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

Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Halloween!!

 

Can you believe we have not bought a pumpkin yet and today is Halloween??? I bought some little mini's but they don't count.  We never made it to a pumpkin patch this year....too much going on.  So I may run to the store and get one so we can carve later but then again, I just may not and that will be fine! 

We had a busy weekend....started on Friday with a birthday party that I had forgotten all about and then I remembered and took Cara to the party.  It was at one of those jumpy places so I dropped her off and then went shopping by myself!! I got a gate for our hallway entry so Indy cannot go in the hall and then scraproom any more......wow, that made life so much easier!! 

After the pet store, I went and browsed around Pier 1.........SO MUCH fun!! They have all sorts of pretty stuff out for Christmas!! Loved just walking around checking it all out.  

Then I hit TJ Max just for fun....again, browsed.  

I told Cara I would pick her up early so I did.  When I got there, she was being attended to with ice packs...she had hurt her foot.....maybe a sprain? We don't know, it is not broken though because she can move everything.  But it kept her out of her Saturday soccer game.  Thankfully her team won the game which means they clinched top spot and now have a bye week for the playoffs!! That is awesome so she can rest her foot! 

In other news....the kids got on their costumes on Sat. and we took them to the 20th Annual Miracle Babies Halloween party for our wonderful fertility doctor!! We haven't gone since the kids were really young so it was SO GOOD to see Dr. Werlin and give him a HUGE hug!!! I love that man so much!!!  We quickly chatted as the way the party goes, you line up and take a picture like you are at Disneyland and Dr. Werl is Mickey Mouse, then you go on your way!! So many families show up just for that moment and it is worth it to see him again, hug him and again thank him for making all your dreams come true!!!!  

Sunday we had Mannie's team party for the WHALES!!! Dan, Mannie's good friend and manager of the team, had these gorgeous trophies made for the guys! So sweet.  We had a great time last night celebrating their awesome season!!

Now it is Monday and another party tonight! I am feeling tired from last night's party so I hope I get a second wind before tonight.  

Wednesday my parents and one of my sisters come to town! I can't wait.  We have some really fun stuff planned but I am also looking forward to the unplanned ordinary moments like hanging in the backyard or grabbing a bagel together!  SO EXCITED!

LOOK  at gorgeous Indy!!

One more.... Cara took this one...love the red, white and blue background!

I know, I am bragging but she is just the cutest!!! I love her and these pictures of her! Mannie and I took her to get a bagel this morning and she sat with me in the front seat on my lap! She was so cute and stuck her head out the window for the first time!!! She loved it.  She kept giving me kisses!!! What a sweetie.  I am also proud of her because she did REALLY well at the party last night.  We kept her in the backyard with all the festivities and she was awesome!! 

Anyway, that is all for today! Life is good!

Hope you have a fun and safe night!! HAPPY HAUNTING!!! 

Halloween Fun!

Hi there!

Raise your hand if you are SO excited it is Friday!!!!!!

I am so happy!

Mannie has been working away from home this week and I can't wait for him to come home today! 

This afternoon, I have a couple of fun Halloween activities planned! I bought the ghost marshmallows for our annual reading of Ten Timid Ghosts! Then we are going to make mummy cupcakes....then soccer is somewhere in there....and finally, we will watch Charlie Brown Halloween! 

I have to finish up Cami's costume today.  We have a Halloween party tomorrow.  Cara does not have her costume yet.  I think she may be a "socer player" for the party because she also has a game.

We are having pizza and a block party on Halloween and just last night I got an email that Cara may have a playoff game on Halloween! Who in their right mind thought that anyone would want to play a soccer game on Halloween???  Let alone attend one. 

I am hoping that we aren't the team scheduled b/c that will throw a big wrench into the night's plans.

As much as I LOVE Halloween, I am looking forward to Christmas already.  I am so excited about it this year, I can barely wait.  No reason, just excited for the smells and sounds.  

Well, I have my Mini Goals for today......want to know what they are? 

1. mop the floors

2. buy a couple of gates at Target.....too bad we gave all our baby stuff away. We had really awesome gates back in the day!

Charlie saw my Mini Goal list last night and got hysterical laughing.....he just thought that list was the funniest thing he ever saw!  

I don't think I will let him see this page though!

Have an awesome weekend with lots of FUN!!

Mini Goals..

Yesterday I went shopping looking for a new pair of jeans...I needed a new pair since the pair I wear almost everyday is starting to tear at the bottom and it has paint splats everywhere so I figured it was about time to start looking.

