a well-needed reunion

It doesn't matter how long it's been between phone calls, e-mails or visits, when we get together it doesn't feel like a long period of time has passed.  We always seem to pick up right where we left
off.  The last time that we  (all five of us friends; Ginny, Susi, Robyn, Carolyn and I) got together was in Vegas two years ago.  Today the drink of
the day was Ginny's "White Poinsettia" consisting of champagne,
white cranberry juice and cranberries.  The toy of the day was Tim's
new i-phone...too cool!

Merry Christmas

It was a very Merry Christmas at our house this year...family, food and fun, what more can you ask for?  My favorite thing under the tree was Sophie and Nicholas' hand made wrapping paper. Sophie came up with the idea herself to make their own paper and they did it all by themselves.  I wish I had gotten some photographs of it before it was ripped apart, but I was able to get a photo of my gift wrapped in the snowman paper.

So I've been "Tagged"

This is a new thing for me. I never knew you could get "tagged" in the the blog world. The internet still blows my mind. Anyway, I've been tagged by Elizabeth Kartchner Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year, to post 7 random things about myself. So here it goes:

I enjoy painting. I'm not talking about watercolor or oil painting, but painting walls! I get great satisfaction when I'm finished. It's an easy way to change the feel of a room and I love picking paint colors.

I need to have a glass of water next to me when I sleep. Most of the time I don't even drink it, but need to know it's there just in case.

I love eating oatmeal cookies with cream cheese spread on them.

My all time favorite color is brown. I even have a brown watch now...thanks Mom!

Not only do I like changing the color of rooms, I like to change hair color, too. I Last night I made it "Light Reddish Brown". We'll see how long I keep that one.

I'm a tools and gadget junkie, especially for the kitchen and for scrapbooking.

I still have a Bazooka comic with a fortune that reads "You will be an Architect if you plan ahead". I got that before I went to school for Architecture years ago. Guess what? It's true.

Tag, you're it!
I'm tagging:
Judy
Pam
Diva Danielle
Rayme Royale
Danielle
Kim
Jana
and if you've been tagged before....give us 7 more!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Well it seems like something goes wrong with every Christmas decorating thing I try to do. Half of the door garland lights went out and now the new entryway trees I just bought have one tree with half of the lights out. Not to mention the garland for the porch railing from last year. The back half went out and now I have to go through those lights before hanging that out again this year. One of these years it'll all come together and everything will light up!
Sophie, Nicholas and I have been busy making ornaments, though. We found the round ones in a Creating Keepsakes Book called "Scrapbooking with Your Kids". It's a great book that has lots of other project ideas in it aside from Scrapbooking.
We then took the basic idea and expanded it to little trees...the possiblities are endless.

Thank You for the Wourld

I just love that Sophie draws pictures and writes her thoughts down. She has the makings of a great scrapbooker! Anyway, when she handed me this one I knew this was one to treasure and that I had to make a scrapbook layout with it.

Her journaling (spelling mistakes and all) reads:

"Thank you for the seasons.
Thank you for the holidays.
Thank you for the earth.
Thank you for the sun that shins.
Thank you for the world that big and beautiful.
Thank you for peaple that are very nice.
Thank you for teachers that teach’s us.

Than you for everything."

Introducing Troop 444

We have a great group of 10 girls in our brand new Brownie Troop. We had our first meeting last Thursday and I think they had fun. I know Sophie did.

Halloween 2007

The kids had a fantastic time this year trick-or-treating. Nicholas was a dinosaur and Sophie was a black cat. I was just happy that Nicholas was finally old enough to walk the whole time...no more in and out of a stroller all night, yippee! They got SO much candy this year. The candy fairy had to come and take some of it away and John's doing a pretty good job of getting rid of it, too, especially if it's a Fast Break or a Hershey bar!

A look at last Halloween

A flash from my past

So, I don't know how I got roped into this, but I am co-starting (is that a word?) a brand new Brownie Troop. Actually it's been kind of fun. I found myself looking for anything I may still have of my own Girl Scout Days. I came across this really bad photo of myself...pulling down my dress that was probably riding up! Back then we had to wear a complete uniform. Now they get away with just a sash. I also found my sash which is totally filled with badges, my little dues purse, my girl scout cap/hat and some thing that went around the arm and pinned onto the shoulder. Hmmm... I can't seem to remember what the heck that was for. I'll have to ask my mom, she was the leader of my troop. So now you could all see what a dork I was!

Here he is...

...Blaise (aka Blazer). If you talk to Nicholas you'll be sure to hear Blaise's name several times in conversation. Usually he'll add his name on the end, like "I love Mommy and Daddy and Sophie....and Blaise". You would think he is another member of our family. I had to post a picture of him so you out a picture with his name.

Pumpkin Carving Party at the Poley's

The girls showed up with the same exact shirt on....you gotta just love Target!

(Tori, Maddie, Sophie and Emma)

I love our neighborhood!

There's no mistaking the distinctive sound of the hot air balloons. On a typical day here when he have crisp cool weather there's a good chance of a hot air balloon siting. On Saturday we heard the whooshing sound of the fire while out on the porch. Sophie and Nicholas were so excited to spot one out back. (It doesn't matter how often we see them, they get excited every time!) I quickly ran in to grab the camera. I usually never remember to get a shot of them. So as we are watching the balloon we see a second balloon. Now the kids wanted to follow them. Pretty soon we see a third and then a fourth! This time one of them got so close that we were able to hear the people in the basket saying hello.....really cool. I picked a great day to remember to get my camera. There is something magical about a hot air balloon!

Where did the time go?

It blows my mind that Sophie started second grade this year. She must have been very excited because she couldn't get to sleep the night before. She and Madison held hands on the way down to the bus stop and all I kept thinking was that it seemed like yesterday that they were on the same sidewalk all dressed up in their princess outfits. Did 5 years go that quickly?!