Friday Fun

This is so whimsical- heard it on a commercial...found it on YouTube..and it's a JcPenney commercial! I love it and had to share...

Sac Town, Good Food, Fat Jeans...in that order.

Yeah- so Sacramento was the MOST fun! Had a fabulous trip with our friends~ lots of good conversation and laughs. Good connecting time. Once we got there, we spent most of Friday hanging out with friends who live there. Took us to the Galleria mall (oh. my.) to eat delish salad with tri-tip and shop.

**That's Cadee, Jennie and Kim...and my GINORMOUS salad! :)
Shop, shop, shop.
Then we went for coffee and talked for a while. Cleaned up at the hotel and went to the opening night for the conference (The Truth Project). Man, it was sooooo riveting. LOVED this conference. It hit on so many points that Robert and I have been discussing. That have been on our hearts and minds. So it was an affirmation that we're listening to God and going in the right direction. SUCH a cool feeling. Plus, to be in a room full of others embracing this is amazing. I could ooze excitement for a good long while, so I'll just STOP. Visit the site- watch the trailer- it's good stuff.

We fit in MORE shopping and ate at Claimjumpers, Rubios, and a yummy Italian rest. at the galleria that I've forgotten the name of. Dare I say however, that the Olive Garden, in comparison, wins HANDS DOWN. It was still fun!
With all the good food, including hot breakfasts every morning at the hotel- the fat pants are ready to be worn. ugh. Gotta hit the gym HARD now.

But the trip was like FUEL to my soul. THat sounds so silly, but it truly was. Spiritually, mentally, creatively, physically (obviously)- it gave me renewed energy and passion. I wanted to come home and DIG IN to so many different areas of my life. First and foremost, I wanted to eat my children UP! Missed them SOOOOO much! We talked about them the entire trip and we just couldn't wait to pick them up and snuggle with them!

My parents were WONDERFUL and took them for a few days for this trip, and it was such a relief to know they were having fun with Nanny and Papa while we were away!
And Pepper stayed with Susie and Dave-- I hope he was good! He sure was happy to be home! He trotted around, nuzzling all of us and then curled up and slept forever!! Thanks again for watching our brood, guys!! You are a blessing to us!!

SO...we're back home. Back to the regular ol' grind. Crazy paced but I wouldn't have it any other way...

Be back soon. Hopefully with pictures..of....SOMEthing. ANYthing. How boring are no-picture posts??!

XOXO
~S

CooLneSs

Off to Sacramento!
Already miss my babies... this is the longest I've been away from them...

On a happy note...
This girl kinda rocks. Well, despite a heavy hand with makeup and some political views that oppose my own-- but still.... I like her. BITTEN SJP


Most everything will be $20 and under! THAT is awesome.

Ok--- gotta go check all that last minute stuff (unplug coffee pot, heater,etc) and then roll out.

xoxo
~S

YuM.

I just love Thursdays, don't YOU?!

It means I get to work from home.

It means I volunteer at my kidlets' school.

It means schlepping around the house.

It means meandering in thrift stores.

It means Grey's Anatomy.

YuM.

Speaking of yum...

Aren't those the most adorable two little pieces of 49 cent bric-a-brac thrift goodness you've ever laid eyes on?!?! Hellllooooo?! Dead ringer for those cute Anthropologie cups- but from the looks of these- they've been lovingly sipped from for a VERY long time. I adore them.

And...as I was out and about, I passed scenery that was pretty and just screamed "SPRING!".


Daffodils, outrageously green pastures, gorgeous fields with blue sky as their backdrop...oh. And a green VW van. SPRING!

I started the day by volunteering at school. Then, I had to go up to work for just a bit today. Then to the bank. Then to a couple thrifts. Then had lunch with the hubster at Roadhouse. uh...YUM! Grilled veggies and half of a turkey bacon club. Then I went to Old Navy and got the hubster a few things for our Cali trip next weekend. Then home.

And... I finally unloaded all the scrap-goodness that I got last weekend in Portland. Snapped a couple photos so you can see how gluttonous I was... hey- I *SAVED UP* for this little ditty- so I have no guilt.

almost. that's ALOT o' stuff!

Ok. Going to watch THE HOLIDAY with my man, eat some popcorn and Hot Tamales and peruse a few magazines before I pass out for the night!

YuM!

xoxo

~S

Home.

Ahhh. Home.
LOVE being home.
Got back from the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Portland on Saturday night.
It was fun but not as fun as I'd hoped.
Didn't get to hang with Court like I'd hoped.
Very,very disappointed about that.
Bought some fun stuff.
Ate some yummy food.
But still... just didn't turn out to be what I had been psyched about.
Such is life I guess.
I'll get over it. maybe.
lol.
Perhaps I should just start saving for a ticket to Knoxville...?? ;)
More soon!

xoxo
~S

Love finding vintage books at the thrift store!
These are a few I've picked up lately. My little collection is growing and it's just one of those little things that make me happy.
I *adore* books with illustrations by Eloise Wilkin and Jessie Willcox Smith among others. Books from the 20s through the 50s are the best- such whimsical pictures!
And then there's the old teen romance books from the 40s and 50s-- LOVE those!