Looking for a new pair of jeans is like looking for a bathingsuit....both tasks I detest! But I managed to find a pretty good pair...they are  a little long and I am not sure I am liking that but most jeans I buy are a little long.  Why do they do that?

Anyway...I was in Nordstroms and spotted these cute little journals and picked up this one for myself! 

It was like Christmas for me yesterday!!  I had to buy it though because it is cute and so perfect to just jot down 2 things a day to accomplish.....I am going to think I am a rockstar before I know it, always getting everything on my "to do" list done each day!! 

Today I got my hair colored.  I needed it desperately.  Last time I went, the girl didn't do the color the way I like it but I lived with it anyway.  Today I explained in a little more detail what I wanted and got just that! I like the color...looks more natural.  Feels good.

I am almost done with Cami's costume.  

I am going to start on PL for October...I am looking forward to that because it has been such an emotional roller coaster of a month that it will be interesting to see it all there in the album.

My "goal" for Novemember is to try to catch more of the everyday details to focus on....I hope I can do it...let's see if I can do it! It will be a sort of unordinary month though b/c my parents and sister are coming to visit and then we have Thanksgiving. But nonetheless, I will try.

December will be like a December Daily which I tried to do a few years ago....it was coming out so cute but I lost steam and gave up on it....so at least I know I will finish it.

and then that is it! Finito!!! done!! adios PL you pain in the butt!!!!!!! 

I was asked if I will do it again....I think I will in a few years.....but I am contemplating on buying the kit and using it for some other purpose not yet known to me.  ;)

Indy update.....she is precious....I love how she makes me feel so loved when I come home to see her and she is JUST SO excited to see me!!! But I don't love having to constantly clean up pee.....my dilema?  I want her to be an indoor/outdoor dog.  I want her to play in the yard most of the day but come inside and be cozy in our house.  I don't want her in a crate until night.  Most people I talk to say to put her in a crate, that I will be thankful.  But I just can't put her in a crate all day.  I know most people do but I just can't.....so my problem is how to let her inside without pooping all over my house?  I may loose my mind if it continues on this way! I would say that is my biggest problem.  I also am not a fan of walking her by myself.  When we take her for walks and the kids walk her, she walks/runs, I feel like I get some sort of excercise.  When I walk her by myself, she sniffs all over or stops and lays down like she is dead.  Then I am trying to drag her to walk and I am afraid that I am hurting her.  Yesterday I gave up and just plopped down on the grass with her and gave her a rub for a while......I know, I am doomed!!!!....if that supernanny had a show for dogs, I would be shown the video of me rubbing my dog while "walking" and would be scolded for being an idiot!!

Alright.....enough rambling.....time to go do one of my 2 things on my mini goal "to do" list.....I wonder what I should write down for today?

1. Pick up kids from school

2. Rub Indy's belly for an hour

Dude, I ROCK!!! I am going to get SO much done with these new lists I have!!!

Have a great day!!

Project Life....Sept.

Well, I am slowly getting caught up to date....only a few more months until I can say that I DID IT!!! A whole year of a project....don't want to get ahead of myself but I am feeling excited about finishing!

Here is most of September....I still have a couple of gaps and another Angel game to add to the month. 

Then it is on to  October!! 

These are pretty picture heavy and just a little journaling since I have SO many pictures to use.

I used their work to tell the first day story too! 

It is fun to look back and see how busy we are and some of the fun things we did together. Definitely makes me feel thankful. Especially seeing the wonderful people that are in our life.

I used a variety of sizes in the page protectors....4x4 above and then this one which had a 5x7 opening...i made a mini LO.

Here is a fun LO I made....enjoyed working with the photo booth pics...

 

time to go......more later!

Have fun!!

A Trip to Target!

Took a trip to Target today!

Got the teachers a Halloween goodie bag! 

Started my Christmas shopping.....loving all the monogram goodies! They actually had all the letters I needed too! 

Then at the grocery store I found this bag!! It is SO delicious!!! Have you ever tried it? If not, YOU MUST try this popcorn!!!!  I am sure these are much better for me than those donut pop em's I inhaled last week. ;)

I am so excited to work on Project Life today but I ran out of one of the ink's for my printer....so the brakes are on until I get over to Staples! 

