smackdown!

Yeah!!!!! The evening of the smackdown was finally here!!!!!! We soul sisters have had our calendars marked for weeks for this big event! We were heading out on the town. Ms. Joy invited us all to a big Italian "throwdown" at Enrico's down in the strip district...well in all of our planning and excitement it morphed into the "smackdown"...which is how it was entered on my blackberry's daytimer. It just happened to coincide with the eve of my birthday! Bonus for me!!!! While I was getting ready for the evening I was thinking surely they won't be having me wear the tiara and pink feather boa we had for Ms. Juniper...we were going out in public!....Nope, they didn't......instead Ms. Joy arrived in front of my house in a decorated cupcake mobile!! Especially for me!!!!!!!! It was crazy!!! She even had the inside decked out in pink cupcake birthday streamers!! I just couldn't believe it! And for real, this picture doesn't do the mobile justice!!! There were cupcakes and swirls ALL the way around ALL of the windows! REALLY!!!



On the way into town Ms. Juniper had us laughing and playing a fun little girls night out questions game...lots of fun!!! We arrived at Enrico's a bit late because of the excitement of the cupcake mobile at each stop as we picked up a sister......we had to take a lot of pictures too!! The smackdown had already started....there is a big long table with other guests who had reserved their seats and they were started on the appetiziers, but we all just shimmied our way into our seats and got the party started.



After the champagne was poured the presents started! I just have to say AGAIN how blessed I am to have such truly talented and fabulous soul sisters!!!! Check out the super duper cute stuff!!! Marzipanmom outdid even her own self with these scrum.dilly.icious cupcakes.....I got goosebumps twice while she explained them to me!!!



Ms. Juniper painted me my very own Hopestudios original that was hot off the press that very afternoon....I saw the tweet about 3 pm that she had just finished up! :) ...also darling shrinky dink cupcake charms and book mark for a book she set aside for me from the book exchange party I had to miss...



Girl in the sticks picked right up on the fact that I wanted a jar of her hot pepper jelly and shared her last jar with me....I CAN'T wait to try it....and I need the recipe too!!! We are all thrilled she has entered blogdom with us....please be sure to check her out at girl in the sticks.



And look at this lovely bauble that came from Ms. Joy! My very own cupcake ring!! A girl couldn't be happier!!!!!!!



Here we all are with Enrico.......I think he really enjoyed having us for the evening....from left to right are Girl in the sticks, Ms. Joy, thetreatgirl, Jennifer Juniper and Marzipanmom.



Oh......and here's one last picture of me doing the rapper version of how old I am....ummm....you really had to be there and see it person...I do it with a lot of attitude!! :)We managed to fit a quick stop for martinis in on the way home with a lot more fun stories and a lot of laughs... Well, there you have it, the lowdown on the smackdown!! I have been glowing all day......and last night I told the sisters Chip was reaaaalllly off the hook this year! The evening with them made my whole year! Thank you sisters from the bottom of my heart!

my world has stopped spinning...

...literally!!!!!!!!! My washing machine is on the fritz! And I'm starting to get frazzled! I was away for a few days, so I knew I'd have tons of laundry to come home to....but when Chip told me my machine was broken I panicked a bit! He went on the internet and found out what the problem was. My drain is clogged. He cleaned it out and put it back together....I thought I'd try a load....but it's still not working! Actually, the door is locked shut with water and clothes in there!! I spent most of yesterday calling people......."Art" is 68 years old and doesn't work on those "new fangled" front loaders......a & e said they could make it out next Tuesday!! C + C also said they don't work on "digital" machines.....all the while my stuff is getting stinkier in there!!! Well.....Lenny just called and he's on his way!!! I'm picturing him in gray utility pants and a button shirt with a little metal tool box......



I have to say the dirty stuff hasn't started spilling out of the laundry room yet...but the boys have run out of undershirts and after today we may have to use beach towels for our showers......when I have a lot of laundry it makes me feel like my whole house is dirty...I do a load almost every day, and when I skip a day it seems like I have 5 more to do the next day! I have alternated between "it will be okay" take this as a blessing to have a break from laundry......to "holy crap" I have a boat load of laundry to do and I hope I don't need a new machine!!!!! I love the feeling of accomplishment when everything is neatly folded in my basket.

