Pack of Pillings

winter thus far

2012-01-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

my oh-so-mature husband put this together.

it's amazing we have anything to show, considering the amount of snow we HAVEN'T had.
max is getting so good.
he must take after me.
HA!

messy bedroom

2012-01-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

the other morning devan walked up to my side of the bed,

said her good mornings,

gave her kisses,

did whatever else she had to do,

and walked towards the door.

two steps before she exited,

she stopped, paused, turned to my bed and wondered aloud,

"how come i'm not tripping all over stuff, mom?"

listen, kid, maybe i decided to clean my room

before the end of the year.

do you have to make such a big deal out of it?

besides, have you seen your room lately?

shees!

we're losing it around here

2011-12-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

a couple of weeks ago it happened.

whitney finally lost her first tooth.

she'd been waiting her whole life for this moment.

her toothless grin in all its gloriousness.

it's perfect

then over the next couple of days max and nikki each lost a tooth,

and all three of them have another loose tooth.

we've had a dry spell of falling-out teeth,

now it's like a flood.

we're going to bankrupt our tooth fairy.

harsh accusations

2011-12-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

at cost plus today, after checking out and preparing myself for the grand ol' haul-em-out-of-the-store act,

i cheerfully encouraged my girls out of the shopping cart with a

"let's go, boogers!"

to which my little devan replied, after a very tween-ish jaw drop, gasp and head snap,

"mom! why would you call us FOOD? it's because you don't love us anymore and want to eat us!"

first of all, i consider "boogers" to be a term of endearment.

period.

second of all, the fact that my daughter classifies boogers as belonging to some sort of food group is just wrong and disgusting.

i guess we know how she spends her spare time.

and how in the world did the situation escalate from a playful nudge out of the store to me being a bad mother who cares so little for her children that she would rather eat them (if i were in the habit of eating boogers) than take care of them?

such drama.

and then after a cute old man carried on a sweet "conversation" with gwen, for his own entertainment, whitney looked at me with a big question mark.

"mom, what village is he from?"

i thought that was really funny, for some reason.

craigslist and cookie dough

2011-12-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

my garage is full of things that should have been sold on craigslist months ago. while i tell my neighbor how "easy it is" to sell stuff on the sight, i secretly need to bite the bullet myself and create listings for i don't know how many things in total. enough that my garage would feel instantly less congested, and my wallet more so, after making these sure-fire sales.

hmmmmm.

maybe i could pay my sister-in-law to list everything for me. she's good at that kind of stuff.

and when i say "pay" maybe that could be in the form of under-salted cookies, since, because it's fund-raising season, i now find myself with two giant tubs of dough that i was guilted into buying (by my husband, not my neighborhood kids) exactly two days after i threw last year's tub away because it produced very lardy, under-salted cookies.

if i know anything, i know how cookies should taste.

and their primary flavor should not be under-salted lard.

i'd much rather a salted lard taste.

at least i might imagine them to be chunks of bacon instead of a poor excuse for chocolate chunk peanut butter.

come on!

when you tell my i'm about to eat peanut butter and chocolate in combination i get excited.

so, obviously, when i threw the 3/4-full tub in the trash, i had very good cause.

maybe the oatmeal raisin and cranberry shortbread versions will be more acceptable. i doubt it.

tubs of cookie dough are for people who don't like to bake cookies,

not for people whose life mission it is to find the ultimate best version of each of the major cookie groups.

you've got food groups, i've got cookie groups.

and since i've only checked off one of my cookie groups as having found the ultimate best, and since i'm not getting any younger,

clearly i don't have time, or freezer space, to waste on this mass produced frozen crap.

oh well, i'll just count it as my good turn for the day,

even though every time i see them in my freezer, wasting precious space, i'll be reminded that $15 (times two tubs) could have gotten me something much more satisfying.

why couldn't they have been selling wrapping paper?

does that still count as a good deed, though?

i didn't think so.

but you know what would count?

if my sister-in-law sold all the crap in my garage for me.

i wouldn't even make her eat the cookies.

a little change-up and an adventure in thrifting : gilded mirror

2011-12-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

so i have this bench. it's fine. nothing special,

but it's the perfect size for this weird nook by the stairs, and it's really well constructed.

and comfortable.

but it's all too much ho-hum,

if you ask me.

plus, a solid, light velvet shows all those

curiously-placed sings of children,

like boogers and drool and snot and ear wax and jellied-fingers,

that a print hides so much better.

plus, it's a lot more boring.

and then there's this mirror.

scored at the g-dub.

i tried to talk them down, but they wouldn't budge on this one.

i think they could see it in my eyes, how i was going to buy it either way.

still, it's doesn't hurt to ask.

only gives you more practice for when something really

haggle-worthy comes along.

but it was too much shimmer what with the gaudy gilded frame and the shiny mirror.

i wanted to tone it down, and i didn't need another mirror.

so i turned it into a chalkboard.

why do i need a chalkboard?

i don't. i just needed that frame on center stage, but not the mirror.

i brushed on about 4 coats of magnetic paint (right on top of the mirror. not really the best, but i was too impatient to cut a piece of wood) and then a couple coats of chalkboard paint.

i wanted a really textured finish, so i used a brush, but use a roller if you want a smooth one.

exactly two seconds after i hung the ~~mirror~~ chalkboard,

a little devil thought it'd be great fun to scratch off the paint.

who was that?

i'll let you guess.

it's an easy one.

