Category Archives: picture
(almost) Wordless Wednesday: Tree Climbing
Notice his feet about about 2 inches off the ground. He was SO proud!!
For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.
Mama Loves: Spring
Mama loves spring.
It’s filled with sunny days at the park, fresh flowers and new beginnings. At our house it looks like this:
Gorgeous, right? Except that makes us feel like this:
A Rat-patootie Birthday
After pride comes the fall – right? It did for me at Ellie’s birthday party, so I’ll offer it to you here in the same sequence.
We’ve never before invited friends to her birthday parties. (We’ve got a big family, a small house and consistently too much snow this time of year.) But this year my girl turned five. That’s a big deal! And so we did a full-blown kid party for the first time. (Please note “full-blown kid party” is a relative term in the Northeast. A post explaining this is forthcoming.) Ellie insisted on a Ratatouille theme. She doesn’t actually like the movie so much, but she loves to cook. I took some elements from the movie and then did a mini-cooking class with her and her friends. It really was a great party. My favorite two aspects: we got everything done within the alotted time frame without any crying or injuries (a huge success with ten 4- to 6-year-olds!) and … the cake.
Can you feel my smile? I’m so proud of this! Here it is:
I found an inspiration cake online and duplicated it the best I could. It’s a two layer yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting. This was my first time doing a basketweave, so don’t look too closely at that part. I purchased the rat figurines, but molded the fruits, cheese and napkin from marshmallow fondant. Isn’t it cool? Even with the mistakes, I can’t fake humility on this one. This cake rocks! And I MADE IT! Moo hoo bwa ha ha ha ha!
(That’s my attempt at an evil world dominion-seeker’s laugh.)
Wanna see more angles? Of course you do! Here are the side and back.
And here’s my girl blowing out her candles.
And here’s my humbling moment.
Yup. That’s my birthday girl licking the rat’s ah—- “bummy”, as they call it in preschool. doesn’t she look happy? Then she generously handed out more rats so the whole party could join in in the licking of rats’ bummies.
I pointed out the offensive creatures for you, in case you missed them. And then there’s me, wondering why in the world we’re taking pictures of this.
They say “The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.”
See more humbling photos and their stories in the ‘Fro Me to You Carnival at Marcy Writes (aka: The Glamorous Life Association).
‘Fro Me to You: Forced Family Fun
One hundred fifty people read Tuesday’s post on Forced Family Fun. I never get that many visitors in one day! Perhaps I’ve hit on a familiar topic. I thought I’d carry the theme through today with some pictures. I mean, it’s not really Forced Family Fun until you take pictures of the wonderful memories you’re making – right? (If you missed Tuesday’s post, click here.)
I love these pictures! They’re almost three years old, but they’re so funny. In spite of the agonizing looks on some faces, this vacation was actually really great. Most of the time.
If you can’t decipher Beth’s shirt, it reads:
“All your sons will be taught by the Lord and great will be your children’s peace. Isaiah 54:13″
Don’t we look peaceful?
At least Ellie and Jack look … well, at the camera. Ah, they were both under three years old and pretty oblivious to the torture that gathered us all in one spot at the same time.
Our shirt backs say:
DENNIS
FORCED FAMILY FUN
Virginia Beach 2006
It’s right there. We HAD to have fun. Or else. Yup, I married into a military family. Literally.
I know, John! Zach doesn’t like pictures any more than you do, but can you humor us? We’re trying to make lasting memories here!! Now, smile and show off your matching haircuts.
Oh, we made lasting memories. We’ve got the tee-shirts to prove it.
(Mom, I know you’re reading this and you know I LOVE YOU! You also know we really did have a great time. I can’t wait to do it again. Can we get new tee-shirts, though? Ellie suggests pink next time.)
This post is sponsored by We Are THAT Family and the ‘Fro Me to You Carnival. Jump over there for more great stories accompanied by pics.
The House That Grandpa Built
A bar-b-que grill for more than one.
The slate patio looks like fun!
The best Christmas gifts
I did get a couple goats this year. That was super cool, but this … well, this was the best gift ever: having my whole family together.