Instead, the plans for today are laundry....perhaps a floor cleaning(still obsessing over the smell of the house and trying to keep things semi clean...wonder when I will give up?).....anyway, also some pumpkin muffin making....bacon cheeseburger meatloaf making and baked potatoes for dinner.....a  walk with Indy....some snuggle time with Indy.

We got the movie "Zoo Keeper" which we saw on our trip to Oregon this past summer but a movie "premier" is in order....sort of fitting for the zoo I feel like we have.....although I will say, Moon was dragged out of her burrow yesterday by Cara and taken home with Amber to hibernate in her closet. So we are down to a puppy, bunny and 4 parakeets! 

Well, I guess I will be on my way....laundry is calling my name!

Hope you are having an AWESOME day!!! 

Getting Crafty!

Happy Sunday!!!!!

We have been busy making things here....

This is Cami's hat......I am so proud of myself so I am sort of bragging but honestly I am not good at sewing so this is a major accomplishment that I think it came out cute!!

I am working on the shirt and some pretty shimmery wings for the costume.....so far so good!!

Cara has been making candles holders.....for fall and a hostess/host gift for our Aunt Joan and Uncle Pat who host Thanksgiving each year.

And then she made some Halloween ones and a pretty blue combo.  She is really proud of herself too.  A very simple way to give her a sense of accomplishment! 

Proud = having fun! 

Crafting just makes me happy!! My kids too!

Cami has been working hard on birdie origami paper doll things....no picture though. 

Check out what I found via Pinterest today!! How perfect for the kids!! Lots of cute little sets on that site. Pinterest is awesome!!

Have a great day!

 

Saturday Evening Post!

Happy Saturday!

I snuck away for a little me time and browsed the web a bit. Then I figured I would post about our day.

The big news of the weekend is that I started Cami's parakeet costume last night....made the head which is a hat...I got the idea from Pinterest except on Pinterest it was an owl costume.

Anyway, I LOVE the hat so far.....and most importantly Cami loves it!! I will try to get a pic of her wearing it and post it.  She was very skeptical of this costume idea when I explained it to her, she didn't think it was going to turn out okay.  Then I had her draw me a picture of a parakeet beak because I know that she is very particular about her parakeet art so this was a tough costumer to please.

Anyway, I nailed the beak!!(If I do say so myself!) She was wearing her hat proudly this morning!! this week, I am working on the shirt with feathers and some wings.

The other good news of our weekend is that Cara had a soccer game and they won!!!  

After her game, we came home to play with Indy for a little while and then we put her in her crate....I was so nervous to leave her in the crate because we left for 3 hours and I wasn't sure what would happen.  But she did great!!! No accidents!! 

Here is Cara training Indy this afternoon!

We took her right outside to pee and poop and she did.....then she came in the house and the kids were playing with her and she peed in the dining room!! Patience Annie, patience!

We took her for the loooooooong walk and now I am sort of in my decompressing mode.

We left the house for 3 hours to go to the Halloween Fair in Heritage Hill.......I didn't realize that the kids should dress up as they had trick or treating but anyway, they had an adventure theme and it was really cute. They had an Indiana Jones area.....

.so cute! they had a birdie dressed up which Cami loved....
and a cool maze......

a pirate shipwreck area...


a Harry Potter "Haunted House"....it was really clever.  The kids played games and got lots of candy which I am wanting to get rid of before they eat it all. 

Anyway....I need to go get moving.....almost time for bed.  
Have a great night.  

The View from Here....

Today is a good day!

I took Indy for a walk this morning after dropping the kids off at school....it started out pretty rocky with the crossing guard laughing at me because Indy decided that she was going to lay down and take a nap once I crossed the street.  I felt so embarrased at my obvious lack of dog training abilities. 

But then we made it home and Indy has been lounging with me while I work on Project Life!

Now that's what I'm talking about!! This was the image I had in mind when I took her in! 

I am soooooo enjoying getting started on catching up on PL.  I have been printing just a few pictures at a time so I don't have too much stuff on the desk.  That way I feel like I can start something and finish it. 

It is always fun to look back at life as I go working away on the placement and journaling.

I made a couple of mini layouts too for the book.  That was a lot of fun.

Overall, a great day.

I need to run a few errands and then after school, Charlie has a playdate.  I was hoping to make some Halloween cookies before they come home.  

I am really excited for the weekend! Time with all 5 of us and Indy!! Lots to look forward to!

This makes me happy! Seeing Cara and Indy....she was hurting so bad and now to see her happy taking care of something fills my heart.