SHA-ZAM!!!

how you like me now?!

that's much, MUCH better, if i do say so myself.

i unscrewed the seat and did a quick re-cover.

i didn't remove the velvet, just stapled the ikat right over it.

that way it'll be easy to change when i get tired of it again.

and i will some day, i'm sure.

but right now i love it.

Pilling Summer Fun 2011

2011-11-30T17:01:00.001-07:00

wade made this video and insisted that i put it on the blog.

so, here's our summer wrap-up.

if santa wanted to know...

2011-11-28T10:20:00.001-07:00

this is what i'd put on my list this year.

this lovely trio of stacked gold rings.

size 7, thank you.

i really do love nars' blushes.

and this sampler looks to be the bomb!

this is probably good for getting in the christmas mood...

but santa would have to make an early delivery on this one.

these look perfect for the snow.

oh yes, i did just put this all-clad set on the list.

it's just time for a grown-up set.

what? you don't think it'll fit in my stocking?

since we're throwing out suggestions that won't quite squeeze into my stocking, how about this here beauty?

not sure which fabric, santa. i'll have to get back to you on that.

also, our thanksgiving was superb. we hosted this year and my mother-in-law and i spent the whole day cooking and chatting. i love cooking with people i really like. it's just really fun to me.

i tried my hand at dying my table linens. i was going for more of a deep navy, but i really liked the purpley-blue i ended up with.

also, i got to use my thrifted goblets and share the spoils of my glorious ebay victory - my flatware.

my poor family. they were forced to celebrate the perfect shape of each spoon bowl, and fork tine all weekend long.

i suspect they were actually making a bit of fun of me.

look, i get excited about these things.

oh, and the food was awesome.

and relaxing all weekend long with some of my favorite people...

good stuff.

another hi-light of the weekend:

wade's brother, brad, got a bunch of old pictures off a dinosaur of a computer that's been sitting in my closet for six years, AND he hooked up my vcr so my kids could watch our old-school vhs tapes. we have some good ones.

it took him about 5 minutes to do what i've been "trying" to do for six months. thanks brad!

i do feel very blessed.

let's talk kitchens...

2011-11-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

because i think about them a lot.

let's just dream up the perfect kitchen.

actually, let's just dream about kitchen windows.

i get specific on my wish lists.

face it. unless you're weird, you don't like doing dishes. that's why you need a great view from the kitchen sink. standing at the stove without a window isn't a problem. the entertainment is in the pan, but dishes = drudgery, so i need me some windows while i scrub.

preferably a whole wall of them.

without any cabinets at all.

just straight up glass.

atlanta homes

they could have left that little cabinet out and gone for one more window. but it's still nice.

birmingham home and garden

this is kind of a cool idea. takes the open shelving to a whole new level. and that mutha' of a slab of marble countertop is amazaballz.

and i really love the parson style island.

and the windows.

i prefer the windows to come closer to the counter, but this is still really pleasant, and those walls are $TUNNING.

look at all that marble!

plus, i've always been a fan of stairs coming down to the kitchen.

like in the family sitcoms from back in the day.

frank randolph

i love the windows wrapping around the corner here.

actually the whole package is pretty sweet. maybe a little more counter to the left of the stove.

am i picky?

katie ridder

yes!

hello bridge faucet. i love you.

lonny

bijou home

steel cased window vs. wood cased windows.

i can't decide who wins.

it's an ongoing battle for me.

atlanta homes

greige design

hello again, bridge faucet. you're my friend.

elizabeth dinkel

southern accents

jill sharp

southern accents

the windows at the end of the room make up for there being just one at the sink.

susan marinello

this is kitchen perfection to me (except there needs to be some counter space on either side of the stove. that's a major oversight) but i guess i'd live with it if someone gave it to me for free :)

velvet and linen

john howard

tobi fairly

take those little cabinets down. you don't really need them anyway. you've got a few others.

maybe we'll do this again. i love dreaming about kitchens.

next time : kitchen hoods?

what's your dream kitchen?

election day baby

2011-11-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

this little lady is now officially six years old. for some reason this is the strangest and most unbelievable birthday yet. maybe it's because some of her antics are more fitting for a four year old rather than a six year old (like the nice piece of "art work" she scribbled onto the wall the other day. excuse me! not okay)

maybe it's that i have the hardest time figuring her out and knowing how to deal with her... intricacies? it's really true, though, that the same things you find irritating and infuriating and difficult about someone are often the same things that draw and endear you to them. that's how it is with whitney. she is one. BIG. adventure. and that's what's so great, and sometimes exhausting, about her. but i'll take it. every single bit of it because whitney is truly an amazing, and exceptional little person.

she is as take charge and a go-get-what-you-want kind of girl as they come. that's the nice way of saying that's she's bossy. but in her defense, it's probably because she gets bossed around by me so much.

but in my defense...have you met whitney?

she definitely has her element. can you guess what that is? she's never happier than when she's outside, in the water, or chasing some poor critter up a tree or down a hole.

without her scrapes and bruises she would almost be unrecognizable.

