snowing. again.

Where did this tiny thing go?  With her little curls??

Do you see a common denominator here?

SUN!

Every year about this time I start to go stir crazy.

This year is no exception.

Especially when I wake up to at least a foot of snow.

On March freakin' 11th.

Done.

Ok, now I am done complaining.

Cause there are lots of people who have it way worse than me this morning.

Praying for Japan.

dancing queen

Things here are good.

We are healthy finally.

And awaiting spring.

We are back to school.

And the gym.

I am still recovering from my birthday weekend, that included 2 good restarants, 2 great conversations, winning a new game, and going to an NBA game where you could see me on tv.  Oh!  And a Bloggie touch video camera.

That is smaller than my regular camera. 

My husband has turned me into a total tech geek.

I love it!

Expect more videos on here.  Lots more.

I am anticipating another fun weekend.

Weekend away, wine, girlfriends, fun.

But that is just small talk.

The below video was a few weeks ago when Ellie was just starting to get sick.

And I think she was in the middle of a good Tylenol high.

Points to notice:

Her outfit.  I have given up all control.  It just isn't worth it.

The fact I am lying in an unmade bed in the afternoon.  So?

The picture on the wall.  We spent one whole afternoon on that.

Her moves.  She is gonna be a star!

Happy Tuesday!

saturday morning breakfast

I love Saturday mornings.

The whole weekend is spread out in front of you.

The possibilites are endless.

For us, Saturday mornings usually start with a little body climbing up in bed with us.

And sticking her little corpse feet right on my stomach.

Brr.

We cuddle a bit and then I get the inevitable

"Mommy, I sure am hungry.  Can you make breakfast now?"

So I get up, leave those two all snuggled under the covers, and stagger down the stairs.

First things first.

Coffee.

And on Saturday morning breakfasts, the cream comes from a cute little pitcher, rather than the boring ol' carton.

 Then I slave away making

pancakes

and

pototoes and sausage

and she eats 4 bites

and then wants a poptart.

 But it's Saturday morning.

So she gets one.

But only if mama gets a bite.

Then we linger over coffee

shoo the cat off the table 46 times

play gin

watch the rain

and finally get ready for whatever the day may bring.

Saturday morning breakfast.

One of my favorite things.

me

It's my birthday today!

In honor of that great day, I thought I would wax poetic all about myself!

Or not.

Acutally, for some reason, I have been really dreading this birthday.

Then, today, as I woke up,

 and saw the sun shining,

and felt my husband curled up next to me,

and got a birthday lick on the nose by a kitty,

and a good morning hug from the best kid ever,

I realized how stupid that was.

I have it good.

So.

Today you get to hear what I love about myself.

And what I think I need to work on.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

So the things I love about myself are:

I am a good mom.

I am a good wife.

I make great popcorn and brownies.

I am organized.

I believe in miracles.

And ghosts.

And unicorns.

I send cards for no reason at all.

I am a glass is half full girl.

I eat my vegetables.

I keep myself relatively fit.

 I keep a tidy house.

I am strong.

I have great feet.

And a nice back.

And pretty hair.

I can take a joke.

I love to write.

I love Barbra Striesand and will shout it from the rooftops.

I am a huge reader and feel sorry for anyone who isn't.

I love to explore.

And hike.

And I am finally becoming comfortable in this body.

And the curves that are determined to be around.

(you know who you are, tummy and butt.)

Things I would like to change about myself and am working on:

I take things personally.

I can be passive aggressive.

I am a picker (as in pimples, noses, etc...).

They don't even have to be mine.

I know, gross!

I could be a better friend.

 I go to bed too late.

I avoid conflict at all costs, even if I should confront something.

I don't go to church like I should.

I can be lazy.

I have the patience of a toddler.

I can get mired down in the details.

I am overly cautious.

I take those I love for granted.

Way too much.

I can throw a mean pity party for myself if the situation arises.

I forget birthdays.

I gossip.

And I can hold a grudge.

So overall, I think I am ok.

The good pretty much outweighs the bad.

Most days.

I plan to make my 34th year good.

And when I say good, I mean, good!

My mother always told me that the 30's would be the best years of my life.

And when I stop and think about it, she was totally right.

I am healthy.

And happy.

And loved.

What more could I ask for?

And as of this posting, I have gotten over 50 birthday messages through

email

facebook

phonecalls

and texts.

And it is only 9:24 am.

This girl feels loved today.

things i know for sure - random tuesday edition

I think I am going crazy.

Spring fever has hit with a force.

And I am all out of sorts.

So,

you get a very random post today.

Here are the things I know for sure today:

I hate the gym.

I love sugar.

It's a bad combination.

Which is why I go to the gym anyway.

I have a love/hate relationship with the thought of working again.

Ipads are the best invention ever.

I love my kick ass new cowboy boots.

I have a new crush on Colin Firth.

and Chris O'Donnell

and LL Cool J.

Sunshine makes me happy.

You can make a BIG snowman with Daddy's help.

Little girls in braids are so cute.

I am having popcorn for dinner tomorrow night.

I am starting to feel not young and I don't like it.

A trip to Target is good for soul.

I am looking forward to book club on Thursday.

and a night out on Saturday.

and going to a NBA game on Sunday.

I tried on all my summer clothes today just to remind myself that tanks and breezy skirts exist.

And finally, my love for this boy grows every day.

Ok, that's all I got.

Happy Tuesday!

izzy

We had Izzy overnight.

Ellie was beside herself.

Cause she thinks Izzy hung the moon.

Izz is going to Japan this summer on some fancy shcmancy school something or other.

It is an honor to be selected to go.

She needs to raise some money.

Ok, she needs to raise a lot of money.

We are so proud of her.

She doesn't really know anyone else going.

Very brave, methinks.

So what do we do when she comes over to spend the night?

We leave.

And pay her to babysit.

Cause it's a win-win.

It's fun to get a glimpse of my future life with a teenage girl.

Girlfriend can text with a vengeance.

And 13 year old conversation is a bit more interesting

than 4 year old conversation.

Most of the time.

And I can ask her for opinion on a pair of boots I just bought.

And trust what she says is true.

And older brother Nick was home from college.

And used Ellie for some kind of school psych experiment.

(Not as scary as it sounds.)

Then took the girls out for dinner.

How sweet is that?

Next weekend Ellie is going over to Izzy's house to spend the night.

You know, more Japan $$.

We are excited!

It was a pleasure to have you Izzy.

Ellie is already talking about next weekend.

XOXO

who needs school?

So yesterday was the first day Ellie could go back to school.

And she was beyond excited to see her friends.

It had been over a week afterall.

So we get our coats and boots on.

We are walking out the door.

She is bursting with excitement.

And the school called...

and cancelled school due to illness.

For 2 days.

Apparently everyone has what she had.

OMG.

The look of despair on Ellie's face was the saddest thing I have ever seen.

Seriously.

We have managed to have fun anyhow.

Yesterday was Chris' birthday activities and today we hit up the Natural History Museum.

I have to mention how impressed I was with lunch.

Cause Mama loves lunch.

Ellie had grilled cheese, carrots and cucumbers, a cookie and milk.

I had a grilled cheese, with grilled veggies, salt and vinegar chips, and a soda.

And it was delicious.

And cost $8.

Score.

Then we were going to surprise Daddy at work.

But there was not a parking spot to be had.

Sorry Daddy.

So, hopefully, we can go to school tomorrow.

Please.

Please.

Please.