Search This Blog

Saturday, December 24, 2011

That awkward moment when...you feel sad at Christmas...



I think I must like to feel blue at Christmas.

The melancholy usually sets in just about now...Christmas eve...


it's a perfect set-up, really...


Izzy and Sophie are staying tonight at their Dad's house because they do Christmas together with their dad on Christmas eve.



We do Christmas on Christmas.


I guess, the blues come from the build up...

the expectations...

the wanting to please someone,

the waiting,

the keeping the best secrets ever,

the moment when you almost let something slip,

the hiding it away until you can wrap it up,

and then it's over.



No more build up.

No more secret fun.

No more hiding.

No more hoping.

No more whispers.

No more anticipation...

it's all done.



I'm thinking I know what the melancholy is now...

it's all about missing the excitement...

missing the traditions that we're lacking due to the divorce...

missing kids who want to create new traditions...

missing the baby girls that I once had...

they don't find it as magical when we drive through the park to look at the lights...

they aren't interested in making Christmas cookies with me...

and they already know what they're getting for Christmas because it is so specific, there can't be any surprises.



I think I need to do a guerilla goodness act, don't you? That makes everything feel better! The melancholy will lift in no time!

I'll let you know what I come up with!

Merry Christmas...

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Sometimes...



Sometimes, it hurts too bad to talk about it...



Sometimes, you wish you hadn't said it...



Sometimes, you don't know what to say...



Sometimes, talking about it only seems to make it more real...



Sometimes, moving within it is too overwhelming, so it makes you stay in one place...



Sometimes, a good cry can do wonders...



Sometimes, I think our hearts are too soft...



Sometimes, I worry...



Sometimes, people hurt you on purpose...



Sometimes, they do it because they are hurting inside...



Sometimes, I feel what they feel...



Sometimes, even at 40+, I want to be held and told that it will all be okay...



So, I know that sometimes, even at 12, you might want that too.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Another First Day...

Sophie is giving the first day a BIG thumbs up!!


Izzy is all smiles too!
My favorite pose...the hugging pose!!
My life calendar seems to be marked by school beginnings. You see, obviously, I went to elementary, then middle, then high school. Then I went to four years of college. School didn't stop there for me...I then became a teacher.

So, I've really never left the school rhythm or the school pace.

So, here we are, first day of school for all of us this week.
It is always an ending and a beginning all wrapped up into one.
Ending of a summer, carefree life, sweet summer plans, and the relaxed summer pace.
It is the beginning, though, of new school experiences, new opportunites, and growth.
Both are good, just different.




You'd think I'd be good at starting school since I've been doing it for 30+ years...but,
I'm still sad on the last day of summer...


I still can't sleep the night before school starts...
I still cry when I kiss my kiddos goodbye...
I still wonder what I've done with my summer...
I still start a new diet every beginning of school....(not sure when that one started)
I still feel a little sick all the way to school...
I still wonder if I'll have a friend...
Hoping this year is great for all of you who are beginning school soon!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Izzy's and Greyson Chance!!

Izzy wrote a letter for Greyson to give to him at his concert...the one in Oklahoma. Well, I had to look for another concert so that we didn't have to travel for 24 hours in one weekend. So, we went to the Illinois State Fair...about 3 and a half hours away.


A huge collage of the concert and autograph signing afterward...it was excellent!

Izzy LOVING every minute of it!!



Izzy and her BFF, Keylee, dancing their hearts out!!!


Loved the smiles...the laughs...the singing at the top of our lungs...the screams...the overwhelming teenage crazies...ahhh...I loved it!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Izzy WON!!!

yfrog Video : http://yfrog.com/mbgxpqz - Uploaded by Isabelgracegc97

Here is Izzy's winning video for tickets to the Greyson Chance Concert! I think it is pretty convincing, don't you? The video is actually better when you can see it in "real action"...for some reason, the video is skipping. Probably because it was done on an IPOD. :)

Now, the hard part...the concert that she won tickets to?
It's in OKLAHOMA.
Yep, you read that right.
Oklahoma. We live in Indiana.
AND, the worst part of this is that it is on her second day of school and my FIRST day of school.

What is a Mama to do???
Oh my goodness...

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

More Projects...

I always have a summer to-do list.

This summer is slipping by so very quickly, so I've scrunched a bunch of projects in a short amount of time!

I made this canvas with one of my all-time favorite quotes.

I loved doing it so much, I'm afraid I might be putting quotes all over my house now.

This was another great deal ...

it was an ugly brown.

So, I painted, and painted and made it pretty!
Added new knobs from World Market...(I wish you could see them better!)

I still need to paint the little legs...I just got too excited and had to get everything situated and changed around. :)

In person, it looks really beachy!