this morning whitney descended in all her birthday majesty. nikki made a banner for her room and waited patiently outside her bedroom door until she woke up and then helped her dress in her royal robes. it was really really sweet.

and by some birthday/election day miracle, i was able to braid whitney's hair this morning.

i'm bad at hair.

but not this morning.

this morning i ROCKED!

another birthday/election day miracle : whitney was permitted to put sprinkles on her sandwich for lunch.

i love this little girl. a lot.

happy birthday, my little animal.

now go out and vote.

taking inventory

2011-11-03T14:20:00.000-06:00

it's that time of year.

that time before the time when we hit the slopes for the first time.

time to take inventory.

who needs new ski boots?

who's helmet doesn't fit anymore?

who's got holes in their socks?

in their gloves?

pretty much max just gets some new stuff and everyone else passes last year's stuff down the line.

there have got to be some perks to having four little sisters.

somehow wade comes out "needing" new gear every year.

never mind the closet full of who knows how many coats and jackets that fit only one person in this household.

when questioned about why he would possibly need another coat anytime in the next century

there was this,

"i need a coat for every.... possible....

fashion?"

well, too late.

you already have that.

and on to halloween.

because that was a roaring success.

here are the requisite costume photos.

forest ranger... post-bear-attack.

that's just not funny.

bring me back some candy!

you're welcome grandmas.

sometimes i compare my kids

2011-10-24T21:22:00.002-06:00

this little dab started walking a couple weeks ago.

she's almost 15 months, thank you very much ma'am.

she started crawling at 10 months and did it in the curious fashion of crawling with one knee on the ground while pumping and pushing with the foot of her other leg.

this is how she crawled. always. never putting the other knee down.

so one leg got a lot stronger than the other, and now that she's walking she has a limp.

i fully expected her to only be able to walk in circles, but she's managing.

she took her sweet time, though.

except, she's been a great little climber for a while,

which sent up some red flags on the

will-this-one-be-as-crazy-as-whitney-o-meter

that's always purring away in my brain.

yes. i compare my children to one another.

it's how i prepare myself for what's coming.

like devan.

she gets measured up by the

will-she-be-as-dramatic-as-nikki-o-meter

that's currently on RED ALERT in my brain.

it seems there's a glitch in my system, though.

i might need a newer model, or to re do my base-lines because devan is completely off the charts right now.

for example: lately she's taken to running away when she gets her feelings hurt, which could be cause by: touching her hair the wrong way, saying her name in the wrong pitch, giving someone else a compliment, offering her the wrong cereal, or any other endless scenarios.

i remember running away when i was a kid. i'd get mad, pack all my clothes in a paper grocery sack and climb out my window headed for the neighbors'. they never wanted me, so i always ended up right back in my room.

the problem with devan running away (other than that she's barely four) is that she doesn't want to run to the neighbor's house. she wants to be much further away than that.
so today (this is still a very new thing) she ran away, for who knows what reason, and after i realized she was gone we searched high and low and found her nowhere. finally, a man from church was seen walking her down the street towards home.
she wasn't even going to his house. he just happened to see her skulking down the street as he pulled in after work.
we went through the whole bit.
you could be lost. you could be taken away by someone.
yada yada yada.
and do you know what that cheeky little thing said to me?
"i want to be lost from here. i want someone to take me far away."
i can understand her saying that if she'd been yelled at or gotten in trouble for something.
but there was none of that. she just got butt-hurt about something and decided she wanted out.

how old is does this girl think she is?

i guess we will be employing the latch-system in full force once again.
and i thought we were in the clear after whitney.
not so.

this all adds variety to my day, i keep telling myself (so i don't cry). it's a good thing she's as awesome as she is. it makes up for stuff.

and i'm still waiting for the chance to try out my

will-this-one-be-as-mellow-as-max-o-meter.

HA!

i should probably take that one back to the store.

at any rate, gwen is walking beautifully,

despite a touch of skootch leg.

she's so funny.

the only people obligated to watch this whole video are gwen's grandmas.
but i think it's cute. so i'll watch it again.

open wide

2011-10-19T15:14:00.002-06:00

this guy should probably stop opening his mouth,

because every time he does he finds it full of his foot.

although... he does add quite a bit of comic relief to the debates.

like when he looked like he might punch mit's light out last night.

but i usually depend on ron paul for my mid-debate laughs.

anywho, i was very entertained last night.

they just keep getting better and better.

p.s. someone has too much time/wasted talent on their hands with this one.

some new pictures

2011-10-10T15:59:00.002-06:00

oh man, i could go all day with these pictures.

my dear friend, amy, did such a great job with our family photos.

really. because i had my doubts, considering the amount of fighting, whining, punching, pinching, threatening, kicking, crying, teasing and pouting that went into making these pictures possible.

she's that good.

i love love love how they turned out and could have put up a hundred more favorites, but i'll spare you.

she caught everyone's personalities perfectly.

thanks amy!

adventures in thrifting: this chair

2011-10-06T15:25:00.001-06:00

dandee

mmmmm. these chairs are just right.

but they're expensive. really expensive.

especially the vintage ones.

these two were $1,500 for the pair. and anthropologie has one, ONE like these for $1,500.

