a little bit of this 'n that

*  i got a nice surprise yesterday.  my mother texted me sunday night and wanted to keep doh doh all day monday.  wow!  an entire day?!?! 

*  i went junkin'.  (big surprise, eh?)

i bought this vintage school chair-&-desk all in one.  isn't it delicious?  do you know how much i love orange????  (this pic doesn't do it justice. i promise.)  the boys have vintage desks in our playroom....they are nothing but clutter catchers.  they gotta go.

*  we've started working on the wall in our family room.  i can hardly wait to show you!!!!  the big reveal coming soon.  very soon.  {yay!}

* i moved around some furniture.  in the process i lost my nightstand.  {for the second time}  so i searched around and found some possibilities.  a little paint.  a little sanding.  a little vision of some chippy paint deliciousness.

i think this little blue table is adorable.  but a little on the short side, and a little small for a nightstand.  but a possibility for the family room.

ignore all the country items around it {and the color}, but this is actually a desk.  i think it would be fun as a nightstand.  there are 2 little drawers you can't see....perfect for hiding electronic items while they charge???

it's hard to tell from the pic, but that little table right there is pretty cute.  repainted, of course.  but cute.  or maybe it's just cute b/c this is my friend's booth and she has amazing taste.

*  i'm watching golden girls.  {happy dance}

*  does anyone know....when in the world did they change the size of fries in a happy meal?  is this everywhere?  just my neck of the woods?  it's the size of my finger! 

* last week was a fun morning at the boys' school.  i was all geared up, hipstamatic app prepared, to take adorable pictures of the kiddos and me having breakfast together.  and then sharing those pics with a wonderfully written blog post about the joys of special moments like these.  this is the only pic i came home with.

{sigh}
they should've asked me to make the sign.  a little on the blah side, right?

* this past saturday we didn't try a new recipe or any new foods, which has been a little bit of our "thang" lately.  instead we had the boys' best friend -- and our former neighbor -- join us for dinner.  we did a taco/quesadilla bar.  it was oh-so good.  i barely had to lift a finger.  someone can apparently do it all.

* i found this while out junkin' too.  if it had a top part making it a hutch it would be in my dining room now.  i'm wondering if i can find one.  i love this piece so much.

* so what about you?  been out junkin' lately?

p.s. if you like my super awesome, you know you want it, vintage orange desk chair, the owner had another at home.  she offered me one fantastic deal on it.  if you locals are interested, let me know.  it's super awesome.  for reals.

p.p.s. i meet with a personal trainer this morning for a one-time session.  pray for me.

p.p.s.s. i'll be sore tomorrow.  maybe even tonight.  oh, who am i kidding....i'll be sore this afternoon.

i heart our saturdays

the weekends are sometimes a little...awkward.  most friday nights the boys spend the night with grandparents.  we never know when they're coming home on saturdays.  and every time, they come home exhausted.

don't get me wrong:  i ain't complainin'.  we chose to live near family for this very experience.

but {remember i'm not a planner!!!} it sometimes makes our family time on the weekends get off to a slow start.  but i feel like we're finally starting to get in a groove.

and i'm loving saturdays.

and what's a saturday in the kitchen without a snazzy apron?

i don't profess to make pizza as good as my dad's, but i'm getting better.  so saturdays have become top your own pizza nights.

{you might remember my ever-so-famous PYP nights...Pick Your Poison....that's when i haven't made dinner and you get to pick your own.  we do a lot of those.} 

my lil fellas aren't as adventurous.  they're pizza purists:  cheese.  pepperoni.

my other fella has more mature tastebuds.

find my meatball recipe here.  and thank me later.

this particular night we also tried a Pinterest recipe.  yummy.  not necessarily one to go in the rotation, but a quick & easy occasional recipe.

cinnamon roll cake.  oh yes.  that's right.  sorry i don't have an after picture. i was too busy stuffing my face.

and what do you do while momma's busy in the kitchen?

