I can do.

Today, although still a tad feverish, she's getting her mojo back. Oh yes. I discovered that she'd painted my ottoman with nacho cheese this morning and thought... now why didn't I appreciate the quietude yesterday?

Thank goodness for blogging because I don't think I could say that out loud and not be committed. Lol.

Fun with pumpkins

I used to come up with something fun and different to do with my basic orange pumpkins every year. It burned me out and so for the last few years I've just had fun picking out the most unusual ones I could find at local markets - blue hubbard, ghost white, and fairy tale varieties - love the varieties of gourds as well!

This year I got my second wind. The kids and I dressed up our porch yesterday with decor reminiscent of old haunted houses... and these painted ghost pumpkins are the perfect addition! First I drew a design with marker and then I went over it with black paint. One of them has our last name initial, one of them is polka-dotted, one's got a fun swirly top and the other has sort of a medallion in the center. So fun!

I vacuum my table (and other confessions)

Yes, sometimes it is the fastest and easiest way to clear the surface of crumbs!

I think all purses shaped like bustieres should be burned.

I bribe my kids with dum dums to get them to keep playing the piano.

I also think sweatpants with writing on the rear should be burned.
I've taught my 2 year old to say, "I'm so cute. And I'm so smart."
I hate going to the park, but I do it because my children love it.

I'm probably the worst potty trainer ever.
I don't make my kids brush their teeth every morning.
I love Big Macs.
I like to run to heavy metal. And hip hop.

My blog is loved!

My good friend smart mama recently highlighted me as a blog she loves. I must say, that no matter how much time passes between my blogging spurts, I have a few blogs that I too cannot stay away from. Smart mama of course is one of them. She is bursting at the seams with creative genius. We talk of getting together and having a mass 'o fun. I daydream of all the projects we could come up with by putting our 2 heads together. It really, really needs to happen, don't you think?

Morning Glory and I are long time blogging buddies. She co-hosted Woman to Woman with me. I've tied myself to various mother figures over the years due to the loss of my own a few years back. I look up to MG in many ways. She is kind and selfless and an abosultely beautiful person. How can you not love someone like her? I know many of you feel the same way about her as I do. She's such an inspiration.

Shelah at Hitting the Ground Running always has something engaging to read. She's a very talented writer and a smart and strong woman who motivates me always! She's the ultimate "doer". Check her out at fMh and Segullah as soon as you can! And you'll see what I mean about her! I'll be so, so sad when she leaves TX. Because I haven't taken advantage of her living here!

Zoe from Fresh Preserves and I go back, back , back to the college days. We were roommates and have remained close friends since then. Zoe is another creative soul sister of mine. We could spend hours going over ideas, or doing anything for that matter! Because she is fun and funny and I adore her thoroughly. :)

Michelle, aka Scribbit is someone I would really like to meet some day. She has always been so personable with me, regardless of how busy she is with her zillions of blog fans. ;) She's another woman who "makes it happen". Her blog is very innovative; she's become a strong leader in the world of mom blogs! But the bottom line is that she's down-to-earth and kind and a wonderful mother... I especially love it when she shares her kid-friendly activities with her readers!

Allysha at Bells on Their Toes is another old friend. We both attended BYU and danced with Dancensemble. But we didn't really get to know each other until happening upon each others' blogs in the last few years. Funny how that works, isn't it? Allysha has such a way with words (you just have to check out Just an Orange sometime), it is clear that dancing is not her only talent! I will probably never, ever stop reading her blog. Ever. She's easy to love. :)

My sister-in-law Sarah at Slightly Crunchy Mama is such a blessing in my life. I'm tearing up! Ack! I just love her (and selfsihly want her to move to Austin, not Houston, in April)! They are job hunting right now and I have everything crossed that we will soon be neighbors!

So I love to decorate...

