Easter weekend recap...a picture marathon...

i worked from home on Friday...the kiddos were out of school on spring break, & the daycare was closed for Good Friday...thankfully, my punks did a great job keeping themselves entertained most of the day...it was a gorgeous day outside (in the 80s!), so they spent a lot of time outside enjoying the weather...& as soon as quittin' time rolled around, i joined them!

we'd planned to dye our Easter Eggs...we'd gotten 2 different kits this year - a tie dye set & a set to make the eggs all shiny & glittery

the tie dye kit worked the best...u used droppers to add tiny drops of color to ur egg, while u held it in a baggie...then add another color (or 2) & roll the egg around to swirl the colors together

they came out brighter & the process was quicker than old fashioned dipping

we went ahead & colored all our eggs, then left the shiny kit for the next day since the eggs needed to be dry to add the shine

Rocket joined us outside...he kept watch, making sure that evil cat didn't come around to bother us ;0)

here are our finished eggs after we added the shine effect on Saturday...we were super proud of how they turned out!

another critter that caught Rocket's attention while we were outside dying eggs was this little mama kill deer bird...

she would sit out in the grass with her hubby, just squawking away - trying to keep our attention on her, & not her nest...but finally, i found the eggs...& it was a good thing too - she'd literally laid her eggs under where my brother's hauling trailer had been parked...she was lucky he didn't run over her eggs when he pulled it out...or that he hadn't returned it yet & backed over them

& check this...when i went back out to peek at her eggs on Sunday, there was one more!

i went ahead & surrounded her nest with markers so it wouldn't get run over...i'm just hoping that once the babies hatch, their parents are good at keeping Night away...i'll probably cry if that killer cat gets a hold of them!

Jaden went to bed that evening with a migraine...bless his heart - we knew he didn't feel well when he was only able to take one bite of his pizza, then asked for medicine & decided he was going to bed...thankfully, he woke up just fine on Saturday! that day was pretty chill...i had a wedding cake consultation that morning, but mostly we just hung out & soaked up all the sunshine!

of course Sunday was Easter...& the Easter Bunny sure enough found his way to our new home (Jaden was worried about that)

this was the first year that the kiddos picked out their own Easter outfits...the girls, completely on their own! Jaden only cared that his clothes were blue...i helped him with finding something appropriate ;0)

Easter Sunday service was the children's Easter performance of a story called 'Good News from the Grave'...

Jaden had a solo & the girls sang a song with 2 other little boys...they all had speaking parts as well & everyone did great! once again, they made us super proud!!!



Jaden's solo:
24 hours was all Jesus had
with His disciples, He met to break bread
showing His love, He washed their dirty feet
"I have to go now, but you cannot come"
that's what He said when the end had begun
as they left singing, their music was bittersweet

after church, we ran home to change, then went over to Nana & Grandpa's for a cook-out & outside fun!

& of course, we had to have Easter egg hunts! this year, we skipped the candy altogether (since all the kiddos got plenty from Mr. Bunny already!) and loaded the eggs with one dollar bills & quarters...the kiddos loved it!

the men had the job of hiding eggs...

Scooby says "what egg?!" ~lol~

no Joe, no one will ever find that one! ;0)

let the hunting begin!

& u know we couldn't hang out at the grandparent's without riding 4-wheelers & riding the flyers...we had a great time & left with full bellies...it was definitely a fun, blessed day!

& that's not all!

we'd also promised the kiddos a campfire that night...Curtis was off (very rare on a weekend evening) & the weather was perfect!

while we got the fire going, the rugrats tried out their new bubble guns that the Easter Bunny had brought them...

& daddy got some sticks ready for marshmallow roasting ;0)

we made lots of s'mores & relaxed by the fire...

swinging as the sun fell behind the mountains...

the perfect way to end such a fun weekend...

weekend recap...

in between delivering both cakes on Saturday, i had a special meeting that afternoon...i haven't officially announced anything here yet, but my Twitter & Facebook friends already know about my exciting news...

i get to tackle a pretty huge cake job in June...our local hospital is rebuilding at a new location - & they've asked me to not only create
an exact replica of the new hospital
for their 3-day grand opening event, but also
5,000 cupcakes
for their employee celebration day!

oh. my. gosh!!!