lonny

simply grove

here is the uuuuuugly before of my chair that i found at the d.i. for $10 each (there are two). someone just threw some random couch pillows on the chair and called it good.

actually, NOT good.

except the foam was in really good condition so i just resized it and reused it.

ta-DAH!

much better, no?

this was the first time i'd ever done a box-cornered cushion cover with a hidden zipper.

not hard at all, although the second cushion turned out much better than the first.

i guess that's to be expected when you're winging it.

they are sooooo comfortable. i think i'll eventually make more white covered cushions for the backs, but right now i kind of like the looser feel of the pillows.

chairs - $10 x 2 chairs = $20

fabric - $4/yard x 2 yards = $8

pillow covers - $5 x 2 pillows = $10

pillow inserts - $25 x 2 = $50

total of $88 for two chairs

getting these monsters out of the garage and my husband off my back = priceless

hex on the brain, yo

2011-10-05T13:09:00.000-06:00

there's something going down over here.

i love projects that get done.

also, something else i've been pondering lately,

asking myself...

kind of a pivotal question in my life...

why can't i dance like this kid?

do you wonder this too?

this lady is FOUR

2011-10-03T20:13:00.005-06:00

you know what's really cool about september?

it's devan's birthday.

i knew that's what you were going to say.

"hmmmm. let's see. i was three...

... but now i'm FOUR!"

woot woot!

she could not wait.

now she thinks she's all grown up, and practically throws a fit when i tell her she still has to sit in a car seat.

she asks me, in her most dramatic and tragic voice,

"you want me to still be three? i am four years old, mom, and i don't need a car seat anymore."

then gain ten pounds, you little snot.

she acts more like she's 14 than 4.

really.

her attitude is ridiculous, and some of the things that come out of her mouth are UN believable.

she walks around with her hand on her hip,

shaking her toosh,

and giving you dirty looks if you dare laugh at her.

but then she busts up laughing because she can only pretend to be a diva for so long.

but she's a sweetheart too.

and loving.

and kind (sometimes).

and she has the squishiest cheeks (both kinds).

and she makes you say a password to gain entrance.

and it's always "kirby-tiff-tuff-menanite".

what?

and i can never remember it.

and she's FUN-NY.

really funny.

and she knows it too.

happy birthday, baby girl.

we love you.

a lot.

pictures by my good friend amy she is so good.

kitten or BEAST!?

2011-10-01T18:22:00.000-06:00

if this picture isn't deceiving,

then it isn't adorable either.

they both look so angelic.

so docile.

so well-mannered.

uh huh.

suuuuuuuure.

look closer.

there's mischief in those eyes.

whitney questions the general household,

after violent encounters with the fluffy one, (grinning)

"is this a kitten or a BEAST?"

and i often question myself, (scowling)

"is she a girl or a beast?"

they're both so irresistible, though.

one thing's for sure,

they're perfect for each other.

(i've got to take care of that scowling thing)

devan likes to shake it

2011-09-23T16:45:00.001-06:00

what she says, for my records

2011-09-19T09:33:00.000-06:00

she's almost 14 months.

and she thinks she's funny.

cuz' she is.

here is what her vocab consists of to date:

"mama"

"dada"

"ho" - hello

(said with her hand held to her ear like a phone)

"uh-oh"

"duh-doo" - love you

"day-doo" - thank you

"ni-nee" - nikki

"maaaa" - max

"daw" - dog

"miw" - milk

"mo" - more

"nummeenummeenummee" - when she wants to eat

(which is always)

"owee"

and her favorite and most frequently used word,

"NO!"

ask her anything and she'll tell you "NO!"

fly lover

2011-09-17T07:47:00.001-06:00

devan's chillin' on the couch while i clean the kitchen (which no one would ever suspect i do, since it's never EVER clean), and i hear her giggle, then say,

"stop that, tiff. you're tickling me".

hmmm.

no one's around.

imaginary friend?

multiple personalities?

"you can't just tickle me!"

"who you talking to, dev?"

"just tiff."

"who's that?"

"the fly."

"you're naming the flies?"

"yup. this one's tiff and that one's kirby."

right.

awesome.

i just hope the swatted, piled up flies in my garbage can don't have names too.

a few more... just for fun

2011-09-15T12:47:00.001-06:00

can you even believe that water?

missing that blue blue blue

2011-09-13T23:17:00.001-06:00

being the responsible parents that we are, we usually try to take a family trip the second week of school. things are a lot less busy that time of year... for whatever reason.

we went back to the bahamas this year, because we loved it so much last time.

it's just so so blue.

so soft, white, sand-between-your-toes wonderfully warm.

and so blue.

did i say that already?

these toasted marshmallow cheeks made me so happy all week long.

DEE-VUH

this girl and water are a goooood mix.

you can imagine what a good mood she was in all week.

re-apply and re-apply some more.

thanks to katelynn, everyone was accounted for at the end of the week, i got to finish three books, and wade and i actually got to nap on the beach a bit.

this girl's heaven

2011-09-01T13:07:00.000-06:00

awesome.

really, guys?

