Jumping on Beds..........

His Holiness.

Thinking of Pope John Paul II today on the eve of the beatification.

I wrote him when I was little...looks like around 8 or 9  years old.

His secretary wrote me back.  I have been blessed by an (almost) Saint! 

Pretty darn cool.

When I think about the people who are the icons of my childhood, the Pope was one of them for sure.  The Pope, Princess Diana, Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, Michael Jackson....those are sort of the iconic names of my childhood.....random to have them all together in one sentence like that.  Have I forgotten anyone? 

Not sure.  most likely.

But the Pope...being Catholic, going to Catholic school my whole life,you can imagine he was a big part of my childhood.  Most kids were writing Andy Gibb and I was writing the Pope.  

I thought about having my kids write the new Pope but their lives are different than mine was and they don't have the same feelings that I did. Wow, my kids are living such a different life than I did.  Amazing really.

I turned out okay(well, after a few years of therapy ;)..... so I know I was raised really well.  In all seriousness, in the end I did turn out okay.

I hope my kids turn out okay being raised in such a different place(ya know, not NY) and in such a different manner (not a lifetime of catholic school).  I have awesome memories of my schooling.  I always hear people speak of catholic school like it is a prison or the nuns were really mean and that was not my experience at all(well okay with the exception of one or two but that can be said of regular teachers as well).

Anyway, I LOVE Pope John Paul and just seeing his name again in the news makes me happy!

In other news......Happy Confirmation to my Godson Jack!!

and Mannie is really limping around and we are going to get him an MRI as soon as possible.  I hope he is okay.  I am a little worried. 

I wonder what I said in my letter to him? What did he do with my letter and all the letters received? Do you think they save them in a giant scrapbook at the Vatican? That would be cool.

 

 

Fairy Tales!

Wow, Kate was the most beautiful bride I have EVER seen!!!

Such grace and elegance....unbelievable how someone so young can handle the whole situation like she was gliding on ice.

I taped the wedding.  I didn't want to stay up or wake up since I was so tired yesterday. Plus I wanted to watch it with the kids so I waited.  Of course I saw much of the highlights in the morning.

We had our own little tea today.

I am so happy to see this sweet fairy tale before our eyes.  

I am happy my kids get to witness it as well. It is history right there before us! 

I saw Charles and Diana's wedding when I was 10 years old.  I was at a sleepover at my friend, Kerry's house.  We woke up early to see it from what I can remember.  It dawned on me that my two youngest sisters were not alive for the wedding making this royal wedding their first.  I wonder if my kids will see another big royal wedding in their lifetime....maybe Will and Kate's kids? 

I think back on the last wedding.... we were two young girls watching the royal wedding wide eyed with our whole lives in front of us, dreaming of fairy tales. Sadly Kerry has since passed. I don't know if her own personal fairy tale ever came true because we lost touch.

My kids are too young to dream of fairy tales.  I think they are still in the phase where they are living a fairy tale rather than dreaming of one.  Dreaming comes around 10(well in my case) or maybe later... I guess  it depends on the person or the situation.  

Now, as I watched this new wedding, again wide eyed, however, this time I am living the fairy tale no longer dreaming of one.  

I hope my kids can come full circle from living to dreaming to back to living a fairy tale again! 

I guess that would be my "dream" if I had to wish for one....that my kids end up with an adult life that is their own personal fairy tale.

In the meantime, my dreams continue to come true day to day all because of these 4 special people.

So thankful for our family!

What a fun distraction from all the bad news of the world! I wish everyday the world could rejoice like this! And oh to be in England!!! I went when I was 24ish with my friend Sue.  I think I can thank Sue for giving me the gift of the travel bug!!!  Anyway, I can remember it all so clearly....the black iron gates of Buckingham.  We got to see the Queen and the Queen Mum in their limo leaving a palace on their way to a wedding....then we caught a glimpse of them going into the church.  We literally walked ALL over London! It was amazing and I am SO excited for the day when I can take my kids and explore the history together...all the while the images of the wedding in the back of their mind.