i couldn't believe it when they asked me, but i'm super psyched now! thankfully, i have tons of help around me if i need it...& boy, i think i'm gonna need it! ;0)

can u believe i have to make a model of this?!
(well, minus the bulldozers)

my brother is on board to help me out with the replica project...he's an artist - & way better at the architecture/engineering aspect of things! he & i got to go & tour the new hospital Saturday...we took lots of pics & mostly just stared at the building with our mouths hanging open...we're not sure what we've gotten ourselves into! ~lol~

the rest of my weekend was pretty chill...i'd promised the kiddos a campfire Saturday night...& since i was super tired from working on cakes the night before, i figured i'd better get the fire going before it got too late...or i may end up having some disappointed kiddos when i pass out on the sofa & can't drag my butt outside to build one! ~lol~

so even tho it was still light outside, we went ahead anyway...& it was really nice!

we had mid/high 70 degree weather all weekend...so it was already awesome enuff! but hanging out around our 1st campfire of the year made it even better!

we picked up some BK for dinner & had ourselves a little picnic...

& of course, we played...

Night is always nearby these days...keeping a watchful eye on her family ;0)

or playing too...she LOVES the kiddos & all the attention they give her!

Sunday, we had a cook-out at my brother & sister-in-law's house to celebrate my mom's birthday...anytime we can get all the grandkids together to play is fun!

& eat too? count me in!!! ;0)

hope u had a great weekend where u are! i'm soooooo happy that Spring is officially here...we're looking forward to many more weekends outside!!!

she's a she...& she's already fixed!

i took our kitty, Night, to the vet yesterday...dropped her off 1st thing in the morning for an overnight visit...since we've claimed her as our own (& she's claimed us right back), i figured we'd better take her to the vet to not only get her fixed (one adopted kitty is enough!), but to get a rabies shot, de-wormed, etc. too

i went in this morning to pick her up, & guess what?
she's already been fixed!

the vet was able to confirm that she's a she...she's pretty comfortable with all of us (especially me) - & we've been able to pet her on our laps, love on her every day, even pick her up...but i've never been brave enough to flip her over or try to examine her enough to find out her sex...we just assumed since we couldn't see the obvious, that she was female...i'm glad that's been confirmed ~lol~

they also guess she's around 3 years old...not quite as old as i had guessed...she's got a peppering of white hairs throughout her black fur - almost making it look like she's graying...but i guess she's like me - u can't guess age, based on gray hair ;0)

i wonder where she came from? was she someone's beloved kitten - fixed, taken care of...then they moved away & left her behind? did she just run off from home?

she was most definitely a stray when she came to us - no collar, rummaging through our trash, searching for food...staying far far away from us - too scared to let us get anywhere near her when we tried

she's fattened up since moving in under our back porch...we have a little house out back for her, & she'll use that to lay around in during the day sometimes...but at night, she goes back deep under our porch, & sleeps there...she has NO interest in coming inside - no matter how hard the girls try...she never touches the trash now...& she's outside, waiting, every morning when we come out to leave...& again, waiting for us to come home, every evening (of course, that's dinner time too)

we missed her while she was at the vet...& worried about whether she was scared or not...we were even afraid that she might be mad/scared & take off once we brought her home again

she didn't meow once the entire ride home - which is weird...she meows a LOT...& loudly too...so we worried a little...but i had a can of food ready when we opened the door to the carrier...she recognized immediately where she was, went to check out her spot under the porch, returned right away & ate her food, then meowed long & loud for a very long time...rubbing up against our legs & trying hard to keep us from going inside - she was wanting some major attention!

& we ate it right up!

things i'm lovin'...

i'm lovin' this Roman...

they had Ancient Civilization Day at school recently...i wrapped & pinned the toga...he made the "leaf crown"...the look was perfect

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i'm lovin' this pile of hats & scarves...

this side, cause i get to pass em along to current cancer patients that might need em in the cold weather this year...

& this side, cause i can now wear my scarves around my neck...& not around my head! ;0)

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i'm lovin' my newly acquired sewing machine...

a friend wasn't getting much use out of it, so hooked me up with a deal a little while back...i was hoping to be able to work up some homemade holiday gifts this year, but time simply got away from me...my new goal is to learn enough to create some pretty summer dresses & tops for the girls to wear next summer!

oh, & i'm going to get to learn with a partner! we got Gabby a little pink sewing machine for her birthday 2 years ago & she has yet to use it...sad, i know - & mostly my fault for not encouraging her or helping her learn how (but hey, we also got her a picnic basket with a little porcelain tea set that year & the girls use that all the time...so there! ~lol~)...i now have her little sewing machine sitting next to mine...we're hoping to start learning together soon, once all the holiday hustle & bustle has slowed down

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i'm lovin' that Curt is teaching the girls to break dance...

