So simple, so wonderful

I found this note on my bed last night from my youngest daughter. Something so short, sweet and simple can sure fill your heart in a second. My heart is full and smiling.


Challenge: Leave a quick note to someone you like or love today.

Laughing Amelia

My husband Brian posted this video of Amelia for me (now age 10). It made my day!!! This is one of my favorite memories of the girls as babies, the darling giggles.

It makes my heart smile.

Green beans and throw up

Girl Scouts April Showers bag drop off.

Scene: Dinner Table (Anna age 8)

Anna: If I eat this green bean and throw up can I not eat the other 9?

Tracy: Sure, if you REALLY throw up all of the food in your stomach. But gaging on a green bean does not count.

_____________________

The odds were with me for this bet... Anna is good at gaging on her veggies, but has never thrown up while eating them.

Happy Birthday Anna - the great 8!

My little spunky monkey has turned 8 today! She is loving, a smarty pants and a giggle bunny all rolled into one.

Loving: She loves to give Brian and I hugs, everyday when we leave for work or school we get wonderful hugs to start our day.

Smarty pants: She likes to get her way and when she doesn't she shuts down pretty fast. She usually curls into a ball and pouts on the couch. She is very stubborn, friends or family can't convince her to do anything she does not want to. This might be a good or bad thing in the future.

Giggle bunny: Anna loves to laugh, from tickles, movies or fun silliness with her big sister. The other day she came out of school with this drawing on her hand, she told me she drew it on her hand to remind her to be happy. Oh, I just love that!

Here is a list of her favorite things right now 11/1/13. 

Color: Orange
Book: Fairy Berry Bake off
Show: Amazing world of Gumball
Movie: Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Animal: Rooster and Chickens
Dinner: Butter Noodles and Cheese Fondue
To do with Mama: make crafts and play games
To do with Pops: jump hugs
Toy: Stuffed Animal "Bella" the lamb

Surprise notes are the best!

I found this note from Amelia at the bottom of my to do list...

it just made my day!!!

2012 Christmas Card Challenge

We enjoy watching the food network and one day Amelia made a comment how it was funny that the groups always pose with their arms crossed and looking tough... light bulb over my head! What a fun idea for our family card this year... the 2012 Xmas Card Challenge... are you game?

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Visit with Santa

We went to see Santa the other night. This is the first time both of the girls agreed to sit NEXT to Santa and get a photo. But when we got up there Santa slapped his knee and told them to sit on his lap. They both shot me a look. Santa repeated, "Come on have a seat", patting his knee. Amelia slowly sat on the very edge of his knee and looked at me with this really Mom face.

Anna just shook her head no, so I said, "just sit next to him". As you can see in the photo who is happy and who is not. 

While waiting in line the girls were debating if this is the real Santa or just a Santa helper. At first they said helper but then they said the real Santa. I'm just glad they are debating it and still believe... I fear this might be the last year for Amelia (age 8).

Santa still makes me smile! 

The Crying Bet

Brian and Anna - Oct 2012 camping

The girls have been crying a lot lately... over nothing!

She took my toy.... crying
I don't like this shirt... crying
I don't like dinner... crying

I could go on and on... but you get the idea.

Brian and I are so over it and not sure why they cry because we do not give into them when they do.

Then... Brian bet the girls 20 bucks they could not go 5 days without crying. Amelia got her $20 bucks, Anna did not. I really can't believe Amelia did it! But now we know she can and I think she also learned she can go without crying over everything.

We are out 20 bucks but maybe that just bought us some peace of mind... we will see.

My Big Fat Irish Family

double click to see the full image.

My Big Fat Irish Family.... yep, 39 people at dinner! 

That is almost the whole gang, I believe we were just missing 4. We had a lot of family in town, I think there were six tables set up through out my Aunt Jeanne's house. It was such a pretty day that the kids got to run around outside and chase cousin Bob around the yard. It was such a fun day visiting with everyone... I am blessed to have so many people to call family!

7 more days until school starts

STL City Garden - we love this place!

This is how Amelia and I both feel about it... yipee!! Amelia loves school and she can't wait to go back. Anna not so much, she wants to stay home with me.

Don't get me wrong... I love that I am able to spend the whole summer with my girls but 24/7 for over two months can be a bit hard. Add working from home on top of that and it really can be a challenge. I know I should be sad and I am a little bit sad, Anna starts full day school this year and that is a big change for both of us. But then I also think about the extra 14 hours a week that I will have all to myself for work or whatever and I get a bit giddy!

I have a long list of projects and I plan to be productive during those extra 14 hours... let's hope I do it! 

Vacation 2012

We were on vacation last week.... where did we go?

Gatlinburg Tennessee!!!

We all really enjoyed the Great Smoky Mountains with the pretty trees, spectacular views and bears (yes, we saw four bears!). We played in the cool mountain streams, rode horses and white water rafted on the Pigeon Forge river. We saw a neat evening show about the Cherokee Indians, hiked and splashed in two water falls. We spent the whole week with family (my parents, my brother and his crew), so nice to create memories with them all. 