So, now all the excitement of April is coming to a close and we have May upon us! This year has absolutely flown by.  Summer is just about at our doorstep.  I have been starting to feel little pangs of excitement for the summer and all the possibilities it brings! 

But in the meantime, now that April is just about over, it is time for me to kick it in gear for my April Project Life and print out mini pics for the April calendar!!!  

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I am especially happy that it is Friday!! This week was a really busy and tiring week....lots of fun but I am ready to relax as much as I can. 

Mannie has been limping around the past few days....he did something to his knee.  I hope he is okay but I have all but forbidden him to play baseball on Sunday.  He is too old to risk really screwing it up! 

So, that means we have Sunday to just rest.  I can't wait.

 

 

 

 

Playroom Before and After

I wanted to post my before and afters....We are basically done.  I still have 2 chairs to repaint.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I repainted the old science table (used to be red on the legs and the chairs were red) and Mannie sanded the top down.  He got rid of all the old marker/crayon and paint marks....looks AMAZING!! Feels so much more clean!

The kids absolutely LOVE the new playroom which of course is what I was going for.  It definitely has a more grown up feel to it but to be honest, in the bench with the blue storage bins under the window is all the train tracks and cars STILL. I couldn't get rid of those just got rid of the way they were stored.

Here is a close up tour of the room......come along!! :)

Here are the pictures I printed from pinterest:

Here is a little dog bed I got at Home Goods.  I wanted a couch there but not in the budget so I decided on a cozy dog bed with some pillows....MUCH cheaper and as you can see, very cozy for reading and/or watching t.v. 

And I had Mannie add chicken wire to the white frames above Cami so I could clip the kids art work up there very easily.

I printed this Dr. Suess quote out from Pinterest as well!

Here is the book shelf by Lexile.  Ahhhhhhh organization!! I LOVE it!! The kids still have their own books in their rooms but these are the ones from the downstairs.

The shelf is from IKEA. The bins are from Target!  The curtains are actually shower curtains from Target!

Another view:

Another shelf for crafting....paper, supplies and finished projects:

One last view of the room;

Well, time to go to bed. Have a nice night.

Royal Wedding soon!! :)  

I have my scones ready for the party!! 

 

Angels

Good morning!

It is a gorgeous day!

Today:

1. I am exhausted....up late at the Angel game last night.

2. Cami goes on her first bus ride today! She is excited for her first class trip. 

3.I hung out with my friend, Jen, last night.  We roomed together in college all 4 years! It was awesome to see her and hang out with her family last night.  Next year is our 20 year reunion!!! We are hoping to go! I love Baltimore and it would be so amazing to be back there and with my roomies at that!

4. I am SO excited for the Royal Wedding....watching the coverage is making me wish I could be in London.  The weather there has been beautiful and I hope for a nice day for them tomorrow or is it Saturday?

5. The kids and I are going to have a tea party in honor of the big event!  We even have some "wacky" hats....I don't know if wacky is the word.....I'll say vintage instead!  Charlie will wear a tie to the tea! 

6. That is all.....I think I am still 1/2 asleep from the game last night.  The Angels lost. I think that is the first time the Angels lost when we were there. Bummer.

7.  I posted Flat Stanley's Angel Adventures on Facebook so I didn't want to be redundant and write about it here but Stanley had a great time at the game last night.  He did however, lose a hand somewhere between Knotts Berry Farm and the stadium parking lot!!! So, he is having a little cosmetic surgery done here in California before he leaves!!  Here is one picture from last night:

Alright, time to go clean up, get dressed and then make some plans for  the Royal Party!!  Toodles!

Flat Stanley Escapes!

Poor Flat Stanley was tragically sent to the Adams residence about a month ago.

He has since endured a long imprisonment in the dinning room tucked inside a journal.  Although Stanley is used to laying flat, he was extremely excited when the Adams family finally remembered the neglected "house guest" and took him out for a day at the historic Knotts Berry Farm!! 

Here is Stanley seeing the Liberty Bell for the first time! Doesn't he look excited???

