colour me christmas

This was a quick snap of the leftovers from today's Christmas card photo shoot. Christmas time has my heart filled with joy like these fun little balls of coloured Christmas de-lights. Every morning our over excited 4 year old wakes us up before the birds so she can find where Timmy is hiding since she knows that if she touches him he loses his magic to fly to the North Pole. *wink* I love her excitement, maybe not at 6:30 in the morning when I'm still trying to catch up on some precious sleep but I have to admit that once I'm up her Christmas spirit is very contagious.

It's been years since I've sent out actual Christmas cards like, since I've lived up in Canada, kind of years so I'm pretty sure my address book is a little out of date. Well more like really sure, but for now I need to figure out where the best place is to print up Christmas card photos...

hello jello

Why hello there! Are you still there? Echo....echo......echo......echo....echo.....

Life in my world has been pretty busy these past few weeks and I'm sad to say that they are only going to get busier. Our house selling is in it's final stages (yeehaw!!!) so now all that's left is a closing date and packing. Packing-ugh! These two things have really squeezed the poop out of my creativity not to mention draining my body's life force but like all things, this too shall pass and while we close one door another is opened...yada yada yada...
so today I took a break and preheated the oven to bake some chocolate chip cookies (for Maribel and Joe of course 'cause I'm still staying faithful to the new healthy lifestyle-that's right!) and grabbed the oh so lonely camera to snap a few photos of my favourite little red head while she was all smiley.

Well I tried to...

She had other plans as soon as the lens cap came off.

Maybe this time?

guess not...

gotcha!

Never mind...but I love how the dried yogurt and red nail polish on her nose really bring out the stoic look on her face...

and then she turned the camera on me...oh my...

take that! HA! Two can play at this game!

Of course my plan backfired...she got right into it and started telling me what faces to make.

A little up close and personal...

I admit defeat by this point...and made one final attempt only snapping both of us together.

I'll take it!

If you ask me, this was the best way to kill time while waiting for the preheating oven. Packing can wait.

>^..^<

u can't touch this

I was just about home waiting at the second to last stop sign before turning into my driveway when I couldn't help but notice that this stop sign had a little extra instruction. I have to say that this sign totally made my day!

Of course now McHammer's Can't Touch This is stuck in my head and now it's stuck in your head too, isn't it?

My, my, my, my music hits me so hard
Makes me say oh my Lord
Thank you for blessing me
With a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet
Feels good when you know you're down
A super dope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat uh u can't touch
(oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

You can thank me later.
>^..^<

he's my penguin

Last week Joe and I celebrated 8 years of each other. Wow eight crazy years of Florida living, love it!

There is a song called Penguin by Christina Perri that I just love. When I first listened to the lyrics that feeling came rushing back like the first time it hit me when Joe and I were dating that he was the one. I love that feeling.

Ok so we really didn't date like most normal people would have since I was in Edmonton and he was in Orlando but I called it dating anyways. It was a really really really long distance relationship and so we "dated" over the phone and online which I wouldn't change for anything.

baby it's fate

like a soul mate

he's your penguin

baby it's fate baby it's fate

not luck

You know you're over the honey moon stage when the highlight of the evening was playing xbox in your underwear throwing some smackdown! Ahhh so this is love.? You better believe it is. Since I believe in fate and divine intervention I know luck had nothing to do with it.

>^..^<

missing mojo

You know when things get really busy all of a sudden that you barely have time to do anything, let alone anything creative and then you finally have a wee bit of time and then what? Nothing.........I've been staring at a blank piece of card stock for 4 days now not knowing how I want to manipulate it into something creative so I stare. Just staring at the untouched piece of paper.

So then I thought I would come here and post a little something only to have the same results....staring......*blink* *blink* watching the cursor appear, disappear, appear again, then disappear over and over and over......

....as you can see I'm getting desperate. I'm really missing my mojo right now. Like, a lot. *sniff*

Mojo? Are you out there? Please come back.....please?

>^..^<

i'm cracked

2 hours later....

'nuff said.

i'm a goofy goober ya...