Only 2 more days until Creating Keepsakes Convention in Portland!! Woot! It's going to be A LOT of fun-- cannot wait. I've already mentioned it numerous times, so I'll spare you this entry! lol. I *must* remember to take more pictures this year!! Especially since I'll be meeting up with Court this time..gotta get some goofy shots to scrapbook (of course!)!!

Went to the doctor about some arm weakness/numbness I've been having for about 2 months or more. It seems I have a trapped Ulnar nerve (around my elbow) and so with any exercise or things like keeping it in the same position for a while-- my arm is numb for HOURS. It's crazy. It's been worse since I started working out more frequently so I thought I should get it checked out. From the sounds of it I should be able to rehabilitate it fairly easily. And if that doesn't work they'll go in a scrape my bone so that the nerve has plenty of room to move..neato.

REALLY feeling like I'm in a good place lately. Despite crazy, stressful stuff going on day in and day out-- somehow I'm pleasantly surprised at my calm/happy demeanor. I know God has got everything under control and is with me all the time. He knows how these silly situations will resolve before they even happen- SUCH a relief! Still, there's those times where you just want to HANDLE it. There's a "thing" and you've gotta DEAL WITH IT somehow...that human side of us wants that control over things. I've been better about giving "it" up to Him and just riding it out- soooo much better! And it makes me content. He knows WHAT I need, WHEN I need it. He knows my heart- my dreams, aspirations, wants...and He provides in His time. Since accepting that more readily, life is just very,very GOOD!

My Bella Balloon flops are doing well. I've made 9 pair so far with a few people saying they'll be emailing soon with orders... I love it! So cool to find a little niche, even if only for a little while and see it succeed! Also, my Ebay efforts have been a blessing for us lately. I've been able to pay some dental visits in full and just get little things for the kids and the house as I find we need them- and it's a nice feeling. I took a break from listing much this week due to the hectic pace of things, but I'll kick it back into gear next week for sure. Looking forward to it!

Well, I'm in need of a shower after going to the gym. We have church tonite...pizza dinner fellowship beforehand..should be fun!

XOXO

~S

Good Times

We went the beach this weekend...sorta spontaneous but much needed. We needed a little family get-away. It was the first time we'd gone to the beach since Robert's accident almost two years ago. It was difficult yet theraputic at the same time. Josie had the most anxiety, which we didn't expect. So it hit us rather hard...sobering and heartbreaking. My kids were there, on the beach, when Robert had his surf accident. They were there, watching people drag him out of the water and clamoring around him. Watching him lay there, unable to move. Watching paramedics take him away. Sitting in the ER with new family friends-- because I was in Portland, completely unaware (until he was at the hospital).

So this trip, we get a room right on the beach. Open the sliding door and there we were. Robert and I walked out and called for the kids to come out onto the patio and look at the water. Matthew came out right away- Josie had a complete meltdown. Complete. Shaking, crying, sobbing- shrieking- we had to carry her out and she fought against us. She remembered instantly and to her the beach was scary. I wanted to cry right there. But instead we had to reassure her. And gradually she was ok. Matthew was a great big brother, the next morning walking out there and telling her it would be ok- that he'd hold her hand and not let go, if that's what she wanted. So sweet. My sweet little man.

It was a really,really nice trip. Short but sweet.

We let the kids swim in the hotel pool, jump on the beds, eat junk, sleep late, went to MO's chowder house (of COURSE!), skipped rocks, watched Robert get pooped on by a seagull (bwaahaaaha!), went to a thrift store and headed home.

We're planning another trip for early summer...and we're ALL excited about it!

xoxo

~S

Oy.

Pretty INTENSE color for an entry...this red.
But that's how I'm feeling right now..inTENSE, ya'll.
Just got home from the gym.
Took a hardcore class and I do believe I might die, right here in this chair.
I seemed to have made it off the bike, briefly felt my knees shudder from the added weight of friendly, kudos-back slaps after class, outta the gym, drove home...and here I am. I think my husband will come home in 5 hours and find me here- hopefully conscious.

30 minutes of INTENSE cycling. Crazy instructor- she actually LAUGHED at us when we groaned and then screamed like a banshee "iwannaseebootyshakinlegsflying-higher RPMs-sweatrollinoffyerface NOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" her voice resonating off the walls and her lips quivering in a nasty snarl.
yikes.
but you know- the fear of her kept me going. real. fast.
I don't think I've ever seen my legs moving so fast..in.my.life.
I kept looking down in amazement- but then that would make me lose focus/balance and that's just bad.

There were 50+ year old women in there. HARDCORE ladies.
Ladies that made me feel shameful for grimacing at any point during class. These same women hopped off their bikes after stretching and then went downstairs and started on the stairclimbers at such a crazy pace you'd think someone was after them to do them harm.

BUT- there were quite a few ladies that made me feel welcome and gave advice. Like go home, take a hot/cold shower, Advil and don't stop moving or you'll turn into the tinman without oiled joints. Nice. But they were swell. And the instructor, came off that platform and I had to do a double take almost. She was this tiny, sweet girl- super cute, friendly... it's rather scary how she tucked away the instructor-from-hades in her back pocket as she hopped off that bike and came over, grinning. Yipes.

One last thing. A word of advice for anyone considering a cycling class that is of the female gender, pertaining to what NOT to wear to class...
Do.
Not.
Wear.
Lacey.
Thong.
Underwear.
EVVVVVEEERRRRRRRR.
yep. learned that one the hard way.

xoxox
~S