build a fort in the laundry room, of course!

love that face.  love that scar under his nose after getting slammed in the face with a swing.

yes that's a doggy door.  no we don't have a dog.  a new door is definitely on my to do list. {sigh}

anything you can do i can do better.  sing it with me!

my oh my goodness those are sweet faces.  i love saturdays.  what do you do on saturday nights?

eye candy & a recipe

just a little eye candy to show you what i'll be doing this spring. 

we're re-landscaping the front, sides, and back yards.  lots of work.  {and yes, i'd love this little arbor here...but our backyard is fenced.  not sure i can talk my man into doing this where the gates are.  hmmm.}

don't you love that delicious blue???  with the flowers for that burst of color?  did your heart just skip a beat??  oh my.  bestillmyheart

we're also taking out our current deck & rebuilding it.  probably b/c we're idiots.  ha.

one side of my house is full sun, but the other side and my back yard are shade.  so i'm looking at lots of hostas in the shadey areas....and no clue yet really on my full sun side.  so many decisions!!

have i ever mentioned i get easily overwhelmed???

 pretty, right?  i'm excited.  but i have lots to do inside before i can really focus on the outside.  i think february is going to be my "tie up all the loose ends" month.  so much for the month of love, right?

sources:  bhg.com & houzz.com; see my pinterest boards for links.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ok, recipe time.  i made this last night.

parmesan crusted tilapia via rachael ray.  bruiser ate his entire portion. 

i repeat:  bruiser ate it.

if you know my kid at all, you know his diet consists of peanut butter, apples, strawberries, salsa, and chips. 

and he still ate his entire portion. 

doh doh loved it.  my man loved it.  bubba loves fish, but wasn't crazy about the seasonings/coating on it.

it's still going in the rotation.  it was super duper easy.  no mess. 

make it.  make it today.

monday, monday

you just can't trust that day.

last night i surveyed my surroundings.  after straightening up all afternoon {before our home group came over} i was pretty pleased with how the house looked.

so i did something i rarely. ever. do: 

i planned ahead.

shocking.  i know.  i.  know.  i decided monday would be a nice day to kick back, do laundry, and watch the tons of house hunters international that i have recorded.  {grin}

but then monday, monday came a'knockin'.

to do that, you need this...

which i still need to make.  {sigh.}  i had enough of my other stuff to get started.  i'm on load #4 and praying there's enough for my 5th & final load.  if you hear screaming, there wasn't enough.

all that laundry eventually ends up here.......

waiting to be folded with last week's laundry.

i also looked around and saw a few holiday touches

that need to be removed.

and although i overlooked it last night {while hoping all my home group friends did too!}

my house is duuuuuuuuuuu-sssssssssssssty.  {can you see that???}

while vacuuming {no, vacuuming was not on today's agenda} i realized i have lots of projects needing attention.

and hand-me-downs that need to be sorted.

and christmas lego boxes that need to be put somewhere.  ANYWHERE!!!!!

i also need to find a spot for this {that i was originally going to pay 6x for on etsy & found at tj maxx for $40!!!!}

or take it back b/c i really have no clue now where to put it.  hmm.  but i just love the bicycle.  cuteness, non?

all the while a cute little -- and very "sweepy," i might add -- little lady did this.

that's the good life right there. 

so monday hasn't quite turned out like planned.  {hence the reason i hate planning ahead.}  but it's naptime.  and my dvr is calling my name.  and so is some dark chocolate.  i'd offer to share, but i'm kinda stingy with my stash.  just ask my kiddos.

have A great week!!!!

p.s.  the wall behind my doh doh girl is the wall i'm supposed to be working on.  some of the contents are in those hobby lobby bags above.  a reveal is coming soon! {grin}

sunday

have mercy!  where did that last post come from?!?!?!  i shouldn't post my super random thoughts.  ;)

so it's sunday. 

