outdoors...

i don't think we were inside this weekend at all! and i loved every minute of it! ;0)

building a "camp fire" with 1st cousin matthew @ nana & grandpa's house

swinging - aunt sharon (that's me) got matthew to try the big boy swing & he loved it so much that he cried when i finally had to make him get off! ~lol~

my monkeys swinging with matthew

we finally started the flower bed in our yard....we rent, & i've been reluctant to do any real "settling" here, but after living here for 3 1/2 years, we finally decided to make ourselves comfortable for a little while....really, the "flower bed" was just some tulips & daffodils that someone planted years & years ago, that were overgrown with weeds & grass, and we were forced to keep mowing over it....we dug up the patch of grass/weeds, put some rocks around, re-planted some of the tulip & daffodil bulbs & added a bunch of seeds....i so don't have a green thumb, but i think we'll manage to have something come up

teamwork

posers!
i swear, i did not ask for this....i simply said, "ok, everyone in front of the flower bed for a picture" and this is what i got! ~lol~

what we're growing....notice i taped some of the seeds on the front of the packets....now when flowers start popping up, we can identify what kind they are, as well as see what kind of seed they grew from

grandpa got a new toy....jaden was in heaven....ma was nervous!

4-wheeling fun
grandpa threw some steaks on the grill for everyone & we built a camp fire....us ladies made some macaroni salad & greens.....fresh strawberries & iced tea - yuuummmmm!
it was a great evening to have dinner outside!
twirling our way to church....these dresses were handmade in puerto rico....one of my good friends is from puerto rico & her mother gets these for her daughter....then my lucky girls get the hand-me-downs :0)

picnic lunch after church

fishing at the park

funny looking catch

made a new friend....now the wall is even more fun!

weekend cake (that's right, just one)

as promised, here's the one other cake i had to make this weekend....the small characters are not edible....everything else is :0)

she finally did it!

it's taken Corinn quite some time....she's probably had to remove just as many stickers as she's earned....but she finally made it to the end! :0)

the funniest part is that she's an UNBELIEVABLY GREAT HELPER! but as the youngest, she's also very vocal & is learning what is and isn't acceptable to say when you're angry (nothing too bad, she just growls and will tell her siblings that she's not their best friend any more or call them a 'baby'....and she'll sometimes keep it up, over and over, trying to get a reaction out of them).....she's not great about picking up after herself, but hey, she's 4! we're a little more lenient with her since she's the baby, but here lately she's really been losing a LOT of stickers for the attitude.....she's getting it though.....and her sticker chart shows that - she finally made it!


here's the prize she chose....a pen that has a little view-finder type wheel on the top with pics of the disney princesses to look at....she was sooooo thrilled & proud! she couldn't wait to show it off to daddy! :0)


i'm thinking that for the next chart, i might try to use something a little more fun....either let the kids create their own chart, or even try using something like this......where they can use the stickers they earn to create a scene.....the only down-fall i see with this idea is that having to rip a sticker off for not following the rules......that might really upset jaden - if he feels the removed sticker totally ruins his scene.....i'll have to think about this some more....i better hurry tho, gabby is coming close to the end again already! :0)

friday cakes...

JMU has graduation tomorrow & i had cakes to make for 2 proud graduates.....the best part, is that now i only have 1 more cake to work on this weekend - look for that post on monday

nursing degree...

early education major...

Reminisce - for BC, Sarah & Amie

check it out...a co-worker/fellow cake decorator/friend was a cheerleader at BHS too (only she graduated in the early 90's) and we agreed to bring our year books in to work today to compare :0)

i didn't even remember that BC's sis was on the same squad as us jr year! look at sarah and amie too....i still keep in touch with mindy, jennifer & lashonda! good times guys!

senior year - 1997...
junior year - 1996... {BC, look at our difference in height! ~lol~}
haha! i have the other 2 years too if anyone is interested! ~lol~ shoot, i even have middle school & little league!!!

40 Tips for an Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. Buy a DVR, tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'.
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in last year.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house/car/desk, and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past, so it won't screw up the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you!
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'.
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. Do the right thing!
36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: ‘I am thankful for _________. Today I accomplished ________.’.
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
40. Remember to pray every day, and to thank God for all He has blessed you with!!!

May your troubles be less…
May your blessings be more…
May nothing but happiness come through your door!

turning tears into giggles...

there isn't a day that goes by, that i'm not totally amazed by my children! jaden, in particular, as he finds his way in this big world and learns how to 'fit in' and be accepted by his peers, while still remaining true to himself & feeling proud of his uniqueness - something we try to instill in him, but being only 7 years old, of course he struggles with this

recently, he's developed his own little coping technique for when he gets upset that i'm in love with...

the kids had just finished homework with dad when i got home from work last evening....they wanted to go outside to play until dinner.....i had just bought some new sidewalk chalk and was opening the package for them....a green piece fell to the floor & broke in half - jaden was devastated! he said 'AH MAN!' and started tearing up and going into panic mode 'oh no! not the chalk! mom, what did u do?!'.....i reassured him that everything was fine - that there was plenty more chalk (even another green piece) and that now the broken one was actually 2 pieces - no biggie!