It's always nice to get away from the usual day to day world and see something new in our great country... now the question is... where to go next summer?

Any suggestions?

Vacation 2012 - photos 5 & 6

We were on vacation last week... 

so let's play a little game.... where did we go?

I will post two photos each day this week, 

leave a comment guessing 

where in the world Tracy and family were.

Vacation 2012 - photos 3 & 4

We were on vacation last week... 

so let's play a little game.... where did we go?

I will post two photos each day this week, 

leave a comment guessing 

where in the world Tracy and family were.

Where in the world is Tracy?

We were on vacation last week... 

so let's play a little game.... where did we go?

I will post two photos each day this week, 

leave a comment guessing 

where in the world Tracy and family were.

April 2012

double click to enlarge image

Yes, I am still here... just so busy! As you can see on my calendar the past two weeks have been jam packed and this week is even worse and the rest of the month is more of the same. Include my work and etsy shop to this and I'm always running like the wind.


So... that is my reason for not having time to post. I do have a list of stuff I need to post, so hopefully I can come up for air soon and post some fun stuff.

Oh Anna

The other day Anna yelled down the hall to me and said this... 

"Amelia did something bad to me but I forgot what she did".

What do I say to this one? 

Nothing... I pretended I didn't hear her, there isn't anything to say.

The big day... ear pierced

The before photo.

Ally went first and barely flinched.

Amelia being a bit silly, making funny faces...

but she really was a bit nervous and teared up a bit after it was done.

Yeah... we did it... they said they feel so grown up now.

Cindy and I were a bit sad, our babies are growing up so fast.

Top Secret Mission

 I meant to post this right after Christmas, but of course it's now 3 months later... life can just be so busy sometimes which is why this idea is so great. I think it is a fun idea for those hard to buy for husbands.

Our big gift this Christmas was a gas log set for the fireplace, so we said only small gifts to each other. The past year had been so busy we often forgot to take time for each other, we had not gone on many date nights last year. I had seen this date night idea on pinterest and made up my own version, CIA style. 


I planned a top secret mission for Brian. I had 12 dates planned out, one for each month. I also included gift cards for restaurants, etc. This way it's so easy, all planned out, no question of what should we do. Plus, I tried to plan fun things other than the movies, which is a usually date night for us.


So here is what we will be doing each month:


Jan: Dinner & Movie
Feb: Our Anniversary was this month, so Brian had to plan this one.
March: Show at the small local theater & dinner
April: Cooking class
May: Dinner & Bowling
June: Hike, geo caching & picnic
July: Lunch & antique shopping
August: Donate our time at a local food bank or shelter
Sept.: Bike ride & picnic
Oct.: Dinner & dancing
Nov.: Evening gallery talk and music at the art museum and dinner
Dec.: Romantic date night at home


Lucky for me he accepted this special mission and so far we have had two date nights and I think we are both enjoying this gift of time together.

Here is an image of one of the pages in the mission, I had an envelope attached to each page with the gift cards etc. (click to enlarge)

We are GEEKS!

SCENE: Anna and Tracy, in the bathroom, I was helping Anna with the toothpaste. Amelia appears in the doorway.


AMELIA: Mama do you know what a geek is?


TRACY: No. (I sometimes say no because I want to hear what they think words or things are, plus they get excited to tell me new things.)


AMELIA: A geek is someone who is very smart... I am a geek and you are a geek too. (She said to Anna.)


ANNA: Oh yeah, I'm a geek. (nodding an agreeing look with Amelia)


TRACY: Yes, you both are my little geeks. (This makes me so happy, I want them to know they are smart kids and that they can do anything if they just try.)


PHOTO ABOVE: My little geeks with their first place ribbons for the school science fair. Their project was called "The hot dog that was mummified". What mummifies a hot dog better Epsom salt or baking soda? If you are going to do any mummifying we recommend Epsom salt. Next they go on to the district science fair.  I love my geeks!

To puke or not to puke... that is the question.

Geo Caching with the family last weekend.

So Monday night I was up all night puking, so much for my flu shot, so sick with horrible stomach cramps. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the gut... I've never been stabbed in the gut but I think this is what it would feel like. It seemed like every 5 minutes I would get the stabbing pain that would bring me to my knees hunched over moaning and panting. 


Then it crossed my mind this was so much like labor. In my dehydrated, tired and delirious state I really started to wondered if I was going to drop a surprise baby that night on the bathroom floor. No... there was no way, I haven't missed a period and haven't gained a pound. But that's what all those ladies who didn't know they were pregnant say... right?


Well, no worries, we did not have a new addition to the family, whew!


Today I'm feeling much better and was thinking about how when I get sick I have no problem puking. I always feel better after getting that stuff out of my stomach. But Brian is the opposite he hates to puke and even has a non puking record of 25 years. He does what he can to stop from puking and I just give into it. We also have friend with a 30 year non puking record... it's interesting how people handle sickness.


What's your word... puke or not puke?