.....well, Lenny just arrived and he thinks it's the pump.....he asked for towels and a bucket and it's smelling like a sewer in there!!!!!!!!! Hopefully I'll be up and spinning a little bit...I have to get a manicure and go to lunch today!!!!

What is it?? Wednesday

This week the canister holds treats for me!!!! It's my birthday Saturday and I asked the kiddos to make me cards and fill it with treats.....they've been quite busy so far with a few days left to go.....I see there is the Ped Egg I requested!!! And they also painted a few cupcakes :) Maybe a few gift cards,trinkets and candy would fit in there too?????? Possibly a gift certificate for a massage or facial??? We'll see..........

a cousin's wedding

I travelled to Virginia for my cousins wedding over the holiday weekend....she actually got married on Monday!! My first Monday wedding......but it was simply beautiful!! It was so wonderful and refreshing to see her and her new husband totally in love and just at the beginning of their story.....the day was perfect! It was great to see all of my relative's who travelled from Buffalo, Vail, and Alabama to celebrate. And also to meet her groom's family... most of whom travelled from Colorado. Best wishes to the brand new Mr. and Mrs. W!!!!!!! I hope your honeymoon was truly fabulous!!!

smiley :)

This is exactly why you should always, ALWAYS twirl once in front of the mirror before you leave the house...but just think how many people she made smile today!!!!

preschool graduation

My baby graduated from preschool tonight......and needless to say the tears were flowing!!! When he was born I would hold him and think how I wanted to savor every moment he was little...milestones came and went....yet preschool seemed so far away. When he started I couldn't believe it. I would race around during the two and a half hours he was there getting errands done, cleaning, wrapping christmas presents.... These last few weeks with his last day approaching didn't seem real......I just wanted to slow them down....I knew what was coming.....my older two graduated from this preschool as well. The miniture graduation hats, the slide show with picutres of them through the year. But when I turned and saw them all lined up ready to walk in the tears started. He was so happy and proud.



So I just want to say......let them be little....let them laugh and giggle, let them play with play doh and bubbles, say yes more often, read to them, take lots of pictures, have popsicles for breakfast,put the sprinkler under the tramp and let them jump, let them sleep in the middle.....it's okay...they're only little for such a short time.

What is it?? Wednesday

It's granola bars this week. This past year they have become quite popular over here. Cindy Lou's bus arrives at 6:43 am and on most mornings she grabs one on her way out the door. It gives me peace of mind to know she has SOMETHING for breakfast. Cubby will eat one on our way to kickboxing on Monday and Wednesday mornings. He's not a morning kid and we're always scrambling to make it to class by 9:30, so these are perfect! He thinks the chocolate chip ones are candy bars. Which they practically are......but oh well....I guess they are better than donuts! Apparently T. must think they are illegal because he steals them up to his room or down to the family room and hides the wrappers under his bed or in the cushions!! And I love the 90 calorie strawberry ones....they are de-lish!! Overall, they something I always have on hand......Thanks for stopping by!

Bruuuuuuuuuuuce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay you guys......thank goodness I am typing this because I am TOTALLY hoarse right now!! As many of you may know I am totally in llllloooovee with BRUCE!!! And tonight he came to see me!! I know I shouldn't have.....but I sneaked Cindy Lou's little pink camera into the show and got a few shots of the evening....Scooter snapped this one of Chip and I....now keep in mind this is a tiny little pink camera! Scooter, Lucy, Chip and I have been to about the last 4 concerts together.....loving every minute! Tbox and her hubby drove me in to the city and we all shared a few drinky-poo's at the Super Bowl before heading over for one of the best concerts EVER!



He started rockin' the evening with Badlands!!! The crowd is wild!!!!!! And we have KILLER seats!!!!!!!!!!! One row off of the stage! I was sooooooo excited when the usher settled us in!!



We loved the Stump the Band part of the show where he collects signs from the crowd and plays what the crowd requests. I can't believe he's going to be 60!!!!!!!!!!!!!