2011-09-01T12:47:00.001-06:00

so you've seen obama's budget slogan?

winning the future.

kind of nice.

warm. fuzzy.

until you do with it what ultimately happens, in this uber texted-up society of ours, where, heaven forbid we be forced to utter more than five syllables at once, or spell them out, to all three-or-more-word phrases:

make an acronym out of it.

wtf

whoa. that felt naughty, and completely inappropriate for this family blog, but come on guys?

can you not see two steps ahead of yourselves?

seems awfully foreboding of what's to come.

hopefully not.

off they went...

2011-08-30T17:49:00.000-06:00

to conquer the world.

max and nik were so excited to get to school that they would hardly let me take any pictures of them before they raced off on their bikes.

little stinkers.

then there was this one.

whitney has been counting down the days until kindergarten for literally two years.

she's been so excited, and today was her big fat day.

nikki played a really mean trick and told devan she was starting school today too, then i was left to burst devan's bubble and tell her she still had two more years.

i was pretty good dropping whitney off at school.

i didn't cry.

then it hit me about half way through my class at the gym.

kick boxing and runny noses don't mix well.

how is she in kindergarten already?

at least one of us was ready.

look what i did

2011-08-29T07:57:00.001-06:00

oh yes i did. if you've ever seen my girls' hair... on sundays... at church, then you know that anything that involves a brush or a rubber band, or any measure of amateur plaiting is normally well outside the limits of my tress dressing capabilities.

apparently this was no normal day,

because look how gorgeous.

it's a good thing the look is supposed to go a little bit messy.

here is the tutorial.

july took us far and wide: part two

2011-08-24T10:35:00.004-06:00

today we have an obscene amount of montana and canada pictures.

as soon as we got home from california we unpacked, did laundry, and promptly repacked and headed off to montana. after an all night drive, a hit and run (we did NOT do the hitting or the running. such a bazaar night) a police report, and quite a few "are you falling asleep?"s we made it to montana at 2:30 am and set up camp. that was kind of funny. trying to be really quiet setting up camp in the pitch black freezing cold. yeah. that was funny.

we hiked.

all of the cousins had so much fun together.

see how much she loves her cousins?

this little dab was perfect the entire trip. she went right along with all of the commotion, just happy to be along and observing it all, never crying or complaining. i love that baby.

i kept thinking, "if i ever make it to heaven, i really hope this is what it looks like."

if you want to eat really really well while you're camping, then you go with cory and kelly. they bring the whole grocery and cooking store with them, plus kelly's a master chef.

gwen looooved the beaches. she'd plunge her fists as deep as she could into the pebbles and sand and whatever she came up with she'd immediately shove into her mouth for further inspection. it was great.

here wade is asserting his manliness by showing he's perfectly comfortable casting with a barbie fishing pole. nothing fazes this guy.

whitney kept telling me the whole week, "mom, i love you so much. you're the best mom in the whole world. thank you so much for bringing us here." i was feeling like a pretty stellar mom...that is, until i turned around to see whitney, on her two-wheeler, hanging on to the ladder of a passing rv hitching a ride. awesome. that put me right back in my place.

it also gave all the teenage cousins an idea for a great game.

this guy was not in the mood to be trifled with. in case you haven't met my girls, they like to trifle.

this is what devan looks like right after she passes out...which is exactly what she did when she saw her uncle's bloody chainsaw-chummed thumb. she has a thing with blood. it makes her woozy.

one of the favorite parts of the trip was all the biking. there were so many great bike paths. the other favorite part of the trip? harassing the park rangers, but that goes without saying.

i try to see how many times i can catch wade napping while we're on vacation. it happens a lot. i guess that's what vacation is for.

someone found the oreos. or is that mud?

we slipped up to canada for a day to visit wade's old house and see the parks on the other side of glacier. they're on their way to check the pasture where they used to keep their horses, right after they checked on the fishing pond.

"i planted these trees!"

they had grown so much.

gwen partaking of her first glorious sip of a canadian slurpee. they really are so much better.

"look down, kids. i built these steps. see those railway ties? i helped pound those in."

(this is wade talking. in case you didn't get that.)

getting wet...

and getting dry.

bear.

and i had just said,

"dang, i really wanted to see a bear this trip."

maybe i should say the things i want out loud more often.

old chief, which stood sentinel over the lodge where wade and his family spent their summers growing up.

farts are funny

2011-08-20T21:08:00.001-06:00

ask devan if she knows any good jokes and she'll start off with what could legitimately be a good one, only to ruin the ending with something about farts. she thinks they're funny. not only the farts themselves, but especially the discussion of them. somehow they apply to every life situation for her.

so we were reading before bed tonight, and the term "party pooper" came up, which instantly peaked my girls' interest, and after a short explanation of the meaning (which devan completely ignored) she burst out,

"HA! farty poopers. that's so funny!"

as if i would be reading a bedtime story about farty poopers to my girls. please. they get enough of that kind of dialogue all day long between the two of them.

july took us far and wide: part one

2011-08-18T10:31:00.004-06:00

our july started off with a bang. i suspect yours did too.

some of this man's happiest moments involve explosives.

very safe, and smart, i'm sure.

gwen was quite entertained by the show.

here, my parents aren't sure if they should vacate the premises before the cops show up.

then we were off to california for a family reunion (which i have close to no pictures of), a couple days in san francisco, parks and natural history museums, and aquariums, and beaches and the like,

and lots and lots of time with cousins,

and dear friends,

and first popsicles,

and sprucing up the yard for parties,

and more cousins.

there was so much more july.

part two coming soon.

this is alta

2011-08-08T11:54:00.001-06:00

here's our newest little niece, alta.

she's slightly annoyed to be awake in these pictures,

but she's perfect,

and we love her.

congratulations, jordan and leighanna!

another birthday?!