And here he is with his host family(or as he likes to call them, the wardens!).....seeing Independence Hall!!

Stanley even got to meet Snoopy!!! 

Stanley was so happy to be out in the sunshine, the smile never left his face!! 

Oh, but then the Wardens started to go on some rides.........
the wardens got a little distracted!!......
and so Stanley was sent to Mamma Warden's purse where he was promptly forgotten about and never to be seen again for the rest of the day!!

But there is hope for Stanley, word around the "big house" is that he is going out again this afternoon for another adventure!!!! 

Even though Stanley is anxiously awaiting to go back home to his best friend, Danny....one more stop is scheduled for him.....a plane ride to Australia where I am sure Stanley will be treated like royalty and taken to many new and interesting places never to be locked up and forgotten again!! 

We had a wonderful day at Knotts Berry and lots of neat stuff! Great spot for lots of historic info. and some fun rides for the kids as well.  We didn't opt in for the famous chicken dinner but sort of wish we had....just for research purposes of course!! 

Cara is ready to write and present her report on one of orange county's historic gems! 

Hope you have a fun day!! We have another gorgeous day here and I am excited to hang with my former roomie, Jen, later!  More fun awaits!

Note to self:  DON'T FORGET STANLEY!!

P.S.....this is an exact replica of the independence hall in Philly.....such a neat place! random to be in Buena Park, California but they wanted kids to experience history and what an awesome way to bring it to life here in southern Cal. 

Of course I Have Time to Blog!

Yesterday I wrote that I may or may not have time to blog today but I laugh at myself when I say things like that b/c I can make time for whatever it is I want to do really.  Do you ever do that? Think that you may not have enough time for something but if it something you enjoy,  there really is a way to squeeze it in somehow! It is called juggling priorities!!  Cleaning? or Blogging???....hmmm....blogging.   Unless, of course, you don't have access to whatever it is you enjoy.....so, later today, I will not have time b/c I won't be near a computer and I don't have a fancy phone.

Sometimes I want a fancy phone and then sometimes I like the "old fashion" quality of not relying on it. That is how I felt about call waiting and then it automatically came with our new phone package but I don't answer the beeps.  I am old fashioned that way! I actually think it is rude but I understand that the rest of the world doesn't feel that way so I never get offended when I am put on hold due to call waiting.

I seem to be rambling today!

So......rambling Tuesday it is!!

Are you planning a fun Royal Wedding party???? I am starting to brew some ideas for Friday night....or is it more fun on Saturday? I think Friday b/c by the time Sat. roles around, it is over! But if we still had our science table, it would be decked out in England......I am going to do a thing on England anyway but not until Thursday b/c ya know I am SO BUSY!!! ha, ha!! 

Actually, we really are busy.....today we are doing a little field work on Orange County (hence the Orange photo at the top!)......Cara has a report due so I am taking the kids out of school early and we are going to do a little research together!!! 

Cam and I went to Cinnamon Productions yesterday before school.  We sat there and chatted and I just kept looking at her and just feeling so grateful that we had this time together just the 2 of us.  I still feel that we didn't get enough "us" time over the years so I was enjoying our time and soaking it in....I wish I had a camera and could have recorded it so I will remember it forever.  She is so precious.  I love her squishy cheeks and her cute little voice and I would love to read her mind and see what she is thinking b/c she always says funny things.

Here was one of our conversations:

Cam: Look!! There is a bee!!

Me: Oh, don't worry, he won't bother us, he is looking for flowers.

Cam: Yeah, plus he won't  sting us because he is a baby.

Me: Oh really? The babies don't sting? Did someone tell you that? 

Cam: No! Once I touched a baby bee and it didn't sting me!

Oh, she is just so cute! I want to hug her and give her kisses just thinking about it!! Of course she had touched a baby bee!!! She is such a little scientist.

And of course, of all the birds that we own, Cami's bird is the one that has somehow figured out how to escape its cage!!! We never know where Pretty Bird is going to show up!!  I don't even want to think about the bird poop that I am missing on cleaning!!!

