To-Do-List

I was at Bunko the other night at sweet Ashley's house.  We were in the kitchen and right next to her sink was taped a To Do List.  Brooke and I had to take a picture of it with our phones because we have been having the hardest time getting our kids to clean the kitchen....all the way till it's done.  Done to Mom's standards of course.  It's the little things that make me happy.

So of course I had to come home and make my own Kitchen Clean-Up To Do List for my girls.  They do very well with lists.  Make them a list and they are happy to follow it.  I taped it up this morning and I have fingers crossed that my kitchen will now be forever sparkling.

The best part?  Her 13 year old daughter typed up this list and hung it in the kitchen herself.  All on her own!  Ashley, you've got a keeper there!  Give her a treat for me and tell her GREAT JOB SISTER!

Back to School 2012

School has started back up.  I can't believe how fast the summer flew by!  We had so much fun this summer.  I loved not having a schedule, sleeping in, swimming everyday and staying up late.  My girls are at a really fun age where they get along so well and we can just be together without a lot of fighting. 

I love taking a picture of the girls on the first day of school.  Looking back over the years it floors me how fast they grow.  Cassidy grew an entire inch from July- August!  One month!  She is now a half inch taller than I am!  Both my girls will be taller than me I just know it.

I won't lie and say that the last week was hard and I wanted school to start ASAP.  The excitement that these girls had for school could not be contained in their little bodies.  They were bouncing off the walls and couldn't focus on much of anything (chores).  It was hard to give up our easy breezy summer schedule but since they were ready so was I.  The first day went off without a hitch and both girls are loving school. 

And this picture is why I don't buy school pictures.  No school photographer could capture the twinkle that's in her beautiful brown eyes like her mama can.  Do you see the love? ♥  So remember, when it's time for school pictures......save you cash and take your own.  It will be worth it.  

Summer Vacation #2

 Amberly jumping for joy to be in the ocean.

This summer we tried something new.  Maybe not new to other people but, very new to us.  Camping. We've only been on one overnighter as a family and it rained.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best either.  This year we wanted to try camping at the beach.  We had heard for years how fun it was and I was desperate to get to the beach this summer so I signed us up.  Yes, me.  The non-camper signed us up.

And guess what?  We LOVED it with a capitol L!  Seriously one of the best vacations we've done.  in fact we were already planning our next camping adventure as we were driving home from this one.

 This girl (Miss Cassidy) would not get out of the water.  

She was in it from sun up to sun down.  I kid you not people.  

She was in heaven.

 I sat next to this handsome guy everyday.  We shared an umbrella and had matching beach chairs. 

 We brought a picnic to the beach everyday with snacks, drinks and lunch. 

 We didn't move from our post.  It was wonderful!

 Amberly didn't love boogie boarding as much as her sister but she spent her fair share of time in the water. 

 I didn't get in because it was too darn cold! 

 But I did get my feet wet, chased the waves, went for long walks, gathered smooth flat stones and shells, took a long nap, got really really tan and filled my heart with being at the beach.

 Amberly has the best Daddy.  He took her out in the water and didn't come in for hours. 

 Just him and her.

More beach pictures to come and a big thanks to our friends that made the trip so much fun!

100 Things Re-cap

Remember THIS post about getting rid on 100 things from Crystal B? Well last week I spent a few days cleaning out the girls rooms and organizing the bookcases.  Purging like crazy.  Actually Miss Abby de-junked her room and closet all by herself.  Scary thought since I didn't know what she was purging and she's 8 years old.

SIX black garbage bags later and a pile of odds and ends that were too big or bulky to go into a bag and I told the hubs to go load it in the car.  Our office was a mess!  As he was loading, the girls said, "Hey! Let's have a garage sale!"  Ummmmm no.  I was NOT up for a garage sale.  I've been sick and have had hives and the thought of sitting outside in the heat for hours was not appealing one bit.  The hubs came through and told the girls he would help but they had to do most of the work.  Saturday morning came bright, early and hot but they were excited and ready for the challenge.

Three hours later the girls had sold most of the stuff and made.......are you ready?

$128!

Split two ways=

$64

I'd say that is pretty good for two kids and a bunch of junk!

(Sadly, I didn't get one picture!)

The Gig is Up

It's happened.  My life as a fun Mom is officially over. 

Abby found about the Easter Bunny yesterday. 

The..day..before..Easter!

I was gone helping a friend with her garage sale. 
Abby came in and put her little face right in front of Tom's face and said,

" Dad, is the Easter Bunny real?  Tell the truth."

And he did.  He told her everything gosh darn it.  If it were me I would have lied my pants off and kept the whole thing going till she was 25.  I mean what's the fun in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus if the kids know about it?

I guess they had a very enlightening conversation about it and Tom told her about the "secret of Christmas" and that even though Santa and the Easter Bunny aren't real, Heavenly Father and Jesus ARE real and they love her.  Abby said, "Dad I know they are real, I can feel them".  It was a very powerful teaching moment Tom said.  They decided not to tell me and to keep her knowing a secret.  But by that night she just couldn't hold it in.  She told me she knew and then we had a cute conversation about it.  I said, "so you know everything?"   She said, "yes"  i said, "does that mean the Tooth Fairy doesn't have to come now?" she got this shocked look on her face and just looked at me, then turned to Tom and looked at him like, WHAT?  YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THE TOOTH FAIRY?!  I then turned to Tom and said those same words out loud.  He sheepishly said he forgot.  So basically the whole thing is done.  Over.  Finished.