>^..^<

it's lunchtime

and today I'm...

listening to Alli Moss through headphones.
eating leftover whole wheat spaghetti & sauce with cucumber and carrot sticks and yogurt. Being on a diet stinks sometimes but if I chant "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" over and over in my head I can get through it. Barely.
drinking lots and lots of iced cold water with fresh lemon slices.
wearing black maxi skirt, white top, with blue Anthro cardi and dress sandals. 
feeling happy that I got my laptop to work even for this short while and a little unprepared for my talk/presentation this Friday.
weather partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms and a high of 91F and low of 73F which translates to HOT!
wanting the mosquitoes to vamoose and find some other juicy morsel to leach from. oh and a new laptop.
needing to find my mojo so I can finish up some unfinished projects already, yeesh.
thinking about how excited I am that my family is coming down to visit me next month.
enjoying pictures my sister posted of some old family slides she scanned. Well, enjoying most of them. There's one of me in my "primal youth" that is less than flattering. Trust a sister to post those photos.


I was inspired by a photo I saw here. I love the idea of an ever changing list. It keeps things fresh.
>^..^<

hubba bubba, summer is here

Today welcomes the first day of summer and to celebrate I gave Maribel a little bubble gum blowing lesson. She then reminded me that it is practically impossible for a kid to not pop someone else's bubbles. Nice. 

I forgot the camera on the rapid fire when Joe tried photographing an upclose and personal lesson but can't help but giggle at how the lesson backfired. *pop*

Happy Summer everyone! I for one can't wait to start dropping things into our bucket. Yippee!

>^..^<

oh sunshine how I love thee...for now

Summer is coming!! as I say that in my high pitched singing voice. And I have to say that I am enjoying the love that the sun has been pouring over us! Normally I'm grumbling and griping about the heat wishing it was winter in Florida all year round but today at least I am in the mood for some sunshine!

As I add banners and clothes lines to my various scrapbook pages I can't help but wonder how nice that would be to hang the laundry to dry on an outdoor line. I imagine the summer breeze caressing the sheets and summer dresses has they hang from wooden clips and Maribel giggling as she weaves in and out of each hanging garment saying "Mommy come and catch me!"

*inhale*....but then the "glass half empty" side of me barges in and flashes the reality of hanging clothes outside in the Florida heat with squirrels running along the line leaving little dirty feet tracks as it goes and the feral cats thinking that the hanging linens would be ideal for scratching on and my whitest of white sheet catching on Maribel as she runs through only to fall and be drug through the grass where the fire ants can hitch a ride and wreak havoc with their wicked biting and then a flash rain hits drenching everything in the 5 minutes it's there rendering the clothes unclean and needing to be rewashed. *exhale*
Yeah...guess I'll continue to do laundry the way I've been doing it all along and leave the cute clothes lines to my scrapbook layouts.

But how cute are these puffy fruit guys, eh? Aren't they just the stinking cutest?

And their puffy too! squish squish Yay for a new month and happy things!

>^..^<

silly spring

So uh... does anyone know where May went? The last time I checked we still had some time to enjoy some spring before June comes bearing the gift of summer. I think Maribel is getting a little anxious for summer too in case you couldn't tell. She thinks it's hilarious when I try to snap a regular photo she cracks a silly face on the last possible split second. I gotta hand it to the girl, she sure knows how to make me smile. 

Happy uh, End of May?

>^..^<

back to the land of the web

We've been internet-less at home for over a week. It was the roughest week I've had to endure in a very long time but with many questions and a few frusterated words exchanged with the router and laptop I am so happy to say

"it's aliiiiiiiiiiiive!"

I have seen several signs that say that "a clean house is the sign of a broken computer" I only wish that was the case. Just think about what poor Milo had to endure and carry that forward to now.  We are starting to see why people don't talk about the 4's but I won't get into that right now as it is still too soon to talk about it...
I am just so happy to be back to the land of the living aka the web. Yay for determined hubby!

>^..^<

what's in my bag

This is my favorite bag right now. I love how perfectly spring it is and how I can smuggle chocolate from my super skilled candy sniffer aka my daughter. As you can see I'm all put of chocolate so instead it holds some touch up make up, lip gloss, keys, nail put polish my trusty phone, EOS egg shaped lip balm, Instax camera with some recent snapshots, wallet, my new favorite lip balm by Burts Bees, bobby pins, passport covered in Dear Lizzy fabric paper, my luggage tag a bestie gave me, pack this list notepad and glitter pencil.
Not shown i sthe stack of receipts and empty gum wrappers because that wouldn't make a pretty picture. *wink*

I so love these list notepads. I'm a list maker and they really take the guesswork out of "Did I remember everything?" as I usually forget something important like my cell phone charger or something...but not this time.

My Instax camera rarely ever leaves my bag other then to snap a few shots. Between that and my phone it's great to be able to capture the moment at anytime without having to lug around my pentax.


