snow day...

we've got 22 inches already & it's still coming down like mad! the kiddos are having a blast & i'm totally enjoying the family time...God's wonderful way of slowing us down & helping us appreciate the simple things in life - like snow days ;0)

autism reality...

a 10 minute documentary about autism by Director and Founder of Wrong Planet, Alex Plank...who has a diagnosis of Asperger's
(thx to Sharon at Aspie World for posting this!)

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

(almost) wordless Wednesday...mood lighting...

we might be eating off paper plates & using plastic cups & forks...but after a long & stressful day, candlelight makes dinner feel like a special, fancy meal! ;0)

weekend recap...

Saturday morning, Curtis did a fabulous job of keeping the kiddos fed, busy & out of my hair...i had a wedding cake to finish up, then deliver/assemble...so he took the rugrats to the park for a good part of the morning...after i was home & my stress level was reduced considerably, it was my turn...Curt rode the sofa for some mindless Saturday TV & i took the kiddos outside...i needed the fresh air!

i started putting up Christmas lights & the girls got out their skates...Jaden hung out for a little while, but quickly complained about the cold & headed inside

after getting up the lights & yard decorations, i figured this weekend was the perfect time to start & finish up some more holiday to-do's

i began addressing our Christmas cards...while the kiddos put the final touches on their Santa letters...
(u can click the pics to enlarge)

at dark, we headed out to admire our hard work...it looked pretty good...

but, my favorite lights are still the ones we put inside...

then we decided to hop in the car & go check out some lights near where we live...oh how i drool when we pass houses like this!

we slow down the car, & oooh & ahhh as we pass by...holy Griswold, i wanna go all out like that one year!

then, we finally started working on our ornament craft for the kiddos' teachers & our fam/friends on Sunday...

haha, Jaden cracks me up when he paints...

ever since he was a baby, he's always hated to get messy...mostly his hands - he'd sit in his high chair & slam food in his mouth, then whine until i'd wipe off his hands...then he'd do it all over again - eat a handful, have mama wipe off his hands...

still to this day, if he drips something on his shirt or gets splashed by puddle & the bottoms of his pants get wet - even the smallest wet spot will be reason enough for him to have to go & change...& forget finger painting - that's just entirely too messy! he loves the sensory input of play-doh or clay - & the plus side is that it doesn't stick to your hands!

u're not gonna believe this, but he painted a total of 15 ornaments on his own...& didn't get one drop of paint on his fingers! ~lol~

even tho we got moving on a lot of our holiday tasks, we still didn't get to putting ornaments on that darn tree! it's up, lights are strung, even candy canes are hung (& quickly being eaten - by both kiddos & daddy ~wink~)...but for whatever reason, we keep forgetting to stop & put our ornaments on! that's definitely getting done this week - & i'll post some pics of the holiday decor going on in our home then :0)

the only other eventful thing that happened to us this weekend, was another lost tooth...yes, another one!

this makes number 5 for Corinn!
that piggy bank of her's is filling up with tooth fairy cash...soon, i'm gonna hit her up for a loan! ;0)

how was your weekend? get into anything exciting? did u finish up ur Christmas shopping?

winter wonderland wedding cake...

Saturday, i made a 4-tiered wedding cake for Lauren & Jason...they're a young couple, who decided on a winder wonderland themed wedding

the reception hall was decorated in beautiful white lights, evergreens & snowflakes...it was very pretty!

the cake matched perfectly...i was thrilled with how it all came together!

the top & bottom tiers were yellow cake, & the 2 middle were fudge chip...all iced & filled with my butter cream icing

i accented the sides of the tiers with butter cream scroll work & snowflakes dusted on with edible shimmer

i made gum paste snowflakes to decorate all sides of the cake & the entire thing shimmered with edible glitter & sugars (oh how i wish pictures would pick that up!)...everything was 100% edible

my favorite part of the reception hall was the fake snow that the couple had sitting at the door for the guests to shower them with as they left for their honeymoon...wish i had been there to see that!

thx for looking!
sharon

tis the season...

it's been a hectic week! on top of the usual hustle & bustle of the holidays, i've also got a wedding cake this Saturday...a winter wonderland wedding - i'm very excited about it!

Jaden lets me know every morning, just how many days we have left until Christmas...did u know it's only 15 days away?!

ahhhhhh!

we're starting to get our game plan in order...i think we'll b able to pull off a pretty sweet Christmas, even if things r unbelievably rough this year...& that puts my heart at ease

honestly, the wedding cake i just mentioned? a true blessing! it was a last minute call that i got about 2 months ago - the bride decided the person that was originally making their cake was talking her into details & designs she wasn't really happy with...i had made her cousin's wedding cake last year, so she gave me a call...& i'm so happy she did! this order is pretty much saving Christmas for our kiddos! ;0)

Jaden, Gabby & Corinn understand that Santa only brings them 1 gift each (plus stockings, of course)...cause there are just so many boys & girls out there whose parents can't get them anything for Christmas - & we need to spread Santa's love ;0)

& they know that this year, there will be 3 small gifts for each of them under the tree from daddy & i...u know, just like Jesus received for his birthday...it makes my heart melt that they didn't even question this once...they get it...& they respect it...& i love that!

but there's still a lot to do...& only a few more days to do it in!

my mom is going to take the kiddos to my niece's basketball game tonight so we can get our shopping done...that's a HUGE help!

we're making ornaments for the kiddos' teachers again, like we do every year...but we've gotta get moving on that

we also want to make a trip to this place again before December is over...but on a not-so-cold night this year ;0)

& Christmas cards...they're in my hot little hands...just gotta find time to address & mail em all!

but u know? even tho things are a little crazy right now, i'm sooooo looking forward to Christmas getting here! i'm anxious for those two 3-day work weeks...and for quality time at home with the kiddos & Curt! we're praying for some Christmas snow too...Jaden teared up when he realized what we just got was melting away :0(

how is it going for u guys? are u done shopping yet? are u feeling overwhelmed & stressed? or are u full of the holiday spirit?

oh...& it's that time of year again...time to waste a few hours on youtube watching all the wonderful holiday light displays! ~lol~ i just can't get enuff!

wordless Wednesday...last night's visit with Santa...