He doesn't stop!!!! Of course we all miss Danny Federici and Patty too...but the night couldn't be better!



Tbox.......I think I see you guys!!!!!!!!



At the end of the night I always get teary eyed, wondering if this is going to be the last time he's going to be on tour.......the last time I may see him live. Some people may not comprehend how I feel the way I do about him...I can't explain it...I think I was born with an extra gene or something....but Chip and I do want to take the kiddos next time...they have to feel this too. These moments I share with him are some of the best of my life.....thank you Bruce.

cupcakes for your garden

Okay. How stinkin' cute is this cupcake????!!!!! A big shout out to the Whimsy-girl for the inspiration. It all started yesterday when Cub got a little tiny gardening trowel in his happy meal and he wanted to plant something.......I've put together a little tutorial if you'd like to do a one, or bunch! for yourself!!




Gather up some potting soil, a few pots and saucers...shorter ones look more like cupcake liners when they are done....some paints....I used acrylics...or you could use spray paint.....clear spray sealant, wooden dowel rods and wooden balls, and some plants with little flowers and brushes.



First paint the pot and the saucer. Let them dry....oh, paint the whole saucer....I didn't, thinking the pot would cover it up and then I had to go back over it. :(



Then stick the dowel rod into the little ball to make the cherry....I was lucky that mine fit perfectly and I didn't even use wood glue. Paint it red.



Then take some brown paint to make the lines on the pot so it looks like a cupcake liner.



Spray all of that with your clear spray so hopefully the paint job will last longer!!! Spray the inside too!



Then you're ready to plant! Cubby loves this part! I chose alyssum so that the little white flowers would look like sprinkles!!! Now measure your "cherry" and cut it down to size if need be....




Voila!!!!! Pretty little cupcakes!!!!!!!!!

time for an update

The year I got married I put together a cookbook for myself. I was a flight attendent at the time and had tons of recipes clipped from magazines, newspapers, and written on the back of beverage napkins. There was no way of getting them into one of those recipe boxes....and they were all unorganized in a folder. So I decided to get a big, huge 3 ring binder and clear page protectors and do a cookbook for myself. I worked on it in hotel rooms on layovers and loved it for me when it was done.

I still love it.....it's easy to update....if you spill something on a page it wipes clean...and you can include all of the pictures and handwritten things you want. I had been planning on this for a while now....and last night it just called to me. I stayed up quite late working on it.....but this morning I have a brand new cookbook waiting for me. Now I'm looking forward to the lacrosse season to be over so I can cook some of these delicious recipes I had forgotten about!!

a few more treats for me

Well...I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the hand made cards and gifts the kiddos used to surprise me with on Mother's Day. The whole day I was wondering if maybe they were up in their rooms working on something for me......but nope...they were just watching Spongebob. Well, I forgot that Cubby missed the week of preschool before the Mother's Day because we were in Disney. Yesterday he brought home a truly wonderful treat for me...A card and stand that he made. I lllloooovvve it!!!!



As you can see....his answers to the questions are perfect!!! Except for maybe the pie one......Marzipanmom hasn't given me my pie lesson yet....I think he's referring to the pumpkin pie we had last Thanksgiving that came from the bakery!! :)



But wait!!!!!! There's more!!!!!! I must have really gone on about how I loved my treats, because he dissappeared for a bit and showed back up with one more for me! Can you see the half a roll of tape he used to close the "gift box" ???




What mom can't use a few erasers, a pencil grip,a dried up mini marker and a pretty new bracelet!!! So just when I thought the wonderful years of "handmade with love" gifts were over...Cubby stepped up to the plate and made my day beautiful!! Thank you so, so much Cubba Wubba!! I love you!!

I didn't forget!!!!