Trying to think of any other ramblings!!! Let me see! Nope....nothing else.  I need to go clean my house so it looks nice! and naturally throw some laundry in and fold some more! 

Have a fun day!! Hope you can find time to squeeze something in that you love to do!!! :)

Adios.

 

Collage Wall....Family Room.

Hey there. 

Wanted to share one of the little projects Man and I have worked on this past week!

Our collage wall....we are not even done but done for today anyway.  I have a little order to put in here...cute map which will go somewhere in the mix for sure!! 

Mannie and I have been enjoying re living wonderful memories while printing out the pics and we like the new look of the family room.  Definitely adds a little more interest to the room.  Gosh, that wall has bugged me for 6 years and we could never agree on what to do so we just let it sit there boring as can be instead. 

Now, we love it!! 

Oh and that "A" picture that reads est. June 27, 1998! I Here is a closer look:

downloaded for free here! I am so thankful for all the free downloads out there!! I found a few really cute ones on Pinterest and put them in the playroom.  I will try to share tomorrow.  Hopefully I will have time....tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day though so I will see!

Have a great day! Today is absolutely gorgeous here!!! Thankful for the sunshine again!! :)

Easter Weekend!

Monday again? How does this happen so fast?

We had a great weekend.  We had a softball game for Cami, a trip to IKEA and then we worked around the house.  We dyed eggs and then of course had  a really nice and relaxing Easter.

We celebrated just the 5 of us which was actually really nice. We woke to an egg hunt inside to find plastic eggs that Daddy had hid.  The candy eating started at around 7:00 am and went all through the day! Then I made us a nice brunch.  Eventually we made it outside for the real egg hunt....meaning real actual eggs hidden by EB. 

We watched movies.....How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled (in the kids baskets)....Mannie and I tried to watch Waiting for Superman and unfortunately, I have wanted to watch that for a long time but I was bored stiff and we stopped the movie for some reason, to get something or other, and then never restarted it.  I have it till today at 4:30 so I might try to finish it. 

We worked on the playroom, the kids played games in the playroom and  then we made a great ham and scalloped potato dinner. 

Overall, very relaxing and low key weekend with the family....just what I needed and I didn't even know that I needed that.

Now back to reality and a fairly busy week....I am going to hang out with one of my roommates from college this week.  She is visiting from NY with her family.  They did the coast drive and are in town for a couple of days so we will meet up on Wednesday! Will be fun.

Time to get moving....hope you have a great day!!

Family Movie Night!

Tonight:  Movie with the fam!

Tomorrow: No school!!!  Egg related activities! as well as home improvment projects!!

Yahoo!!!!

Weekend, I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Big tub of Goo!

So maybe it is NOT a BIG tub, but a tub of goo nonetheless and I CAN'T STOP eating it!!! 

This is my latest food fixation! that and the glazed donuts from Target!!! They are sooooo good! 

I have also been fixated on my mini make overs and I never would have thought that "mini" make overs would take me so long!! That is because I am not handy so I am relying on Mannie to help with part of the make over so that requires waiting for him in between work and kids sports!! Poor Mannie, never a moment to rest! 

We painted the playroom and I have to say, it makes me SO HAPPY to have a new color! The old playroom was just so boring and worn out looking.  The new color is a burst of HAPPY!!

The kids are thrilled and we still have lots more work to do.  I am going to repaint the science table so it will match (the legs and chairs are red so I will paint them white) and we still have lots of touch ups on the paint but overall, I am excited for the new look!

As soon as I am done, I am going to do a "Before" and "After"! Exciting to see what a simple coat of paint will do! 

We also have a mess of frames on the family room floor for our wall collage that I am hoping will get put up on Saturday.  I have pretty much slotted our weekend to home improvement and of course Easter but we are celebrating here at home just the 5 of us so we can do 1/2 Easter and 1/2 organizing at home I figure!

So, that is the latest......hoping to close the top to the goo and maybe pick up an apple instead!! ;)

Happy Thursday!! 

Tomorrow is Mikey's bday!! !LOVE ya Mike!!! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you!!