& i'm lovin' the "gear" that they choose to wear when they're getting lessons even more!

being a child of the 80s, Curt has a deep love for breaking...he started showing the girls a few moves & they were hooked! over the last month or so, they've begged him to stop what he's doing & break dance with them several times a week...it's so much fun to watch!

ps. Jaden joins in & has a little fun dancing too...but he's much more interested in teaching everyone some of his own moves, than someone schooling him ;0)

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i'm lovin' all the wedding cake consults i've been having lately...

(this is a pic of a dozen sample cupcakes that i give to the happy couple when we have our free wedding cake consult & sampling)

wedding cake consults this fall/winter mean wedding cake bookings scattered all throughout next year...i'm so blessed!

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i'm lovin' play-doh...

& the creative minds that are constantly designing, cooking & building with it

(Jaden is making a "science experiment")

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i'm lovin' being a mama - especially at this time of year...to be able to enjoy the holidays with my kiddos - view our experiences thru their eyes...& make all those special memories together...it's all so priceless!

i've been touched by so many of u inspiring Mamas out there lately...i'm trying to learn to say yes more...to not get distracted, & find the joy...to take the crazy out of Christmas, & slow down to enjoy this awesome gift that i've been given...the honor to be called Mama - hand holder. dream soother. love giver.

cause it all passes by just too damn quickly!

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i'm lovin' that Curtis & i can no longer have secret conversations while the kiddos are around...u know, spell words here & there so that the punks can't figure out what we're saying?

nope, that doesn't work in our house any more!

before, Jaden could care less about our convos...he'd show no interest in keeping up & attempting to listen to the letters & figure out the words...but now, Gabby is all ears open - which in turn, has peaked Jaden's interest...they're both quick to try & decipher the codes lately - almost a contest between the 2

the other day, i was talking to Curtis about a co-worker & something crappy that had happened at work...i spelled j-e-r-k, not even noticing that little ears were perked...all of a sudden, Gab says "who was a jerk?"

even tho it means we have to actually go in another room & have private conversations now, i'm lovin' that our kiddos are excited about reading & spelling!

but yep, it's definitely time to teach Curtis pig latin!
~lol~

hey, that's what my parents did to talk in code while we were around! well, at least until we learned the "language" too ;0)

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i'm lovin' Jaden's art work (aren't i always?!)...but especially when he has to illustrate his spelling words for homework...i love the way this kid's mind works!
(remember, u can't click on the pics to enlarge)

i'll give u 3 guesses as to which day of the week he's referring to here...

~lmao~

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i'm lovin' our newly "adopted" kitty...

she started hanging out shortly after we moved in...then was joined by a friend briefly - but that calico stray hasn't been back since the night we 1st fed them 2 together...i wonder if our black kitty shooed the other one away - claiming us for her own?

well, that was almost a month ago...ever since then, she's been a part of our family - sleeping under our porch, greeting us every morning for some lovin' before we pull off, welcoming us home every evening, anxious for dinner (which btw, is cat food now - no more tuna)...she loves me the best ;0) she will climb up on my lap & purr soooo loud while i rub her!

the kiddos named her "Night" since she's all black...the running joke when it's time to go inside & say goodnight to the cat at the end of the day - we all say "night night, Night" ~lol~

& u know how i know she's gonna stick around & claim us as her owners?
look what she brought up to our front door the other evening...

yep, laid it right on the mat

she was sitting on the front porch Monday, waiting for us to come home as usual...as we pull in, i see her walk over to the side of the house, paw at something & then pick it up & bring it to the front mat - just lay it down & step back...like "here, this is for u"

we're gonna look into scooping her up (which ought to be fun - she trusts us, but is still spooked pretty easily), taking her in to get shots/fixed/cleaned up, getting her a collar, etc...might as well make it official, huh?

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i'm lovin' this Santa...

he came to the Cub Scouts pack meeting this week...& he was by far, the very BEST Santa i've seen yet!!!

not only did he look the part, but he was the most friendly Santa ever! he sat with each of the kiddos for a few minutes - really hearing their wishes & interacting with them...he'd HO HO HO & laugh that deep Santa laugh every now & then - totally staying in character!

he really made them feel special & took the time to show them each individual attention - it was super sweet to witness!!!

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& lastly...i'm lovin' all of u guys!

i know i'm ur run of the mill "mommy blogger" & sometimes i wonder y anyone would want to read my daily thoughts & take on motherhood...i imagine that most days, i bore the majority of u to tears! but i appreciate u coming back...i seriously do!

this is a journaling thing for me really - a way to look back & see how not only the kiddos have grown, but me too...& i'm thankful that u keep coming back to go along for the ride!

xoxoxox,
sharon