So here I am with a mere couple of sleeps left before I take the grand adventure of flying with my for year old who is probably more excited to be flying north than I am and that's saying something

>^..^<

muppets who wear glasses rock

My new glasses came in and I have to say that I feel smarter now. Mm hmm. Sure do. E=Mc2'd or squared, whatever the heck that means. Well alright at least I look smart. *wink*

When I shared with my darling sister a photo of that glasses I was getting she then proceeded to ask, "I had no clue you wanted to look like Guy Smiley?" ouch. Well since this was a rare opportunity to correct the corrector I had to share with her that Guy Smiley doesn't wear glasses. See... mnah so there!!!

So she then sent me a link to the Muppet's who wear glasses. Sibling love at its finest.

After looking through the selection of spectical wearing muppets I actually found one that has the same pair as I do...

*Don't forget to turn off the music on the side bar ==> ==> ==>*

Being a Muppet is pretty stinking awesome if you ask me but now I want a red phone...

>^..^<

I'm getting antsy....and a little sleepy

How can I not get excited for my trip while my sister keeps posting videos like this?
Dont' forget to turn off the music ==> ==>

Or this?

fast forward until about 1:16....wait for it....wait for it.....*poot*

I can't stop laughing but that might have something to do with the fact that it's late and I'm tired and when I'm tired I giggle. A lot. At everything. It's true what they say,

"Laughter is the best medicine."

Good night everyone, or should I say good morning?

>^..^<

welcome spring

It's nice that spring is finally here with warmer temps and happy anticipation of things renewed. Maribel is loving playing outside everyday exploring the great outdoors. We recently picked up a butterfly net after seeing several butterflies flutter about but so far the only thing she's cought in it are twigs and her head. Best dollar I've spent. *wink*

So far March has come in like a lion for me but sadly....I think it ate the lamb.... 
Happy Spring!

>^..^<

just floatin' around

Been drinking a lot of these as of late 'cause I need long necked bottles for one of activities planned for M’s upcoming  party. There's nothing like bringing out a childhood fave to help with the consumption of soda bottle after soda bottle. Yup, I'm taking one for the team... 


Happy Tuesday. Tonight I’m teaching a bunch of 14 year old girls to crochet.
Gotta spread the creativity.

>^..^<

so many hobbies...

...so little time.

The Hobby Lobby opened up in Orlando a couple months ago and I am just now getting around to checking it out. And I'm thinking maybe I should have continued on being oblivious because this store has strong potential of pinching my budget!

Just what I need, another hobby store I will frequent....

>^..^<

feeling off

I'm feeling a bit off today.
Not sure if it's because I'm feeling the weight of the world right now with my little world full of uncertainty or if it's because I haven't had breakfast nor lunch today.
Either way, I'm thinking I better stop and get my brows taken care of.
Yikes.
Those puppies must have sprouted over night.
I swear they weren't there yesterday.
And I think I better grab something to eat on the way or I might whither away.
Which wouldn't be so bad.
Would it?

>^..^<

cheap cheap

My mother in law has always said that my husband was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I never really understood what that meant until recently. For the past several evenings Joe has been so eager to fix dinner. Now I understand why...

Introducing the Flavor Wave.

It went from frozen to cooked in just 2 hours. That's right. 2 hours. And it was so moist and full of flavour and lower in fat because all the fatty drippings are collected and discarded in a tray below. And all that for get this.............200 pennies. Uh huh, you read that right. $2.

It looks like one of those rotisserie chickens you buy at the grocery store. Of course I had to pick a little off the thigh, my favourite part. :P

I don't know how Joe does it but I'm sure happy he does.

>^..^<

sump'in like that

Last night we were driving to McD's for a 3point ice cream cone and instead of going inside I drove around to use the drive thru and M asks," are you 'dust going through drive thru or sump'in?"
Lately that has been at the end of every question. It doesn't matter what she is asking, she always ends it with "or sump'in."

"Did you cut your hair or sump'in?"
"Is dinner ready or sump'in?"
"Did you go to work today, or sump'in?"
"Can we go to Target, or sump'in?"

Not sure where it came from but I have an idea...she has been watching the Muppet's Wizard of Oz a lot lately and I'm thinking maybe that has sump'in to do with it. ;o)

Have a splendid long weekend!
I think we are going to pay a little visit to Mickey Mouse this weekend. :D

You still have a chance at my little giveaway, I'll draw the winner tomorrow.

>^..^<