which means i'm frantically picking up my house before our home group comes over tonight.  if you're coming, and you're reading this, don't look too closely at the dust.

and if you do, we probably aren't very good friends. (ha!)

i'm sleepy.  i stayed up *WAY* too late last night watching Clijsters defeat Li at the Australian Open.  are you watching????  (Li?  Na?  Li Na?  Na Li?  I can't remember which way it goes.  My apologies to Li.  Or Na.)

i'm wishing these were the glasses i ordered.

i'm listening to bubba and daddy as they search wikipedia for different states, their locations, the dates of their statehood, and tidbits of trivial information.  geography...it's fun!

i still dig getting real mail.  like from the postman.

especially when it's polka dotted.  and from someone as suPer SpeCTacular as the divine miss meg.  she sent my bib necklace we made at craft weekend.  that i dropped in the front yard while carrying out my stuff.  and still needs to be finished....

i'm smooching my doh doh who just woke up.  and will probably be super crabby tonight b/c that was a super short nap.

i'm thinking of and praying for a sweet friend.

i'm laughing at finding doh doh's Ken doll face down in the carpet.  does anyone else think the dude is covering up for safety?  no?  just me?  poor guy.

i tried an ugli fruit. 

it was ugli.  ha.  tasted about like it looked.  bleh.  anyone had one?  was thinking i had hit money with this one. 

i heart grapefruit....so a fruit fusion?  but alas... it ain't happenin' for me.

i'm updating my phone.  and hoping it doesn't take long.  this house ain't a-gonna clean itself.

i'm loving this swimsuit. 

i think it needs to be mine.  like, now.  oh, and this one too.

i've decided i've procrastinated long enough.  this house needs to be cleaned up.  and my patience has worn out from being pestered to death by my family.

bruiser just announced his new last name is going to be SKITTLES.

the life of a mom

as a mom, life is demanding. 

we're expected to...

* remember the names of moms we briefly met while passing in the halls during the halloween costume parade.

* remember that Andrew can play on Wednesdays, only after 4 p.m., but Drew can't play on Tuesdays and Thursdays except the first week of every month.

* show up for every class party, know all classmates names -- remembering that Ruba's family is kosher, 7 out of 25 2nd graders do not celebrate most holidays, several speak broken English, and a handful will break my heart to the point of contemplating kidnapping. (i kid.)

* clean up some form of bodily function during each and every meal.

* have witnesses during each of our own trips to the bathroom.

* be able to provide a full 7-course meal in 30 minutes or less.  i mean, rachael ray does it!!!  why can't you?

our children have no idea we have dreams, desires, hopes, LIVES.

was it really that long ago when my biggest concerns were
* negotiating a pay raise for back-to-back shows at the same theatre?
* working out that quick change backstage, praying my co-stars would speak louder if my taps were making too much noise?
* praying my voice would hold out on sundays b/c of double performances?

i'm typing this in the kitchen, with the laptop -- and the extra keyboard b/c 2 weeks after getting said laptop Bruiser dumped a bottle of water on it -- on the stove.  i'm emptying the dishwasher.  i've stopped and changed 2 dirty diapers.  i've wiped the rear end of a stinky 5 year old.  and i just sent 2 filthy boys outside to shake the dead grass pieces out of their hair and clothing.

i love my life.

i honestly can't remember the last time i laid in bed dreading the next day.  or dreading even getting out of bed.  every day is awesome!  every day is different!

but as mommas, we often forget about ourselves.  and that's been me.  for almost 8 years i've simply been MOM.  i have no regrets.  i'm slowly adding things to life, overwhelming as it seems.  i'm captain of a tennis team, i play tennis every week, i meet friends for lunch almost every week, and so on and so on.

somehow i missed my health.
somehow i occasionally acknowledged the headaches, but dismissed the exhaustion as having 3 kids.
somehow i held my eyes in pain, but assumed every mother felt this way.
somehow i laughed off missing the easy lobs, the easy overheads, the easy shots as not being focused.
somehow i missed it.