(In case you hadn't noticed) Here's a few fun ideas I've recently used in our new house, and thought I'd share them with all of you! (For more pictures and ideas go to http://southgadwall.blogspot.com/)


I've always hated these oversized window ledges they put above the front door. What an awkward area to decorate! I remember asking our builder if they could just "leave it out", along with all the niches and extra frou frou stuff. He thought I was crazy. Anyway, after much anguish this is what I came up with for ours, and I rather like it now:




I began collecting these bobbins several years ago, and the idea to use them as candle holders came from my mother-in-law who is an interior designer. I figure I can add little pumpkins up for Fall, evergreen branches for Christmas... I'm going to enjoy being creative with it. :)

I am to ribbon what a seamstress is to fabric. It excites me with all it's great uses - little girls' hair, wrapping, picture hooks, napkin rings, it's uses are endless. So I save every scrap! To keep it all organized and to show it off in a fun way I keep mine in a large jar. Each piece is wrapped around an old clothes pin and secured with a straight pin. I can't take credit for the cute storage idea, I stole it from a friend in the area. But I love it! Here it is on top of my craft armoire in the office:

I am anti-matchy. I don't like for things to look too well put together, I love a good piece de resistance in a room, I avoid "sets" of furniture, etc. I love knobs. Especially one-of-a-kind. Seriously this is one of the things I've been msot excited about for our house - finding fun knobs for all of our cabinetry! Lol. I stumbled upon these at one of my favorite craft stores, Hobby Lobby. They didn't have enough of one kind of knob, but they all went together so beautifully I didn't care. They have an aged look to them, some are big and chunky (more like door knobs), some are small, all are unique.







So hopefully there are a few ideas some of you might enjoy using. I love swapping ideas, yours are always welcome to me!

The Ripple Effect

n. (rip' el i-fekt') To bring into existence multiple messes in a short period of time. Usually performed by a toddler. Timing is of essence in order to execute properly - as Mom is knee deep in one mess you must quickly make your move somewhere on the other side of house and outdo yourself. Ad nauseum. Be sure to make lots of noise, preferably wild animalistic giggles, so that you cannot hear her screaming for you to stop, or else.

a few new photos

I am thinking of adding these to my Etsy shop.

Judging Others

My husband and I were at a restaurant the other day and a young couple with a fussy toddler happened to sit down next to us. It didn't bother me at all, I have so been there. But I took a moment to watch other people's (including mothers') reactions and realized not everyody is so understanding. It shocks me, I mean all mothers - I don't care how well-adjusted your children are - have had to deal with the "public display of misbahavior" at some point or another. This poor young couple was getting stared at from all directions. I overheard a mother nearby explain to her son that "sometimes children just don't know how to behave in public". I felt awful for them, especially the mother, who just stared at her child, and looked as if she were paralyzed with fear. I leaned over and gently said, "Don't worry about it. We've all been there, whether or not we choose to admit it." And offered her son a piece of bread from our bread basket. She teared up and said "Thank you. He's had a rough day and we're eating later than usual. I appreciate your understanding." I thought, why wouldn't I give that to another mother?

A few weeks ago after church I got ready to pull out of my parking space just as a woman right next to me was getting in her car. She pulled a face at me, even my daughter noticed it, and asked me "Why did that woman look at you so rudely?" I told her I really didn't know. I hadn't noticed her getting in her car, but I patiently waited for her to do so before backing out. This week she spoke in church... she signed and she talked simultaneously because she has a daughter who is deaf. That I did not know. And I noticed immediately how animated she was with her face. However, even when she was speaking positively her expression seemed sour. Her husband is currently fighting in Iraq. She has 3 children under the age of 5. It's hard, she said to the congregation. Really, really hard.

I can only imagine.

I've had many opportunities to learn this lesson over the past few months... both from the judger's side and the side of being wrongfully judged.

Assume nothing, that is my new mantra.

One more reason to get my husband to start exercising again....

... is not only to increase his energy and fend off a family history of cancer, but so he doesn't feel the way he did the first time I asked him to run to the store and buy me tampons. (Ah, remember the good old days?) Since I began training for a half marathon our grocery lists have begun to look more like spelling tests and riddles. I recently had "sports beans" on there and he came home with bean sprouts. "Honey, it just didn't make any sense!" he tells me, bewildered, holding the grocery list inches from his nose, squinting as if to will the letters into their proper place. Poor guy, the look on his face told me that I have gotten upset with him one too many times for bringing home the wrong thing. But this time it wasn't the wrong kind of apples or brand of detergent (clearly labelled and perfectly legible if I may add). As I took in the genuine look of confusion on his face, I actually understood and even sympathized with where he was coming from, and then began brainstorming ways of disguising bean sprouts in that night's dinner.

Wordless Wednesday

Relishing Motherhood

I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this blog recently... any shout out to motherhood catches my attention and Michal appears to be as devoted to that as I am. She held a writing contest recently, which I am shocked to have won! Just wanted to thank her publicly and point all of you in her direction!

Just a few questions

Have you finihsed it yet?