As I was getting their baskets ready to put out from "the Easter Bunny"  I just sat there and bawled.  My heart was broken.  Sounds dumb but I lived for these holidays.  I even made some up so I could live for more holidays.  We had the Valentine Fairy, The Little Leprechaun, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, The Birthday Fairy, and Santa Claus.  I cried and cried and the worst part was I couldn't call my Mom and ask her what to do now?  I had a major pitty party I've got to tell you.  I even cried the entire next day about it.  I would tell people at church and just start to cry.  It will be alright.  My girls were very sweet about how sad I was and said they would continue to "believe" so I could keep up with my traditions.  I'm thinking I only have about ten years until I have grand-kids and then watch out!  This Grandma is going to pull out all the stops!  Just you wait.

TOMS for Tom's Girls

 Are "TOMS" the thing where you live?  It seems everyone is wearing them in every possible color you can imagine.  I wasn't too thrilled with them when they first came out.  I thought they were ugly but......they grow on you and they are sooooooooo comfortable!  So we have jumped on the TOMS bandwagaon and have a few pairs.  Cass and I can share which is nice.  There are other brands like BOBS & TODS (Abby is wearing a very worn pair of BOBS in this picture) but since their daddy is named Tom we kinda like the shoe TOMS.  Don't forget that every time you buy a pair of TOMS the company donates a pair of shoes to a needy child.  One for One is their slogan.

My cousin Lisa came for a visit from Idaho and said she just had to have a pair to take home.  She loves coming to AZ and going home with the latest thing we have going on here.  I had a pair of grey TOMS that were a little big so guess what.....she went home sporting some TOMS.  I wonder how they went over with her friends?  I promise Idaho friends....you will grow to love them!  Try them on.....you'll see♥

Chasing Balloons

I was out running errands and I saw one of the hot air balloons that fly around our part of town going towards our house.  These balloons seem to be out and about three times a week in our 'hood.  We haven't been able to see one land because we are always busy going somewhere and don't have time.  "This day was going to be different," I said to myself while coming home.  I got home, grabbed Abby and her friend Karlee that were playing in the water in the backyard (yes- swimsuits in Jan!) and took off for a balloon chase!  Oh the fun we had trying to determine which way to go and where it might land.  We followed it for about 30 min and at one point we parked in a CVS parking lot and was able to wave and say hi to the people in the basket because it flew right over us and only about 15 ft high!

It landed in a grocery store parking lot and the girls were so excited to be able to watch it land, then deflate, and then get put away.  I have to admit, I wouldn't mind going for a ride but I do not want the job of putting it away!  Man, that looked like a hard job!

 

I remember my Dad taking us on little adventures when I was young.

Hopefully these girls remember this and can pass on the tradition when they have kids.

MIAFTB

Translation......Missing In Action From The Blog.

First off let me start by saying "Where the heck did October go?"  Seriously, I posted those pictures of my Pirate Girls and BAM! It was November.  I must be loosing my mind because it slipped right on past me.

Today I will be doing an October Re-cap if I can even remember all that happened.

Cassidy Started a Cookie Dough Business.  She makes the cookie dough, freezes it into balls and then sells the frozen dough balls by the dozen.  She has worked very hard and done all of it by herself and is feeling very proud of herself.  I am too!  I one day she sold $85.00 worth of cookie dough.  Yes, I'm one proud mama.

Abby was not included in the cookie dough business which at first made her mad.  Then she came up with all sorts of different ideas on how she (a cute 7 year old) can make money too.  There was- cleaning houses, washing cars, having a garage sale.  We settled on her selling gumballs.  She bought a gumball machine and 850 gumballs and she will tell you exactly how much she will make if she sells all 850 gumballs. 

 I was at a photo shoot and Tom carved pumpkins with the girls.  

What a fun Dad they have!

And what a memory!  

I found out after Cassidy when to a party and carved pumpkins that 

She..had..never..carved..a..pumpkin!  Gasp! 

To give myself some credit.....we have "decorated" pumpkins....just not "carved" them.

At the very last minute, like 9pm on Cot. 30th I sent out e-mails about our annual Halloween party.  Hopefully no one was offended by my lateness but to be honest I wasn't feeling the Halloween Party Spirit and was going to bag it.  My Brother reminded me that you can't have an annual Halloween Party every year and skip a year so the party was on.  We had a nice turnout, my neighbors had a fire and chili, we had a movie and chili and everyone was happy.  Including me.  Thanks Kurt for the party nudge.  I didn't get one picture of the party......next year I will be better I swear!

So that's the end of October in a nutshell.  Quick re-cap, the highlights.  It blew by so fast I'm not sure what else happened so we will end this post with a Happy Halloween!

Halloween Pirate Pictures

 Ashley over at Sunshine & Shade Photography really came through on these!  