he thought about it for a second, and immediately kicked in his newly developed technique.....he literally forces himself to giggle - through the tears and all - giggle, giggle......at the same time, saying to himself, 'it's ok the chalk broke'.....'there's still more chalk left'

i'm not sure how he makes himself laugh - maybe he's scripting his favorite tom & jerry DVD in his head.....but how cool is that?! not only does he recognize that this accident isn't a huge deal (with a little help from ma) - but he is also able to give himself a little pep talk to help redirect his emotions!

the first time he did this, i just lost it! i cracked up laughing along with him....i thought how funny, he's working through this himself - how freaking cute & brilliant all at the same time! i can't remember what he was upset about, but i know it was small.....because of course if he's upset about something for good reason, or if it's a bigger issue than just a broken piece of chalk, we talk through it.....i definitely want him to understand that it's ok to get upset sometimes.....we've really been working with jaden on understanding his emotions and how to appropriately express them.....he's becoming more in touch with his emotions these days (which is huge in itself), but sometimes he's just not sure how/when to get them out

i've seen him use this new giggle technique several times now & i think it's pretty neat! as soon as he's worked through the tears on his own, all is good again!

'at a boy!

Sneak Peek

last evening we went to the girls' weekly dance practice.....their recital is coming up on june 1st & the ballet instructor let us parents come in at the end of class last night for a sneak peek of their routines (gabby's tap instructor did not - boooo!)

the theme this year is Mary Poppins - pretty funny, cause we found this out shortly after i introduced this wonderful movie to the kids......gabby's ballet class is doing Spoon Full of Sugar and Corinn's ballet class is dancing to Feed the Birds. Gabby's tap class is doing a dance to the Penguin Dance (this should be sooooo cute - i can't wait to see it.....i hear the music drafting down from upstairs every week, and i'm so tempted to sneak up and see it each time!)

we get costumes next week - the girls are super excited for this! here are some pics from last night.....gabby's class is practicing with wooden spoons, but i'm told they'll use smaller/more glittery ones for the actual performance :0)

gabrielle in pre-ballet II...ages 5-7...she's in the pink tye-dye leotard & black skirt (i showed gabby these pics and she said, "i need to work on my smile".....she's so darn cute!)

the finale

corinn in pre-ballet I...ages 3-5...corinn's is in the shimmery blue leotard & black skirt...check out those toes - go girl!

the instructor feeding her birds (mary poppins will do this in the recital)

if u're local & want info about coming to the recital.....let me know! :0)

Make-up for as low as $1!!!

Ladies!! My friend, BC made a post about this incredible deal...

The make-up line E.L.F. ( Eyes, Lips, and Face) has been bought out by Nordstrom and will be re-packaged with the Nordstrom name on it. They are getting rid of all the make-up in ELF packaging. They are selling everything for $1 !!! You do have to pay shipping, However, even with that charge it's cheaper than buying make-up anywhere else and it is fun to try things when you don't have to worry about the cost! They have powder, mascara, brushes, nail polish, you name it...

Also, if you use the coupon code: CAROLINA you will get $7.50 off your first $15 of your purchase.

Go here to shop!

Thanks BC!!! :0)

update on gabby's allergies

thx for all your advice!!! gabby's teacher emailed me yesterday afternoon - another bad day for the lil one's eyes! so as of this morning, gabby's taking zyrtec (at about $1/pill - isn't that insane?!)....i called the doc and she said it actually works better than claritin for most people (uh, y didn't u tell me that to begin with?!).....and since the doc said the allergy eye drops are safe for kids too, i picked up some naphcon-a drops that we started last night (thx shanna)....i'm hoping today goes much better for my baby girl!

$100 to fill up my tank?!

i know that everyone is dealing with this & that unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be an end in sight....but OMG, how it sucks!

i ran by Southern States last evening after work, cause my mini-van was on E....their gas is usually about 1 or 2 cents cheaper than all the local gas stations & it's right down the street from my job....well, i was in a hurry, so just pumped $25 even to last me until today or tomorrow when i'd have time to fill up.....well, i get in and pull away & look down at my gas gauge - i had a whole QUARTER OF A TANK!!! so, if i had filled up, i would have paid $100 in gas?! it couldn't have been that long ago that i was filling my tank for $50-60?! this is getting insane - scary, in fact

because not only are we forking out almost $4/gallon for gas, but can u believe the grocery prices lately? anyone else leave the grocery store feeling robbed? i made a trip to food lion on my lunch break yesterday and managed to spend $106 in about 40 minutes! and i swear - it was all staples/necessities! we aren't too proud for generics or MVP shopping (for real, i usually shop at walmart & save a little more, but food lion is a lot closer to my job)....not to mention my cake ingredients - powdered sugar alone (main ingredient in my butter cream icing) has jumped 40% in cost since last year!

i pray that somehow, the economy starts getting better.....i pray that our country elects the right person into the white house this fall and that they're able to fix this unbelievable mess that Bush (ugh) has created.....and i pray that my family (and families like our's) are able to make it through these difficult times! Lord, grant me the serenity...

i need your help!

