Monday, June 28, 2010

iTunes Winner!

Announcing the $15 iTunes gift card winner (as chosen by random.org). It's number nine. It's Tera Carr!

tera carr said... i hope 9 is my lucky number today! i think sara said it best... the perfect gift changes from person to person but i try my best to make it perfect for that person.

And Tera, I hope that an iTunes gift card is the perfect gift for you. It is one of my favorite gifts to give, and I will get it to you this week. Enjoy!

Friday, June 25, 2010

It's my birthday, and I'll GIVEAWAY if I want to!

 
She's 36 today.


And she's giving away this.

To enter:
1. Leave a comment telling her what your favorite gift to give is.
OR
2. Become a friend.  (If you're already a friend, you've already been entered in the contest.) 
OR
3. Do both!

One comment entry per person. 

She'll randomly choose the winner on Sunday at 9:00 PM and post their name on Monday morning. She might also write in first person again. 

***The comments are closed for the iTunes giveaway. See ya early tomorrow!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hydrangea Love

This spring my dad planted four Incrediball hydrangeas in our yard.  I bought them from Jana at Serenity Gardens.

This is what mine look like today. Grow little ones. 
 These are my neighbors' hydrangeas.
 Once again, these are mine. Drink that fresh water, little ones.
 Neighbors.
 Mine.
 Theirs.
 All mine.
**We are currently taking care of our neighbors' yard. I am not a thief. I only pretend to play one on this blog.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Let It Go Day

Bruce informed me over coffee this morning that today is officially LET IT GO DAY. This was in response to my griping about a situation that will not change and cannot change. 
Edited---**Bruce did NOT make up this day. June 23rd really is "Let it Go Day".

So that's what I've decided to do. Let it go.

Here's a small list of what else I'm letting go of today:

1. Blow drying my hair. My blow-dryer went up in smoke this morning. Literally. And because I was so far off the trail of having decent looking hair today, I'm adding my flat iron to the list.
2. Wearing makeup. It's 100 degrees out. It's sliding off anyways.

3. Diet Dr. Pepper. I'm drinking the real deal today. Fully loaded. Lime, please. Sonic Happy Hour. Hello, love.

4. All forms of cleaning that include houses and faces. We're going to the pool later, and that jelly leftover from last nights pb&j dinner that's stuck to Talia's face is bound to come off over there, right?

5. Weeding my garden. What's one more day, or two, or three? Maybe today should be called Let it Grow Day.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Party Day, Part Two

After we left the zoo, we stopped by Red Robin for burgers, fries, and campfire sauce. Oh my!

Ella's a girl who likes her cake. I DREAD decorating one. The perfect solution? Stopping at Sugar Sisters.

I ordered this.

Ella and Talia each ordered a miniature cupcake and then begged off of everyone else's version of sugar perfection.

Sugar Sisters was a hit.

And so were the presents.

The party van rolled on home. We then WALKED to the pool with our party stroller. Ha. 
As Ella was falling asleep, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She smiled, eyes closed, and said in a very soft voice, "Cake. Grillas." (Cake and gorillas.)

One of our gifts to Ella was a full sized tent. Bruce set it up in the living room and on Saturday night after both girls were in bed, we sat in the tent and celebrated our little Lady. Bruce read a beautiful passage from Isaiah, and in the tradition we have established on our girls' birthdays, we drank champagne. There is much to celebrate this year.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Party Day, Part One

On Saturday morning I woke up early and blew up 20 pink balloons because what's a party van without pink balloons? It's just a van that someone in their mid 30's drives who decided to put the word party in front of to make it sound more exciting. Anything sounds more exciting if you put the word party in front of it. Try it. I was doing that all day! We stopped at our favorite donut shop before arriving at Uncle Travis' to pick up the rest of the party goers.
In addition to Travis, Bruce's parents also jumped aboard. First stop: the Sedgwick County Zoo. We love the zoo. I found out at VBS last week that there are parents that don't like zoos. WHHAAAAT?  We LOVE THE ZOO.




The Gorillas were Ella's favorites. They were my favorite that day, too, and the place where you can observe them has air conditioning. It was H-O-T on Saturday. We were sweating in our unmentionables, or at least I was. And when I mentioned it, no one else said they were. They all just laughed.

The giraffe feeding station is the best dollar I've ever spent. If Nana (my mom) would've been with us, we would not have been able to pull her away from this. She is CRAZY for giraffes. And these are right there. In your face. And it's wonderful. Those long glorious tongues. Who can get enough? Not my girls.

Our family picture was the last thing we did at the zoo. Thanks to the boy scout who took this picture. I know two Eagles who are cheering you on.
Almost two hours in and birthday girl was finished with the zoo. Check her out. She was hot, hungry, and ready for cake. We all were.

And the party van rolled on, Miss Unmentionable and all. More tomorrow.



Sunday, June 20, 2010

Favorite TV Dads

Last night long after the girls had gone to bed, Bruce and I sat talking about how great Ella's birthday had been (a separate post to come), plans for next week, and Father's Day. I confessed that as much as I love him, I didn't have it in me to gush over him, my dad, or his dad on the blog. I was kind of partied out. Instead, we decided to talk about Steven Keaten.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Ella's SEVEN!

ONE.
 

TWO.
THREE.
 

 FOUR.
 

FIVE.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Setting me straight

Me (said in exasperation and trying to get anyone going): Oh brother!

Talia: I'm not your brother. I'm your daughter!

Me: Right. Okay, sister, let's go. We need to get goin'.

Talia: You are not my sister. Ella is my sister!

Me (smiling very big and instantly calm): You are totally right. Ella IS your sister. 

Talia: Let's go, Mom. (now exasperated) MOM, LETS GO!

The END, for now.



Thursday, June 17, 2010

Pesto love

My basil cup runneth over. Which means it's time to make pesto. And pesto screams summertime. Do you want to know what that really means to me? PESTO CHICKEN SALAD! (recipe here)
Yum. Double yum. Triple yum. Do you know what's even better than that?

When you eat it here, on a cracker, with your children, while they scream about what summertime means to them.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

From Summer Struggles to Summer Snuggles

Have we arrived at the point during summer vacation where mothers everywhere are ready to throw up their hands and be done? Are you Screaming, Running, Naked down your driveway, yet? 

I have spoken to at least eight mothers(and at least one father) in the last two days who were D-O-N-E. Done. 

Whining. Fighting. Hitting. Crying. Scratching. Kicking. 
More whining. And that was just during yesterday's lunch!

I mean we had spent all morning learning about God's mighty love at VBS! 

When lunch was over, Ella asked if she could watch Dora. I was DONE, so I said yes.

A few minutes later it was quiet. And I saw this.


Which moved into this.
 Notice the arm. The arm! Excuse me, that's the arm you just drilled your sister with five minutes ago.
And for 30 minutes they snuggled on the couch. Girls, let's shoot for 35 minutes today.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

WINNER!

According to a random number generator the winner of a brand new copy of The Message is number 16 out of 36. 

Number 16 is JUDY KREBS! Congratulations, Judy! In a few short weeks I will give you your copy of the Message...in person.

And thank you to all of you who have entered this giveaway. Because I have been entertained, I am already planning the next one. It won't be long, but I do have to figure out how I am going to keep funding this new hobby of mine. It's a little addicting.

 

Monday, June 14, 2010

Last Chance for The Message Giveaway

I will choose the winner of the giveaway at 9:00 pm tonight and post the winner first thing tomorrow morning. Go here to enter.


And while I'm at it, I'll share with you what I read yesterday morning that sent me soaring.


I've thrown myself headlong into your arms---
I'm celebrating your rescue.
I'm singing at the top of my lungs. 
I'm so full of answered prayers.
Psalms 13: 5-6, The Message

On this crazy, washed out Monday, aren't those verses so full of promise?!

Throw yourself into His arms today. Celebrate Him. And sing at the top of your lungs.

Where did she get that smile?

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Message Giveaway

I know it's only day two, but I can't stand waiting until there's a special occasion to give something away. Blame it on my LOVE LANGUAGE.


I am giving away the thing that has most changed my life in the past three months:
Wouldn't a picture of the Message be great here? I dropped my camera two days ago and the lens won't open. Nice.

I have always felt like I should read my Bible, but I'll admit, I haven't always wanted to. I have several Bibles  that I kind of rotate between, but this is the one that I have been coming back to. I know you'll love it. And if you're thinking to yourself that you already have one, enter the contest anyways with the idea that you're going to give it away to someone else.


To enter:
1. Become a Screaming, Running, Naked Friend (I am not fond of the word fan) or
2. Leave me a comment or
3. Do both and get two entries.


I will choose the winner Monday evening and post it Tuesday morning.
********** Contest is now closed. 

Friday, June 11, 2010

What to expect when you're expecting a blog

 Seven months pregnant with Talia.

When I was expecting my babies I: 
  • told my friends, family, and anyone that I knew
  • worried for nine months
  • was nauseous
  • prayed
  • ate chocolate chip cookie bars and McDonald's french fries
  • had sleepless nights
  • wore pants with three inch elastic waistbands
  • gave up pop and drank water
  • dreamed about shoe shopping with Oprah and baby names
  • took prenatal vitamins
  • decorated a house
  • read parenting books
  • asked other parents all sorts of questions
  • asked Bruce to massage my feet

A Christmas card 2009 reject---where's the funny?


When I was expecting my blog I:
  • told my friends, family, and anyone that I knew
  • worried for nine months (or more!)
  • prayed
  • ate cheese
  • ate chocolate
  • wore yoga pants with an elastic waistband at least twice a week
  • drank a lot of Dr. Pepper with lime
  • was nauseated
  • took Ibuprofen
  • decorated a house... still decorating a house
  • read blogs
  • asked seasoned bloggers a lot of questions
  • begged Bruce to massage my feet
When I was expecting my babies, I knew I was getting GIRLS. I have no idea what to expect with a blog. Really. Announcing, "It's a blog!" doesn't come close to announcing a child, but perhaps Bruce will decide a blog announcement is worthy of a foot massage, too.


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