How adorable are my Pirate Girls??!!

I picked up the costumes for a total of $13 at Good Will.  I went in and grabbed everything red, white and black and anything with stripes.  We had the shoes, belts and jewelry.  We had one hat the girls were fighting over so I bought an eye patch & sword at WalMart for $1 and told them one pirate could wear the hat and one could wear the eye patch.  Luckily that ended the fighting and both girls were happy with the hat/eye patch outcome.  I went to the Spirit Halloween store and bought both sets of tights for full price  

which killed me because the tights alone cost more than both sets of costumes!  

Yes.........these shoes actually fit Miss Amberly. 

Can you believe they make ladies shoes that fit a 7 year old?

These are her latest favorites.  She wears them constantly....

my little high heeled girl.

Ashley couldn't get Cassidy to smile and she couldn't get Abby not to smile. 

It was quite funny!

Ashley....Thank You, Thank You!  These will be a treasure for years to come!

Go check her out HERE for more info on pictures for your family♥

Summer Is Over

Summer is officially over.  Our pool is too cold to swim in.  I guess the middle of October is a reasonable time for the pool to cool off but man will my girls (and their Mama)

miss all the swimming fun that goes on around here.

Abby and Emma jumping in the pool.  

You can tell by Abby's face that her toes have touched the freezing water.

Once you are in I guess it's swimmable.  I mean it was 98 degrees outside...I should be swimmable!

 Cass didn't last very long in the pool and I personally don't blame her. 

I'm cold in the pool in July let alone October.

Good Books

 We have caught the reading bug over here at Gardenview Cottage. 

I love to go into my girls rooms at night and see them enjoying a good book. 

I guess all those nights of us reading to them before bed have finally paid off.  

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends;

they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, 

and the most patient of teachers.  

~Charles W. Eliot

Trees

Why are trees so fun for kids?  My kids - especially my biggest kid - seems to always be in one.  

It's hotter than Hades outside.....yet if I can't find my girls I walk (or call really loud) down to the greenbelt at the end of our street and there they are...in a tree. Do you have missing children? Do they love climbing trees?

Back to School

We have survived the first week of school.  I was a wreck...the kids were perfectly fine.  It literally took me a full week to come to terms that I have a child in Jr. High.  I still vividly remember walking out of Cassidy's kindergarten classroom on the first day of school crying that my baby was starting school.  Tom and my Mom were crying too by the way.  We were a mess!

Cass is the cutest girl.  I have asked her everyday how her day was, did she get lost, who did she sit with at lunch and if she is loving Jr. High?  Her response...."It's just school Mom".  Not only do I have a daughter in Jr. High but a typical teenager as well (wink).

Miss Amberly is a BIG third grader.  She loves her new teacher and even though her bestie isn't in her class this year she is in the classroom right next door and that is just as good.   She has told me a few times that "she's lonely without her big sister at the school with her" but is being very brave and loving it.  I am loving her with no front teeth!

 

Thankfully my little poser was in the mood for pictures....she's such a cutie♥

Deep Thoughts on Prayer

I saw this today and L.O.V.E.D. it!

At the dinner table before we said prayer I told the girls about it.

They gave me a confused look so I said:

"What if tomorrow you woke up and you had no house, 

clothes, family, pool because you didn't include those things in your prayers today?"

They got very quiet while they thought about such a deep thought.  

We then had a nice discussion about how we need to be more grateful for the things we do have and make sure our Father in heaven knows how blessed we truly feel for all we have.

Cassidy offered to say the prayer before we ate.  

She did a fantastic job at expressing her gratitude and

 I think we will have some very heartfelt prayers from now on.

P.S. It's my Mom's birthday today so we prayed for her too!
Miss you Mom ♥xo♥

You can buy the print HERE from Etsy.

Clay Masks....... What Are They Good For?

The other night my girls found my mud mask.  Can I just say....hilarious!  I love the top picture of Miss Amberly looking up at her big sister and trying so hard not to smile. The second picture Cass is now trying not to crack a smile. I told them they couldn't talk or make any noise because it would crack the mask.  I should have thought of facials for my girls years ago!  They were silent and stayed entertained for a good 30 min!

I also told them my funny "mask" story which I will now tell you.  One time years ago my brother Matt and I were home alone.  We were teenagers, it was late and we were bored.  I suggested we do facials so we put a clay mask on our faces and then went to watch some infomercials (our favorite thing to do late at night).  I got up after awhile and went into the kitchen to get something to drink.  I walked in front of the back window and saw a scary person looking in the window with a mask on.  I screamed!  My brother came running and then there were two masked people looking at us through the back window!  I screamed again totaly freaked out.  My brother was laughing, doubled over dying!  I was so freaked out I couldn't move.  He then pointed out that the masked people was....................us!  Our refection in the back window with the clay masks on our faces made me think it was a bad guy.  O.K. this isn't near as funny/scary as if I was telling the story to you in person but it is one of those life moments that I have not forgotten about nor ever will.

Clay Masks - good for keeping your kids quiet and entertained and also a good story to tell your kids and grand-kids!

**any clay mask stories you want to share?**