I'm thinking I can have summer in my house all year long!
Again, forgot to do the "before" pics...

how crazy is that?!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Twelve Years ago today...

Twelve years ago today, Sophie Wofie was born!
She rocked our world from the very beginning...in the very best way.






Top 12 Things I've always loved about Sophie!



12. She was a cuddler from day one...and still is!


11. She has crystal clear blue/green eyes that melt your heart.


10. She is HILARIOUS without even meaning to be...


9. She had a deep, Demi Moore type of voice from 0-around 4...I still miss that sometimes.


8. She has always been a climber. To the top and beyond...EVEN as a baby!!!


7. She has always been messy...but there is so much fun to be had in a mess!


6. She has always known how to relax...


5. She connects with people on a deeper level.


4. She stands up for the underdog...even if it means that she will be left out.


3. She is an excellent songwriter...she writes from her heart!


2. She is a very genuine person...you know exactly where you stand with her!


1. She is beautiful, charismatic, and my sweet baby girl!




Sophie's stack of presents...she woke up at 6:30 ready to open them!



In the middle of opening gifts...

One of her favorite presents...it had all of the requirements:
Snoopy
T-shirt
EPIC

Happy Birthday to Sophie...I love, love, love you!!


Always have, always will!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Chandelier Makeovers!!

Okay, I'm terrible at taking before and after pictures.

I LUH-VE to do makeovers, but I forget the most important part...

the pictures...

and then the sharing.

So, my story on the chandeliers that I "made-over" is that I got them at Goodwill on the half-price Saturday.

They were 4 dollars each.

They looked just like this one (typical chandeliers that builders install in newly built homes). Mine were two sizes.

Big and Ginormous. :)

That was JUST what I was looking for!


I painted the chandelier for the front porch PINK! I'm just thinking that it adds so much character to my house!

I LOVE it.

I'm pretty much a PINK person, but this is REALLY perfect for me and my girlie poos!

That was the BIG one.
Now here's the GINORMOUS guy.

LOVE him, don't you?

I painted him a TEALish/Dark AQUA color.

It's in my living room. You can't tell, but it really spruces up the place!!!

Here's another shot of the PINK on the front porch...now it looks like I need to wash the front porch siding. Nothing like "showing off" to put me in my place and give me a new job!!!

By the way, Ron, the guy who does all of my handyman-type work around my house...

when I showed him the chandeliers...

he just looked at them for a minute...

then shook his head quietly...

and said, "if that's what you want..."

I think he secretly likes them and wants one for his house. :)

Saturday, July 9, 2011

LOVE Riot turned Milkshake!

So, today, I took my kiddos to see my favorite band from when I lived in Baltimore: Love Riot! The girls were excited to go because they know all of their songs because they grew up listening to the CDs.
This is the Love Riot I remember:

Pretty awesome, right?
Well, the band broke up right after their biggest fan (that's me!) left Baltimore.
They started having children of their own and they have since formed the band for kids called Milkshake! They are on PBS, Discovery Kids, and have gained all kinds of popularity!
So, Izzy and Sophie went with me to see them at Eagle Creek Park in Indy.
Two band members remained the same: Lisa Matthews, the lead singer (below).
And Mikel Gehl (below) the lead guitarist!
They have super cute, upbeat happy songs for kids, like this one!
Bottle of Sunshine!

Here is what they did when we were watching...the kids that were there LOVED it!!!


We even caught some sunshine on our blanket!


Here are my two sunshines!


(We left Sunshine, the dog, at home...good thing, that could have been confusing for her!)


All in all: Great concert.


So what if we were the oldest family there... we had SUNNY attitudes! :)


Friday, July 8, 2011

Grocery Goodness Mission...

Well, Izzy and I set out today to do some guerrilla goodness at the grocery store!
(If you are unsure what guerilla goodness is, Click on the link to my friend, Patience's website (the inventor of GG) which explains guerrilla goodness perfectly.)
We grabbed a pad of post-it notes, our favorite Sharpies, and headed out. We gabbed and giggled the whole way about how fun this was going to be because we didn't want to get caught, but we DID want to get pictures!! So, we started by ambushing some of the cars in the parking lot...
This post-it note says: Every little thing...is gonna be alright (I think!)

Then, we headed inside...we thought "sweet peas" were a perfect place to put our next note!


And, how about the unexpected places?! :)





And then this one was right out in the open!


Izzy was helping me think of great things to put on these post-its!


We left about 20 notes around the grocery, and then we headed to the hospital parking lot. We put more notes on the driver's side windows of several cars. Keep in mind, though, we live in a small town. SO, everywhere we went, we KNEW someone. When we were in the grocery, we knew all of the checkers in each lane...personally. When we arrived in the hospital parking lot, we saw a neighbor and a friend...so, even though this doesn't seem like a difficult stealth "mission," it truly was one!