poor gabby is struggling with these allergies! since this is the very first time that any of my kids have had any kind of allergy issues…..and since curtis & i don't really have any allergies ourselves (occasionally, i get a sinus/head cold when the seasons change)….we're not sure how to deal with this.....the doctor told us to give her a daily dose of children's claritin or zyrtec for about a month – until the tree blooms start falling off.....regardless of whether we think she'll have issues that day or not......so every morning, she gets her dose.....but then sometimes (like last friday – see pic below), if she's playing outside a lot during the day, it just doesn't seem like that dose was enough......and what am I supposed to do? tell the kid she can’t play outside? It’s bad enough I’ve already told her she has to stop putting flowers in her hair & rolling in the grass (2 things she LOVES to do)!…..i’ve heard that eating like 2 tsps of locally harvested honey will sometimes help – that makes sense…..but other than a cold towel to put on her eyes, I have no idea how to help her! it’s so frustrating! i HATE the idea of her having to take meds every day, each spring, until the pollen count goes down, or the blooms fall off the trees, or whatever it is that’s bothering her – stops! and we REALLY HATE the allergy testing idea....aren’t those more for determining food allergies anyway?

any ideas? seriously – i'm open to ALL suggestions!

just look at this miserable face!

rain, rain, go away...

it's rainy here.....it has been since friday, off & on....including some thunderstorms on saturday....it's supposed to keep it up until wednesday......then we'll have a 2 day break in the rain until the thunderstorms return on friday, and run again for several more days! wow - that REALLY sucks!

friday eve, the kids got in some moon sand time on the front porch (since it was rainy - grrrr).....i would have NEVER bought this stuff - but all the kids have received some sort of moon sand activity as birthday presents.....and i'm actually glad.....it's messy & i HIGHLY suggest you make this an outside activity, like we do.....but it's pretty neat & the kids could sit and play with it for hours!

curtis was punching his heavy bag while the kids played
"don't ya wish your husband was hot like mine?! don't ya?!" ~lol~

saturday, the kids went along with me on a cake delivery, 1 1/2 hours away (not by choice, daddy was working).....and of course it was raining! we actually drove through a thunderstorm & had fun seeing who could spot the lightning.....

my cuties, being awfully sweet! sorry for the tilted pic - obviously, i had to point the camera & click without actually looking at what i was snapping

as you can tell, the drive was right in the middle of nap time - corinn had to use my bag as her pillow!

a pic of my sweets before church on sunday - a break in the rain.....ps - those darling dresses with matching turtle necks were $5 specials at walmart - whoo hoo for clearance racks!


the rain held off yesterday, until right after our very first backyard camp fire.....gabby & corinn attended a friend's birthday party yesterday afternoon.....meanwhile, jaden & i went rock hunting....and let me tell you, it was a HUNT! because of all the recent rain, the rivers were up so high that the water was covering up all the river rock.....so we literally would spot big rocks on the side of the road & would pull over to snatch them up.....after daddy got home last night, we built our spot & had our first fire.....looks like it'll be at least a week before we can try out the fire pit again!

weekend cakes...

the only thing not edible on these 2 cakes is the silo - it has a cardboard tube running up through the middle

anniversary date night

Last night, was our anniversary date night - we went to see Jim Breuer at JMU and it was surprisingly great (the show, not the date - i knew the date would be great!).....you might remember Jim as Goat Boy on SNL - hilarious!

or in the movie Half Baked - stupid funny!

I sort of expected the show to be half lame - Jim hasn't been on tour for 5 years, he's a good bit older than his SNL days, and let's face it - this is a college comedy tour. But I swear, he was HILARIOUS!!!

It's weird, cause although I know Curtis & I weren't the only older people there, it felt like Jim's stand-up was more geared towards us, than all the party kids there. His act was some what of a lesson to these kids - he was telling them what they'd have to deal with as they get older and move on through life (where we are now, duh). Jim's married & has 3 daughters & he doesn't get high or drink any more - he explained how important it is to do what you love, even though as you grow up, you're told over & over how important your younger years are, and how you to need to study hard to get a good job, so you can make lots of money, blah, blah, blah...how schools today are cutting out the creativity of kids & focusing on good test scores. He talked about having good morals, being a good person, not worrying about what material possessions you have, resisting temptation - and all of this was done with jokes - it was so freaking cool!

There were still quite a few drunk frat boys in the audience that tried to be heard throughout the show....but honestly, Jim's best stuff was when he was improving off of the audience - he had no problem keeping them in check & it was soooo funny! the outside corners of my eyes hurt by the end of the show, from me wiping my tears away so much....it was cool to leave with that "wow, that was great" feeling!

Curtis & I saw Dave Chappelle in DC (Dave's home town) when we lived up there - my birthday gift to him one year. And he says he'd really like to see Harland Williams too - that he saw some of his stand-up on TV, and it was pretty funny....and I guess that just leaves Guillermo Díaz.


That's cool, there will be many, many more date nights to come!

*thx to my brother cj & my sis in law katie for watching the kids - they had a blast with u guys!

"sweet" thursday

i brought in some sweet treats for my co-workers today - i hope you have a "sweet" thursday too!