I hope you are having a great day and have an awesome weekend!! 

Life is good!!

Nap Time

iphone pic from the other day.

Having a dog is bringing back SO many memories of the baby/toddler phase....it is so strange.

Indy is outside having a nap and I am devouring a box of glazed pop em donuts and trying to enjoy a quiet moment.....I remember this feeling.

I have been on edge with Mannie and the kids.....really reminds me of the younger years as well. 

I don't understand how to train the puppy to not pee in my house? I don't get it.  Yesterday I spent at least 2 hours outside with her and then we come in the house and she pees.  AAAAAAAAHHHHH!! 

So, I gave her a bath, cleaned up the house and was just about unraveled by the time Mannie came home from work.  That felt familiar as well.
I was wondering when is the fun of having a dog going to start?

After Mannie got home last night, I snuck upstairs and watched the "Dog Whisperer" in search of some shred of helpful information.  Laying in bed with no worries on whether the dog was downstairs peeing on my carpets felt so nice.

Today is a new day....no indoor accidents but she has spent a lot of the day outside.  Charlie woke up with hives so I took him to the doctor just to make sure it was in fact hives, which it was and was gone because I gave him medicine so I dropped him at school late.

Then I went to a local dog boutique to see if I could find the food that Indy was eating.  They didn't have it but I found something similiar and gave it her and she LOVED it!!!  

  The dog boutique brought back memories of when the kids were little and I would go to one of those fancy kids stores and buy flowery hats for the girls or cute toys for the kids. 

They had all kinds of cool Halloween leashes......it took everything inside of me to NOT buy one!!! They had cute looking Halloween cookie treats too! ......it took everything inside of me to NOT buy those as well. I just love Halloween TOO much to not buy that leash...I have to go back!!! ....it is still haunting me in the back of my mind, calling my name!! If they have a Christmas one, I am just going to HAVE to get one!!!

But I did buy Indy a new "Bully stick" since she already chewed up her last one and she loved it! 

I also bought her dog treats hoping that maybe I could use them to reward her for stuff. 

Anyway, today was going to be my "Project Life" day but time is running out before the kids get home and then starts homework, dinner prep....Rosie, Oprah.....showers and all that other stuff!! 

I will print some pictures though after I type this out. 

I also need to get started on Cami's bird costume for Halloween.  Cara has decided on a werewolf for sure.  I hope I can find one rather than try to make one because I am sure nothing I would make will be what she has in her head.  

That is the news from here......

signing off......putting away the box of donuts!! 

Happy day to YOU!

Here is a picture of Indy at the vet from Monday....she is so cute!! 

Chores.....

Chores are on my mind today.

I have the same chores to do now that I have a dog but I found that I need to do them more frequently.

Chores I like:

1. vacuuming 

2. wiping down the counters....I find that this is my favorite and that I  wipe them down almost compulsively throughout the day....must be some sort of need to feel in control of the mess somehow? 

3. folding laundry (only if I watch t.v. while I do it)....towels are my favorite....least favorite are socks and fitted sheets.

4. cleaning the bathroom downstairs....fast and a quick reward chore.

 

Chores I dislike: (this list will most likely be longer)

1. loading and unloading the dishwasher.

2. laundry

3. grocery shopping

4. doing the floors

5.taking out the trash

6. putting away laundry.

those are the main daily ones....I am sure I am missing quite a few but for now that is what I am thinking about.

I rarely make my bed.....do you?  But that is because my upstairs is the neglected child as I have said before. 

today Indy is tiring me out.  She is sweet but dang dogs are a HANDFUL....duh right? I think dogs are more tiring than a baby or a toddler. 

I am right now trying to get my energy up to give her a bath.....it is part of my obssessive battle to control the animal smell of my house which I am clearly losing. I wonder how much longer I will fight the battle before I throw in the towel and raise the white flag? 

We need an air filtration system that sucks all the pet smell out of homes and pumps out some sort of pretty smell....something non toxic of course......someone needs to invent that for compulsive smell freaks such as myself.  I think I would enjoy the whole animal thing a whole lot more if I could relax on that front.

Any dog advice on nice smelling cleaning products for the home and/or a nice dog shampoo? 

Okay....now I am thinking of cleaning the floors first, then the dog....yeah, that's what I'll do. 

Tomorrow my plan is to get obssessive about Project Life and get myself caught up....alot has happened since I left off.......(August!....yikes)

Have a TERRIFIC day!!!