We had to channel the inner Charlie's Angels in each of us...


the adrenaline rush was excellent too!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Fourth of July at the DUNES!!

We spent the 4th at Indiana Dunes State Park.
(I think the rest of Indiana had the same idea!!)
So much for originality.
It did not take away from our perfect day at the beach!
Evan (the one who's buried) ALWAYS asks to be buried.
He's insistent until the other kiddos oblige.
They always bury him...and he can never understand why he has so much sand in his pants!
Izzy giving Sophie a piggy-back ride in the water! LOVE the smiles!


If you look really closely at the horizon, you can see the Chicago skyline.


Izzy always makes a comfy seat/reading spot out of sand...this is her 4th of July recliner!
What an incredible day!

Perfect in every way!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Blindfolded Makeovers...

Blindfolded Makeover.
Can those two words together EVER be a good thing?
Here are the results of the blindfolded makeovers of Sophie and her friend Hana!
Creative, I'll give them that...the giggles that were coming from upstairs were the best!
Here is Sophie...


Here they are together. I love Sophie's smile and Hana's eyes!!
Remember when you had the time, energy, and spontaneity to do something like blindfolded makeovers? Hoping you find the time, energy and spontaneity to do something outrageous in your life today!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Closet...the big reveal!

Introducing...my new closet! I'm in heaven...I have a place for everything...it has made each day sunnier, my smile a bit wider, and my daily "what am I gonna wear" virtually non-existent!
Looking to the left in my new closet, you will see a place for long hanging clothes and a huge shelf for blankets! LOVE that...I even have a step stool in my closet so I can reach those blankets without all of them crashing on my head. In fact, I just did that today!



If you look to the right, there is a place for tops and sweaters (on top) and pants and skirts (on bottom). I even had space to put a filing cabinet, but I'm not even sure I need it anymore...Ahhh...the luxury of taking my time deciding!




If you follow the wall on down on the right, you will see a bright sunny window, hats, jewelry hanging, more shelves for various things that a girl might need...and of course, flowers in the window and a picture of her sweeties in the window!



Following the wall around to the left...ginormous shelves. They weren't exactly in my original plan, but they were part of the back kitchen hallway. I decided to keep them in my closet and just deal with them...a very wise decision because I'm lovin' 'em!


Anyway, folks, that was the big reveal...it is what I spent the first two weeks of summer suffering through (very messy) and the past couple of weeks cleaning up from (again, very messy)!




Admission: sometimes, I just go and stand in my closet...and I smile...it was a very good idea. :)






Thursday, June 16, 2011

She and They...





She needs to take the time to paint her toenails...


They paint theirs several times each week.


She wants to spend her time in the summer doing things with them...


They want to spend their time with friends.


She is trying to negotiate the tween/teen years...


They are doing just fine!


She wishes she could stop the world and hold them for awhile...


They hold their i-pods.


She waters the garden,


They grow.


She mows the lawn,


They cut their dinner short.


She washes the dishes,


They wash their hair (and dry it and curl it).


She picks up the house,


They pick up her spirits when she sees their beautiful smiles...

Monday, June 13, 2011

New Closet...


For the past three or four summers, I've spent all of my saved money on necessary fixes for my house.


GARAGE

One year, I had electricity wired to the garage, new garage doors and windows, and the dirt floors became nice new concrete!

FRONT PORCH

One year, I replaced the creaking, bowing front porch floor with concrete and added new columns and railings.

BATHROOM

Last year, I had my bathroom completely gutted and redesigned...new everything...walls, plumbing, tub, faucets, linen closet, toilet, and best of all, black and white tile floors. You name it, it was new.

SOPHIE'S CLOSET

I also had a new closet built in Sophie's room...it was excellent...roomy, bright (light was installed too), and I was jealous.

This year, it's MY TURN! YAYYYYyyyyy....I'm knocking the wall out of my closet and extending it about four feet longer and wider than it originally was! I'm just about to roll around in it right now, and it isn't even close to finished. (I'd get all dusty if I did, but I'm not sure it really matters). It is gonna be roomy, beautiful, and all mine! I will have room to store everything in my closet! Here are my pictures so far!


BEFORE of my closet:


BEFORE of the back hallway where my closet will soon be extended to!!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Last days of school...

I just love these smiles, watching the stress leaving their bodies, and the promise of relief that summer brings!


Saturday, May 14, 2011

Sophie's Ready for Middle School...

When I taught middle school, the two biggest fears were taking showers after PE class and the dreaded LOCK! Sophie has been having the fear of the lock...lockophobia, perhaps? Anyway, she's been practicing...