2011-08-03T16:31:00.001-06:00

happy birthday (yesterday) to the man

who makes my life awesome.

no matter what.

you are so good.

i love you.

and she's one

2011-08-01T14:26:00.000-06:00

gwennie turned one last week. she birthdayed in glacier national park in montana where we camped the week away. she spent her birthday week bike-riding, ice cream-eating, hiking, beaching, tenting, marshmallowing, sight-seeing, dirt-eating...

what more could a newly one-year-old ask for?

a whipped cream cookie cake, that's what.

this is quite possibly my favorite shot of the whole week.

or one of them.

we love this baby,

and her face.

happy birthday, gwen.

birthday girl

2011-07-05T12:16:00.000-06:00

last week nikki turned eight.

that's a big deal.

and saturday she was baptized.

that's a really big deal.

mikki's kind of a big deal too.

in lots of ways.

she's got big heart.

it's tender and sensitive and fragile and loving.

she's got big emotion.

it's firey and dramatic and fickle and unpredictable.

she's got big soul.

it's caring and giving and sympathetic and thoughtful.

happy birthday, you lovely thing.

and congratulations.

garlic?

2011-06-30T08:48:00.001-06:00

whitney is curious.

especially about things teeny tiny.

anything little and squirmy,

whether it's darling or disgusting,

has her immediate attention.

she collects these tiny wonders...

in her pockets.

she fills them with rocks and pebbles.

that's pretty normal.

bugs and sticks.

leaves and flowers.

coins of all sizes.

marbles and beads and crystals.

no shocker.

i've caught her stuffing her pockets with hands full

of sand and gravel.

that's borderline strange.

it all comes out in the wash.

and my lint tray in my dryer needs a break.

it takes too much energy to check pockets.

but today i found a new one in my washer.

i thought my laundry room smelled faintly epicurean.

garlic.

this little girl was collecting cloves

of the smelly stuff yesterday.

i'm pretty sure i saw her swipe a

few cilantro leaves at the store too.

she's so weird.

and i love it.

on eating boogers; a connoisseur of sorts

2011-06-12T19:37:00.000-06:00

somehow the topic of eating boogers came up today.

it often does.

devan announces,

"i like to eat my boogers!"

this is an oft heard proclamation round' here.

when her daddy tells her that that makes her gross she retorts,

"no, dad. i like the yellow ones. they're the best."

that's when i puked a little bit in my mouth.

hello, and happy birthday

2011-06-09T12:50:00.001-06:00

hello there. it's been a while.

someone had a birthday yesterday. bet you can't guess who.

max turned ten. TEN!

ten years ago today i was waking up a brand new mom with a brand new baby and a brand new life.

i was 21. i was so young.

we were so young.

crazy that we've been parents for ten years now.

we had no idea what we were doing, and most days i feel like we still have no idea what we're doing.

look at that baby. look at him!!

he was the most beautiful thing i had ever seen.

and the sweetest most pleasant baby ever.

i mean it.

(just humor me)

and now, ten years later, he is still the sweetest, kindest, most loving boy i know. he really is. max is the BEST big brother. i tell him all the time that the reason he has four little sisters is because he's such a good big brother for sisters. he always shares everything of his with them, never yells at them or beats them up, he always lets them have first pick, or move his game pieces when they want to play too. he is so patient.

and he loves and enjoys them. you can tell.

max is the BEST son. he is so so helpful. i call him my little gopher because anything i ask him to go do for me he does. i have to be careful not to take advantage of him because he's so willing to help. he loves to sit and talk with us. he's so complimentary. he always notices if i've rearranged something or cut my hair. he's funny. he's smart. really smart. he's just so good.

and he's the BEST friend. i make it a point to eavesdrop on him when he's playing with his friends and i have never ever heard him put a friend down or try to make himself sound better or cooler than his friends. he doesn't see them as his competition. i've only ever heard him uplift and encourage and praise his friends, even if they're not there to hear what he's saying about them. he's so good at pointing out what they're good at. max is SUCH a good sport. and he's genuinely concerned about how his friends feel. the other day he came home in tears because he saw another friend get his feelings hurt and all he wanted to do was make him feel better.

i'm not one of those moms who thinks her kid is perfect...

scratch that. yes i am.

in my eyes, max is about as close to perfect as they come.

i can say that because i honestly think that the way he is has nothing to do with us being good parents. he's the way he is in spite of our parenting.

he does have issues with brushing his teeth, and bathing regularly and changing his clothes more than weekly,

but we are so so lucky to have max in our lives.

we love you, max. we love you times ten.

true

2011-05-11T15:35:00.000-06:00

i'm in the kitchen with devan putting groceries away as she licks and sucks at the lollipop she chose at the store.

she then proceeds to CHOMP CHOMP CHMOP on the sucker.

me: ooooh! don't chomp on that sucker, devan, you'll crack your teeth.