I didn't forget about filling you on our fabulous trip to Disney....I just have to start off by saying I took 499 pictures!!!!!!!!! I llloooovvvee my digital camera!!! I just kept snapping and snapping....so that said, this is the most pictures I have EVER included in a post. This is your warning.....if you want to skip seeing the low down on my trip stop back another time....if not, feel free to scroll fast!! I just couldn't help myself!! Anyway.....here goes!! This is our first vacation with my cousin Gerberagirl, her husband The Trooper and their little girl Tish. We had TERRIFIC weather....sunny and hot....every day in the 90's....maybe just a little too hot....but that just made swimming much more fun. Our place had two awesome pools.....the kiddos loved all of the slides and activities.



We spent an evening at Downtown Disney....the kids all knew they wanted to have dinner and shop there for a bit before we even left....Grampsy had given them some spending "cash" before they left. We browsed in a lot of the "knick knack" shops as Cubby called them....and he didn't want to miss one!!! He was on a mission for Disney pins and to collect all of his "friends"....little stuffed animals from one of his favorite shows Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.



Here Cubby scored on the top two friends he wanted Chip and Dale......which by coincindence is what I call my husband and his brothers name is Dale!! And why do I like to have my kids try on all of those silly hats and take their picture???



The first park we visited was Animal Kingdom. Everest was The Trooper and Gerberagirls favorite ride....of course I don't do any rollercoasters or barely ANY rides for that matter, so I took Cubby and Tish for an ice cream while they rode.....



We took the little ones in to see Nemo, The Musical. I'd have to say it was one of my favorite things of the week. Really cool!!!!...and I can't believe what great pictures my camera took in the dark!



These money sucking games annoy the daylights out of me!!!!!! And of course Chip lets the kids play them until he is out of cash or they win the prize they want....whichever comes first!



We stopped and posed for a family pic in the 94 degree heat...smiles everyone! :) We fininshed off our day by watching The Lion King and taking the safari. Both were great. Tish and Cubby were not impressed with the animals......just the big pile of ostrich eggs they saw ????




We spent a day swimming and playing putt putt at our hotel......then Cubby and I went to Magic Kingdom with The Trooper, Gerberagirl, Tish and The Trooper's sister TeeTee. Of course we had to pause for a picture on Main St. in front of the Castle....doesn't everyone??




Tish's favortie thing of the day was Minnie's house......and if I were 4 years old I would have picked that too! It is sooooo adorable! Purple and pink and lots of hearts. We both wanted to move in. The Trooper better do a great job on that playhouse he's building in their back yard...



I couldn't resist sharing Cubby hugging this huge Mickey....it took all I had to get him to put him back on the shelf....but I did get a cute picture.




The morning parade was adorable....the characters didn't look like they were melting too badly in those big costumes yet.



Cubby's favorite ride was the Haunted Mansion. He loves how the ghosts appear in your cart as you ride by.




Now, for this parade we were sweating our buns off and I'm sure the people in those costumes were too.....but with those smiles stuck on their faces like that they always look so happy!




Now here is my favorite ride......Dumbo! And even on this one...one or two more times around and I would have been queesy.

.....don't give up .....I'm almost done here.....just a few more!! :)




How 'bout these earrings???? They are my oringinal ones from my very first trip to Disney in the 7th grade! I wonder how much they cost way back then????



The fireworks were spectacular....we had a great spot to watch. The castle changes colors and each one was prettier than the next. I think I took 30 pictures just of the fireworks!



Our last park to visit was Hollywood Studios. It was a sweltering day and we didn't get to do everything we wanted to....but Cub got a few autographs.....



....and Chip, Cindy Lou and T. voted the Rockin' Rollercoaster their favorite ride!! Thank goodness for fast passes.




We spent our last day at the pool. It was 96 degrees and Orlando set a heat record...REALLY!! But we didn't mind.....we zipped down the slide, had frozen drinks and popsicles all day. My other cousin and his family joined us for the fun too.



You made it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's the last picture I took.....I couldn't resist one last one in the airport with Mickey....and if I knew I was at 499 I would have taken ONE more to make it an even 500!!! I'm still glowing about how nice our trip was....I'm wondering if I'll ever be back.....I don't think the older two are interested in a return trip. But perhaps Cub and I may make it back with Tish if they go again someday. I did treat myself to a few tshirts and other trinkets as sentimental souvenirs just in case.....