She did it!!! :) Yay, Sophie!


FMS, here she comes!!




Thursday, May 5, 2011

It's all perspective...

After making my kids watch Secret Millionaire with me, we had a discussion on homelessness.


Sophie: "If that were me, I would go get a job...and a place to live."
Izzy: "They can't."


Sophie: "But----"

Me: "Sometimes it's hard to convince people that you are a determined, hardworking person when you're homeless."


Sophie: "Well----"


Izzy: "He did it in The Pursuit of Happyness." [Our all-time favorite movie]


Me: "Yes, but that was just a movie...sometimes..."


Sophie: "It's easy... you just fill out the job application..."


Me: "But they ask you...what your last job was...what have you been doing that shows that you are a hard worker...that type of thing..."


Sophie: "Well, I would just tell them...I'm making my come-back!"



There it is, folks...easier than we might have thought...but what a great perspective...when you're down on your luck and people are questioning you about it, just tell them...



I'm making my comeback!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Hello You...

"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness."
---Mary Oliver

What a great quote...
happiness and kindness...

I strive to begin everyday that way...
(even though I'm so grumpy in the mornings...
my heart is still kind)

Monday, April 18, 2011

DO-Over...

You hear it when playing a neighborhood game...football, baseball, even volleyball..."DO-Over!" When the play isn't clear-cut, we just do it over and deal with the new consequences. It's kind of nice...a second chance that no one minds giving to you! Don't you wish life were like that? Today is a day when I'm thinking of some regrets and wishing I could have about a hundred "Do-Overs".

Funny, because I'm having a great day...I'm happy, there isn't anything wrong...it is just a day where I've had a lot of quiet...when I have a lot of quiet (with me that can be rare because I even talk to myself!!) I reflect...and when I reflect, I seem to reflect on how I coulda, shoulda, woulda done things...

Then I start thinking about what things might be like if I'd HAD a Do-over...
I wouldn't have bought my car that I have now...
I wouldn't have moved from Baltimore...
I would have recognized symptoms in my kids sooner...
I would have dealt with people differently...
I'd have been more caring...
I'd have been more gracious...
I should have been the "real me" with everyone...
I would have kept in better contact with friends...
I would have only fed my kids healthy foods...
I would have stood up to kid pressure with Facebook and phones...
I would have saved more money...
I would have eaten better foods...
I would have read more books...
I would have gotten better grades...
I would have taken more pictures...
I would have bought a video camera when the kiddos were little...
I would have gone on every field trip...
I would have ...
WOW this list could go forever...

I just realized something...I can have do-overs now...for some things, it's too late (Baltimore--I miss the me from back then) ...but there are other things I can fix--if I really want to badly enough...
eating better foods...
saving more money...
taking more pictures now and cherishing the ones that I have...

One thing that I'm going to start doing right now is offering up Do-overs to anyone and everyone who seems like they might need one! Including me!!
When you hear someone say, "Do-Over" just smile and know that 2nd chances can be even better than the first...

Hope for a better ending this time...(which means that it will be a better beginning of something new!)

What would you like to do-over in your life?
What if we had to narrow the list to just three things?

Hmmm...I'm thinking on that one!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Lists... (Magazines I love to read!)

I have lists of things that I need to do, things that I want to do, projects I love, projects to try, favorite meals, favorite names, happy songs, happy places, peaceful things, you name it...I have LISTS! I was inspired by another list maker to add one of my lists to my blog each week. So I will. My first one:
Magazines that I love to read---

(even when I should be cleaning)!


1. Real Simple (So pretty...)

2. People (Good information!!)

3. Somerset (ALL of them)

4. Better Homes and Gardens (pretty home stuff, pretty garden stuff)

5. Indianapolis Monthly (Gotta know what's happenin' here!)

6. Martha Stewart Living (She's the best!)

7. Country Living (This magazine is just so pretty!)

8. Dwell (Fun ideas!)

9. Self (Work on me for a bit!)

10. Whatever is in the grocery check out lane! (LOVE passing the time that way!)


So tell me, what is your mag of choice? Why do you love it so?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Stretchy Kindness...

You may wonder what I'm doing today as I'm drinking my morning coffee...well, I'm preparing some stretchy kindness!! I read about it over on Kindnessgirl's blog...by the way...please see my post about her here! Anyway, I'm making kind, feel-good rubber bands that can be given to anyone and everyone!!! Here's the process...it's so easy...just stretch the rubber bands around something (we chose a jolly rancher box)...write your message in sharpie goodness...and then give them to someone who needs a lift!!

Just sharpies... Thick rubber bands...
And when you take them off of the box...they shrink up to look sooo cool...
Wha-lah!!!
Who will be the recipient of your stretchy kindness today???