Happy St. Patrick's Day

Since we had so much fun with "LOVE" at Valentine's Day we thought we'd give it a try again. "LUCKY" was a little harder but it was still fun. Hope you have a great day.

The Luck of the Irish

Well I am pretty sure I am not Irish (not even a teeny tiny bit) but that certainly doesn' t keep me from enjoying St. Patrick's Day. As the Valentine Decorations came down the St. Patty's Day ones went up.

Can't wait for the big day to arrive.....Lucky Charms for breakfast, cornbeef and coleslaw for dinner and a hunt for coins that will lead to a pot of gold for the girls!!!

WANTED....

lost socks:
* white sock with cupcake and pink edge
* pink and brown poka dot
* pink with flowers and swirls
* stripes with a hippo
.......ETC

These are just descriptions of some of the lost socks in our house. Everytime I do the girls' laundry it seems as though several go missing. I'm worried the dryer might be eating them???? Where could they possibly be???

I refused to put the unmatched sock in the sock drawer for fear it would be forever lost all alone. So I started laying them on a shelf in Emma's closest. This was definitely not ideal. So during a recent blog surfing expedition I found this and this. What a great idea!!!

So last week during an unexpected day off this is what I did:

When we remodeled our 1/2 bath we stained tongue and groove floor boards and put them on the ceiling. We had scraps just laying in the basement that worked perfectly. I painted over the stain with crackle then topped it with off white paint. I didn't like how that turned out. So then I painted it with a greyish tan color....much better. I stamped the clothes pins with brown swirls so they didn't look so plain. I used my Cricket to cut out the letters and Viola!!!!!!

I hung this in the upstairs hallway next to the bedrooms.

****Since this photograph was taken 5 missing socks were found (in Emma's bed between the sheets and in the dress up drawer). Off course after the latest laundry washing 3 lonely socks were found and added to the board. I believe this will be a never ending mission!!!!

WOW!!!

Has it been that long....my last post was November 1st!!! We were definitely busy with Christmas and all the holiday activities. Hope every one's Holidays were filled with family and wonderful memories. Can you believe we have arrived at 2011. Seems like just yesterday everyone was worried about the arrival of Y2K. Here we are 11 years later.
Seems like time just goes by so fast lately. Not sure if it is because I am getting older or because life is just so full of activity. Spending time with the girls is our number one priority but sometimes the craziness of life interrupts.
We definitely enjoyed Christmas and made lots of memories. We are hoping 2011 brings lots of new memories, quality family time and good health and happiness. I wish the same to you and your family.

BOO!!!

Can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. September and October were extremely busy with parties, weddings, soccer and fall activites.

We had a Halloween celebration week with several parties, a book character parade, ZooBoo and of course Trick or Treating. Here are some pictures.

Frugal but Fun Fourth of July

Having fun with your family doesn't have to be expensive. With many people including us trying to spend less these days finding fun but cheap activities are a must. This past weekend the four of us managed to have a fun filled weekend by just spending.......Let me show you what we did first.

Friday (the girls' daycare was closed so we had a 4 day weekend)

***Zoo - including a ride on the new Jones Falls Zephyr Train

Saturday
***4th of July Parade

Local beach

Sunday

***Toy Story 3

Swimming at the pool

4th of July Fireworks

Monday

***Eclipse (movie time just for Me)

Pool (Sean and the girls)

Much needed rest

We were exhausted after the weekend but not broke. So how much do you think we spent????

So here is the breakdown:

Zoo - have a membership (paid for itself after 1 1/2 visits) = $0 out of pocket on Friday for admission

Train ride $2 per person = $6

Parade - FREE

Beach - $3 per person (kids in safety seats FREE) = $6

Movies - more expensive than I had expected; had to go to a more expensive theater for an early showing = $32

Pool - have a membership (will explain this in another post) = FREE

Fireworks = FREE

Movies (Eclipse) - $6 admission + $8 popcorn and soda = $14

Pool = FREE

Rest = FREE

GRAND TOTAL = $58

Not too bad for a 4 day weekend for 4 people!!!!! We are good about packing lunches when we go to the pool, beach and zoo.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Indepenence weekend...we did!!!!

Checking in...

So Abby's Birthday week continued with her Pre-School Graduation. There is nothing cuter than 20 some kids with a cap and tassel singing their little hearts out. I hadn't really thought about it much until I was sitting there realizing she has accomplished another milestone and is moving onto a new chapter of her life...that is when Mommy started crying. My baby is becoming such a little lady.

Then on Saturday we continued to celebrate Abby's Birthday with a Fancy Nancy party for her friends followed by a family get together (pictures are in reverse order).

As Abby says, "I'm all the fingers on my hand!!!"

Lots more to update on you....like the leak in the upstairs bathroom that has created havoc on our life the past week and a half. Will be back soon with lots of pictures.

Birthday Celebration

Abby's 5th Birthday started off with donuts for breakfast, requested by the Birthday Girl of course. Then unfortunately we had to work so she went to school, but not empty handed.....she took chocolate chip cookies to celebrate her birthday with her friends. Then for dinner she asked for French Toast and bacon. Abby loves bacon and almost ate it all, Sean and I were able to snag a few pieces!!!! Our neighbors, Zoey, Kira, Steve and Jess came down to help sing and eat cake...the flip flop cake, homemade by Mommy and Daddy. Then nothing better than a little bike riding with your sister and friends to end a great day. This is a week long celebration for Abby....Friday is graduation from Pre-School and Saturday is the friend party followed by the family party!!!!
Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl.

5 Candles!!!

Time Flies....how many times in your life have you heard this saying? Not until recently did I truely understand the meaning.

Just 5 short years ago my BABY was born. She was perfect and she completed our family. Today she turns FIVE!!!!

She is full of energy and life. She loves to sing, fight with her big sister and eat her mac n cheese. She has clothing issues usually on a daily basis. She gives the best hugs. She has the most beautiful smile and can make some of the silliest faces.

She will graduate from Pre-school on Friday and start Kindergarten in August. She is growing up way to fast. My how TIME FLIES.....

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy & Emma

What I have learned....

about being a MOM.

* the best artwork is the art you kids make at school and you display on the frig

* you can NEVER get enough hugs and kisses

* the love you have for your children is like no other

* you pick your battles(rain boots with a pretty dress when it is NOT raining is OK)

* sometimes Mommies need a "time out"

* laughing can make almost anything better

* I love to check on my girls before I go to bed and watch them sleep.

* you can NEVER take toooo many pictures of your kids

* the littlest boo-boo is the biggest deal to a child

* seeing my girls after working all day is the highlight of my day

* the DRAMA can be out of control sometimes

* too much quiet ususally means trouble

* Mommy's kisses don't alway make everything better

* being a Mom IT IS HARDER than I EVER THOUGHT

* there are not enough hours in a day to do all you wish you could do with your kids.

* chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and pizza are sometimes they only things they will eat

* everytime I look at my kids I realize they are growing up WAY TOOOOO FAST

* Mommies don't always have the answers

* laundry and cleaning are NOT as important as having fun with your kids

* giggling kids are music to my ears

* using your imagination is the best "toy" EVER

* listening to my kids sing is the best music I've ever heard

* reading with your child opens up an endless world

* eating dinner as a family is priceless

* I AM THE LUCKIEST MOM IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!

This list could go on forever. I would love to hear the most important thing you have learned from being a Mom....leave me a comment.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms.