I've Been Tagged! I am......

I am...always busy

I think...my life is pretty good

I want...for nothing

I have...the greatest kids in the world

I miss...my grandma saying "well bless your little heart"

I fear...war, what is happening with the economy

I feel...loved

I hear...Alexa playing Jason Mraz songs

I smell...my Scentsy candle, spaghetti and garlic bread

I crave...chocolate, coffee, and ice cream, and it shows!

I cry...at the drop of a hat: movies, TV shows, even commercials can get to me!

I regret...not finishing college

I search...for peace, answers, knowledge

I wonder...what kind of adults my kids will be

I wish...I could have a full time housekeeper so I could read and scrap all day.

I love....LIFE!, family, friends, reading, scrapbooking, sleep, my job, all of it

I care...about the environment

I always...wear my seatbelt. (I hate the words always and never, to finite, but I do always wear my seatbelt!)

I worry...about my children's futures

I am not...patient

I remember....very little. I have the worst memory!

I believe...you must treat others as you would have them treat you

I sing...loud when I am driving by myself

I don't always...spend enough time with my kids

I argue...very well. should have been a lawyer

I write...messy

I lose....everything. the remote, my keys.....

I listen...to all kinds of music

I can usually be found...at home or work

I need...time to myself at night

I forget...everything unless it is written down

I am happy...when others are happy

I tag...Crystal, Helena, Jessica

Happy Birthday to.....ME!

So, here I am in all my glory, at 36! Alexa took this picture of me, in a mall parking lot of all places.



I had a really great birthday. First, I met my friends, Jessica and Nina for lunch at Desert Ridge.

We went to the fabric store there so I could pick fabrics for my birthday present, a custom made bag for my camera. Jessica has been making them as diaper bags, but will make mine with dividers that will fit my camera and lenses, flash, etc. Here is a sample of her cute bags:

I had to work that night, and cutie pie, Ginny, brought me a gift of movie passes, candy, and more. After work, my friend Melissa and I went out for cheesecake and a drink, yum and double yum! I came home that night to this on my bedroom wall:

You probably can't read it but it says Happy 36th B-Day Mommy, and has a fabulous drawing of me doing the splits (thanks Sophie!)


But the birthday festivities were not over then. Saturday night my scrapbooking friends surprised me at work with

These:

A bling keychain made by my friend and the best jewelry maker, Teresa, gift cards to my FAVORITES, Barnes and Noble, and Starbucks (thanks D and D). An OTT(over the top) mini book of our trip to LA to see Wicked, and some gorgeous frames from Kirkland (thanks Gaye and Jamie). And the cards, so cute!

All in all it was a great birthday, and reminded me how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends.

The Best Day Ever!

This is the best day ever!

I got chills today, along with tears in my eyes, as I stood with millions of Americans to watch the swearing in of our 44th president!

Martin Luther King Jr Day

Never forget this amazing person.


His dream becomes a reality tomorrow!

Impromptu Photo Shoot

Toward the end of Christmas break, the girls and I rode the Orbit (free, eco-friendly local shuttle in Tempe) downtown to ride the brand new light rail! It was free until the end of the year, so we thought, why not? We got on one stop and off the next, just to say we did it. It was totally packed, standing room only. We got a quick lunch, then walked around the lake to take some pictures with my new camera I got for Christmas. I never order school pictures anymore, so I like to take my own each year. Here are a few of my favorites:



Sophie-6

Celeste-11

Alexa-14

So much better than school pictures, don't you think?

Now my only problem is how to get Michael to come with me for a photo shoot of his own. It won't be easy, believe me!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It's nearly here, and I am nearly ready. There are still a few odds and ends I need to get, but the majority of my preparations are complete. This is a photo of some ornaments that I gave to a friend for our Scrapbooks, Etc. gift exchange. They came from my grandmother's home. My friend loved them. You can see her thoughts on them on her blog, listed along the sidebar as "be yourself: live with passion". She is a lovely, artistic lady, and likes all things vintage. I was nervous about the gift exchange but it was so fun. And Heidi, who gave me my gift, chose really well. I got a cute mug with goodies and a Starbucks gift card inside. Does she know me or what?

Merry Christmas everyone!

Loser!!!!!

Sophie is a loser!

Literally. She finally lost her first tooth which held on FOREVER! The other tooth was grown in behind it. It was so loose that it was bothering her, and she was scared to pull it. She said "I am a tough sleeper, maybe daddy can pull it out while I am asleep." Well, it did not come to that, she was able to play with it and pull it out herself later that day.

She looks so cute with the hole in her face, and shows it off to everyone. As for me, with every one of her firsts I am reminded that it is a last-first for me as a mother. So here's to my last- first lost tooth!