she pauses for a fraction of a second to consider my warning,

looks me straight in the eye and,

devan: that's not izacily true, mom.

and then continues to chomp as before.

wow. i was under the impression that i was the one in charge around here. i guess that's not exactly true.

lunch prayer

2011-05-04T11:53:00.001-06:00

devan's little prayer before lunch:

heanly father,

we're thankful for this day.

please bless that we'll be good.

pleas bless that we'll be nice.

please bless that we'll be lovely.

please bless that we won't hate...

umm, umm, umm,

little boys.

please bless that we'll be nice.

amen!

she forgot to bless the food, but i think she covered the more important issues of her personal struggles juuust fine.

double blooms

2011-04-22T16:05:00.000-06:00

i love it when my daffodils bloom.

they make me feel like i'm not such a lame-o when it comes to gardening.

and then they die and that feeling instantly vanishes.

(aren't those double blooms magnificent?)

adventures in thrifting: kid's shoes

2011-04-18T16:42:00.000-06:00

i do believe it's high time for another installment of A.I.T.

if you were to ask me what my all time favorite thrifted piece is i would have to say this pair of little girl's red leather dress shoes. i don't know why except they just make me happy. i got them when whitney was a baby and devan now wears them, and she wears them well. they're just so classic and well made and fabulous.

so, now that we're on the subject of kid's shoes, let's see what else i've come up with on my little escapades at the thrift shops.

let me just say, before we move on, that i am fully aware that i have a shoe problem. too many. they just call to me and i can't ignore them. this is a VERY narrowed down selection of what i have and i'm not embarrassed to say so.

i really prefer the vintage shoes. one, because they are just so cute. two, because they are often made of real, sturdy leather so they wear and last so much better and longer. three, the soles are often stitched to the body of the shoe as opposed to being glued which means, again, they wear and last better.

plus they're cute. did i already say that?

these aren't vintage, but just look at those sweet little cut-outs. can you imagine these with a little springy easter dress? these are actually kind of ridiculous, since they're so small and most babies are not walking when their feet are this size, but they are darling. and who doesn't love patent leather?

these are my favorite sandals for little kids. i have four or five other pairs, all thrifted. why anyone would donate a perfectly good pair of salt water sandals on purpose is beyond me, but i'm not complaining, since i'm the one benefiting here.

these little ranch boots are really cute with a knee length dress, some opaque tights and a winter dress coat.

always a classic.

more dress shoes, although all of the "dress" shoes get worn with jeans, short, skirts and pajamas during the week too.

these are awesome. i have another pair for nikki. can't you see these with a bright pair of matchstick cords tucked in?

as an aside: i make it sound as if my kids are fashionably dressed at all times, when in reality they could pass as homeless more often than not.

these belonged to max when he was a baby. i loved them. a couple of my girls also wore them. they're a total throw-back.

these were also worn by max... then nik, then whit, now devan, gwen next. i love love love these. and they're hardly any more worn out than when i found them nine years ago at my good ol' louisville, kentucky goodwill. very crew cuts-ish.

aaaaaww!

(i know, i did that bottom strap wrong, but gwen was tired of being used as a prop so i decided not to push it.)

i better stop and be done, but aren't shoes fun?

none of my kids have developed any kind of foot fungus thus far, so i guess i'll just keep perusing the shoe aisles as normal, fingers crossed.

packing lunch

2011-04-15T09:37:00.001-06:00

this week nikki has lost three, count them, three lunch boxes.

hmmmmm.

that's why today, instead of packing her lunch in the paper lunch sacks that sit on the shelf in my pantry,

i packed her lunch in an empty cracker box.

maybe that will motivate her to search the lost and found good and hard today for those three abandoned lunch boxes with her name on them.

bedtime stories

2011-04-13T22:06:00.002-06:00

tonight the little girls wanted me to tell them a bedtime story. this is how that went as i lay next to devan on her bed.

whit: mom, tell us a story about how you and dad met.

me: well, once upon a time, when i was a little girl, i used to dream about meeting the perfect boy...

devan: (interrupting) was is ken? cuz' ken is number one.

me: what? like barbie? no. i used to dream...

whit: mom, i know what ipad starts with. i!

me: yes, whitney. that's true. anyway. when i was a...

devan: (pointing to my cleavage laughing) mom, is that a butt crack?

me: oh my gosh. you are so rude. so, when i...

whit: mom, i know what ipad starts with. i!

me: the end. good night girls.

girls: good night!

maybe i should stick to books at bedtime.

grey is not glum

2011-04-12T11:21:00.001-06:00

i'm slightly obsessed with grey (or gray) as of late. i have this urge to paint everything in my house a shade of the color. i won't, but i might come close.

found this coffee table at (where else) the goodwill last week and attacked it with my paint brush. SO much better than that big leather ottoman i had i there. it was a sea of leather. now for the couches... probably can't paint those.

this made its way to my house while wade was out of town. it also took a beating from me and my brush.

i've got BIG plans for this wall.

before. blech.

see? grey is superior in every way

recently painted my piano room a creamy shade of grey.

actually, ms sharkey grey, to be exact.

it's the prettiest in the morning light.

i wish my whole house was this color.

nope. still haven't finished my curtains.

house beautiful

i love the dark graphite of the armoire here.

source unknown

these cupboards are almost white they're so light,

but they're definitely grey, and so sophisticated.

also, i freaked out over the wall of plates when i first saw this.

country living

mmmmmmmm.

alice lane

another lovely shade of grey.

this is at the top of my wish list.

right at the top... wade.