yesterday i had my vision checked.  and found out my eyes are bad.  once upon a time, i wore glasses.  shortly after getting married i had corrective surgery.  a few years ago i started noticing i avoided dark areas, glare was worse than usual...i hated blogging, but eventually increased the screen size...and on my ipad i always enlarge the screen.

you'd think i would've noticed......

after my appointment, i noticed that things are fuzzy at first, then they clear up.  i can't remember the terminology, but my new glasses will correct it.

every night i hold my eyes, wondering why i feel so mentally exhausted but not physically.  i avoid emailing, reading, sewing, typing....i assumed it was just exhaustion from 3 kids.  now i realize it's more.

being a momma is the best thing i've ever done in my life.  it's the most rewarding and by far the most fun.  but i think i better start paying a little more attention to momma as well.

and speaking of that, i just looked at my hands after all the handwashing i've done today.  when did i get my grandmother's hands?  i'm off to find some lotion....perhaps turn back time a little bit.  it's possible, right?!?!?!

of course, lotion will have to come after a cute little lady checks my tummy with her stethoscope.  apparently all sounds well.  she told me "good boy, doctor."

i love my life.

i don't watch hgtv...

...don't hate me.

their programming just doesn't really...well...appeal to me.

however.............

while taking down christmas decorations a couple weeks ago, hgtv had RV 2012.

if you know my bubba, you know he was intrigued.  ok, more than intrigued.  he was in luuuuuuurve.  and he was glued to the tv. 

so while making my house less festive, we watched.  and drooled.  and oohed & ahhed....and realized people spend a lotta moolah on very bizarre things.

after that drool fest he ran back outside to play.  leaving me ALONE to take down decor.  ahem.  before i could turn the channel a show i used to watch came on.

i watched.  and was thankful it was a marathon that day.

two weeks later....i'm still addicted.  i enjoy house hunters as well, but the international show is my love. 

yes, i know the show is staged.  there is no such thing as reality tv.  but it's still fun to see the different houses, styles, prices, and can we just talk about those views????

so if you've wondered why my blogging has been sporadic lately....well, now you know why.  well, it's at least one of the reasons why.

the constant slamming of my backdoor is another.  i just had to lay down the law:  one more time & you're in for good.  'nuff said.

happy monday!!!!!

the sounds of snoring....

this has been a great weekend.  we didn't do anything special.  we just spent time together.  and we laughed.

as i type this i can hear the faint sounds of bruiser's heavy snoring.

bruiser is sound asleep on the couch in the family room. 
bubba is sleeping on his bed with no sheets. {they're still sitting in the dryer...don't judge}
doh doh is snuggled up with daddy in our bed.  {you can determine who i meant by 'our'... mine and my man's or mine, his & doh doh's....doh doh's and daddy's.......}

the boys started out sleeping in their "tent."

i even joined them for some snuggling.  and more laughing. 

we laughed all. weekend. long.

well...no one was laughing when i left bubba at home this morning instead of letting him go early to church with me {something he loves to do}.  bruiser & i had to leave him behind.  perhaps now he'll remember to put up his toothbrush. every. single. day. {sigh}

no, these aren't the greatest pictures of me.  but i don't care.  i'm sure my belly will ache tomorrow from all the laughter.  {that just means less crunches, right?  i mean, if i did crunches.}

the tent sleeping arrangements lasted all of about 5 minutes after i made my exit.  can't say i blame 'em.  maybe tomorrow we'll put up their real tent.

and lest you think we were the only ones being silly....

little miss was doing her fair share as well.

so now i'm off to bed.  if she's left any room in there for me.  of course, i might not be able to sleep from her heavy breathing from a nasty cold.  if not maybe i'll crash in bruiser's bed since he's on the couch.  if i can handle sleeping without sheets.  {i think i'm gonna be busy tomorrow.}

how was your weekend?  i hope it involved laughter. {grin}