Did you get out of your pajamas today?

Are you annoyed with Bella?

2 fun with work ideas

Okay, so work is the focus for us this summer, but it doesn't have to be torture. The more I think about it the more I realize that teaching your children about team work (and just work in general) eliminates trouble with so many issues - sharing, sportsmanship, friendliness, the list goes on.

Saturday we washed the car as a family. So fun and my kids worked so hard! They loved sudsing up their sponges and each having their own special spot to clean. And of course, they loved getting wet. We did it early in the day so it was also very refreshing!

Today we all worked in the garden. Oh my gosh, the ideas that came to my head with this one. My youngest 2 just wanted to play with the hose, which is like UGH. Right? So I set it to a trickle and they were in charge of filling the watering cans. Genius. It took them forever but they did not care at all. And they didn't get soaked. And as an added benefit, they didn't come over with their little sand shovels and dig up all my mulch. Lol. My older 2 wanted to fill things with water too, and I realized it could have easily turned into a lesson on volume and measurements. Maybe next time. But they were very helpful in cleaning up - the sweeping and cleaning of garden tools, etc. No complaints! And the reward was a walk/ride on scooters and in the wagon and a nice big lunch. :)

Who else has been hard at work this summer, and what are your ideas?

Join me in the movement!

I've made a decision. We're not going to have a perfect summer... there will be no regular craft day, library day, activity day, baking day. That's right. I said it. We're not going to have a perfect summer! We're going to get in shape this summer, that's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna be a mean mom. Can you believe it? Me.

We'll be learning to make beds. We'll be learning to make breakfast and lunch for ourselves. We'll be learning to tie our shoes and put together our clothes for the day. We'll be learning to clean up the table after dinner. We'll be learning to fold!


I've got a lot more house to keep now and so I've decided... I'm not going to do it alone!

So there.













(Except I won't be totally mean, because you know that's not really who I am... I just wanted to sound tough and stuff... in fact, we ARE going to the library. This afternoon. We're just not going every week. And I don't feel guilty about it. At all.

Hmph.)

And the winner...

... picked at random, is Jane who said "I love the Nicole dress too.What a cool give away you are doing. And thanks for sharing a new website for me to get cute dresses."



Congratulations, Jane! You gift certificate will be emailed to you shortly!

Time's up!

... for the Mika Rose give-away. I'll announce the winner at noon CST, so stay tuned!

oh what do you do in the summertime?

Well, summer is half over and I feel like we are just beginning to enjoy it. C'est le vie.

The kids are really enjoying their new playroom, and one of the new features in there is a fully stocked dress-up trunk. Highly recommend it. They play for hours upon imaginative hours with this stuff. Nothing delights me more than the sounds of make-believe!

Today Adriana marches Sasha into the office where I am and says "Hear thee, hear thee. (snicker) Introducing... Dr. Sasha!" And this is what Sasha looked like:

Hmmm, I thought. Doctor of what? Pimpology?

Savoring moments, my friend., I am savoring these precious, rarely dull, *innocent* hilarious moments!

I am still getting settled in our new home and decorating and redecorating and undecorating and so on. It's slowing down now that guilt has set in over summer being half over and us not having much to show for it. But I finally finished this painting which I have been working on for some time. It was originally intended for our old house, but I stalled and stalled, unsure of where it was going. New home, new inspiration, and voila! My interpretation of the Tree of Life.

Hope to post more "oh what do you do in the summertime?" ideas. There were several great ones last summer!

Have you entered the Mika Rose give-away yet? Don't miss out!

Mika Rose give-away

I love to get dressed up. Love. And I love these classy dresses from Mika Rose!

What's that? You do, too?

Well, did you know that most of their dresses will cost you less than $60 shipped? Yeah. Good deal.

And if you can pay them a visit and tell me which one you like best, it might just become yours. That's right, Mika Rose is giving one My Many Colored Days reader a $60 gift certificate!!!

You may even wish be gracious with your gift certificate, and instead go with a cute little number for your daughter/granddaughter/goddaughter/niece/friend's daughter.............. :), like this one:

Either way, do your research, and then come back and leave me a comment!

Winner will be announced on Friday, July 18.

Technorati tags: Mika Rose,summer give away

Do I have a good looking family, or what?

I'm so thrilled with these pictures. As much as I'd like to keep her all to myself, Leisha Kelsey is the photographer. Totally book an appointment with her if you live in the Salt Lake City area. She is wonderful!