8 months, and then some

2011-04-08T10:19:00.002-06:00

i'm a little late on these. still no crawling (hooray!), although she seems like she's getting closer to thinking about it.

no rush. a string of drool and a slobbery shirt are her constant companions nowadays.

this girl LOVES her food.

her favorites: beets and butternut squash.

she goes a little crazy when she sees it coming.

it looks a little bit like she got ahold of a kitchen knife when she's done with her beets.

gwen says "mamama" when she wants something and "dadada" when she's happy and entertained.

pretty genius, i know.

oooooh, that face. love it. love her.

yeah, i fixed it.

2011-04-05T09:17:00.001-06:00

repair man? we don't need no stinkin' repair man.

p.s. i make house calls.

downton abbey

2011-03-29T17:00:00.001-06:00

if you think you're not missing out on something by ignoring this series you're sorely mistaken. talk about great tv. i don't really watch much tv at all, but this, this is good stuff.

it's like a super posh, high class soap opera...

minus the lame acting, low budget sets, and trashy story line.

and so fascinating to see inside the intricacies and snobbery of the gentrified english estates.

there's enough of love, intrigue, and scandal to keep

you on your toes,

not to mention an old meddling bat who loves to stir the pot,

and some pretty vicious sibling rivalry.

the second season cannot come soon enough.

oh, and the dresses! the dresses.

max and nik have even been enjoying

some of the first season with me.

oops. there's the dressing gong. time to go dress for dinner.

i wish.

dang it.

2011-03-22T14:10:00.002-06:00

do you think that large bar of salted dark chocolate i ate on the way home from the gym ruined my workout?

i was only going to eat 2 squares.

it's amazing how much trouble you can get into in the short ten minutes from here to there.

in march...

2011-03-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

we wear green to celebrate today, and to avoid being pinched.

(and because green is awesome!)

and we set traps in hopes of catching the little creature who tells the secret to his treasures.

(notice the fake gold lures)

but he's a tricky one, that little swindler.

and this punk will certainly be eating green mint chocolate chip ice cream cake to celebrate his birthday.

happy birthday, jess!

(that's my big brother)

and, since we're almost a quarter of the way through the year, today is also a great day to...

take down my christmas cards.

sheesh!

i"m looking forward to summer...

2011-03-15T12:12:00.000-06:00

although i'm not sure why because this is the sort of thing that happens to me in the summer.

big girl says...

2011-03-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

devan : mom, that fing in my body isn't working!

me : what thing?

devan : that fing that makes me grow bigger. (insert big fat pout)

she doesn't even know how big she is. i wish that "fing" would stop working so well.

adventures in thrifting 3 : art and frames

2011-03-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

i like weird little pieces of art, which is fortunate for me because that's what you tend to find in terms of art when you're thrifting.

this little original painting is one of my favorite pieces, and it was a freebie, as in i found it slipped between the pages of an old book i thrifted. that was a pleasant surprise. i love the simple color blocking, and the tones are just right.

here's a funny little water color and ink cafe' scene that hangs with two other little architectural pieces (below) in my half bath. i really need to have it re-matted.

an original wood block press of notre dame.

i didn't find this one of the spanish steps. i stole it from my mom. thanks, mom.

these are my other two favorites. i wanted something paint-by-numbers (yes, i know. totally trendy, but there's a reason these are trendy. cuz' they're awesome) but not the typical seascape or landscape. something else. i wasn't sure what, and i wanted it to go well in my family room, which has greens and oranges. whoa, is that just what i found! it's not often that you can be that particular when you're thrifting, but i lucked out in this one.

i just had to keep my eyes open.

aren't they sweeeet? i actually like the color of the frames, but they are so so cheap and the paintings need to be matted or mounted properly. the thing that cracks me up is that whoever painted these must have been really anxious to get them up on the wall. they put them under the glass while the paint was still a tidge wet! that's something i would do. i'm too impatient to pay close attention to the finishing details.

a print of san francisco.

some funny little gilded birdy plaques.

this one wasn't thrifted either. it was my grandma's. some sort of mixed media screen printed/painted thing. this is missy, one of her siamese cats. any one of them, since they were all named missy.

i'm waiting to find the perfect oil painting to put in this frame.

patience, my dear. patience.

these were brass and i sprayed them to match the mirror i put in nik's room. they're kind of fun.

i have quite a few other art pieces and frames, but i grow weary of this post.

proud motherhood moment:

2011-02-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

successfully remembering and teaching to my children

the lyrics to this song:

"great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts,

mutilated monkey feet,

chopped up baby parakeet,

french fried eyeballs rolling up and down the street.

gee, i forgot my spoon.

but i have a straw!!"

the straw part is new to me, but totally logical.

don't even pretend you don't know this song.

7 months, yo

2011-02-26T16:26:00.002-07:00

do you know how much i love this face?

i know you do.

this is her new trick face she likes to pull.

and this is her little smirk she throws around

like nobody's business.

time is flying by too fast with this little one.