Wordless Wednesday: My Little Pirates
I can’t decide if Zach looks more like a rapper or a cancer patient. Either way, they make pretty ferocious pirates. Oh, and Ellie’s beard is pure chocolate. I know … I don’t do “wordless” well, but when have you ever known me to follow all the rules?
For more priceless photos check out 5 Minutes for Mom and their Wordless Wendesday Carnival.
Found while purging (‘Fro Me to You)
In a former lifetime I was an artist. A magnet school in Philly accepted me as a fine art major, specializing in drawing, painting and color theory. I even taught the subjects briefly at a boarding school in Switzerland.
But those days are long, long past. My portfolio and a random collection of works have collected dust in every home we’ve occupied. Well, we’re running out of space, so last weekend I started another round of purging. Extra sheets, never-used towels and too-small clothes were all tossed into the “donate” pile. Then I bumped into my box of past-life treasures. There, tucked randomly in a box of charcoal sketches, I found this:
Can you find me? It’s not terribly difficult considering there’s only one blond female in the photo, but, for those who really can’t tell, here’s a close-up.
I can’t remember exactly when this was taken, but I’m guessing around 1988. I think I was twelve or thirteen, but I really don’t remember and, unfortunately, there’s no date on the picture. But it had to be before fourteen. That was the age when I finally gave up the lovely Annie-like perm that was so popular back then.
Disregarding the date, here’s what I know about the who and where. It was a family vacation with his, hers and ours. That’s my dad. The little guy in front of me is my younger brother, Ted. (You may remember him from this post.) Sitting between me and my step-mom is my half-brother, Andrew. The rest (Melinda, Eric, and Kevin) were siblings I gained when Dad and Donna got married (and lost when they got divorced a few years later). We were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The first week of our vacation was spent on a houseboat on some big lake down there. That was fun. The rest of the time was spent camping between Dollywood and the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
We didn’t realize until after the photo was framed and hanging in the family dining room that certain animosities may have surfaced. Take a gander at the aim. Yup. Ted’s shooting Donna, Dad’s shooting me, and both my step-brothers are gunnin’ for my father. Huh. Well, at least we’ve got plenty of alcohol to tend the wounded and comfort the mourning.
For more blasts from the past or stories that make your family look like the Cleavers, check out We Are That Family and the ‘Fro Me to You Carnival.
Growing up girly
During our search as first-time homebuyers we discovered an unwritten New Jersey law: every house must have at least one pink room. When we purchased this house, it had two and a half pink rooms, a mild selection compared to our other choices. The bathroom has pink tile (Granted: a subdued pink, but pink nonetheless). It also had some paint-splattered pinkish wallpaper above the tile. Yum! One of the bedrooms had pink diagonally-striped wallpaper (this has since been eliminated), and the kitchen had pink countertops (also now eliminated).
I hate pink. Okay, maybe that’s a little strong. I don’t hate pink; I just really would prefer to limit its reach to my daughter’s clothing and live flowers. Even within those realms, I like to keep pink minimal.
Lately our house has been in a bit of turmoil. The roof started leaking in Zach’s room. Our contractor fixed it from the outside, but that turned out to be a temporary solution, so he had to go through the ceiling to really fix it. Before he could do that, we had to move Zach and all of his things upstairs. That’s when the turmoil really started.
Ellie has the biggest room on the second floor. She’s been in that room for three years, but as soon as Zach moved into the glorified closet across the hall, she grew discontent. She wanted the small room! We toyed with swapping, but she has more stuff than he does and switching would just be too much work. Cut through all the drama and tears to this week. We persuaded (bribed) Ellie to stay in the big room by offering to redecorate it. She confessed she wanted the small room so she could make it “girly.”
Five years ago I spent a lot of time choosing the bedding for our firstborn. I wanted something feminine, but not too over-the-top girly. I did NOT want pink. I chose a lovely vintage floral quilt of delicious cranberry, sage and butter colors. Her crib converted to a full-size bed and, miraculously, I found the same floral fabric to make her a matching full-size quilt. When we moved here we painted the room a subtle cottage stone color (aka taupe). It was a beautiful room!
Now, after Ellie’s makeover, it looks like this:
Yup. A Pepto Bismol explosion. I have no idea how I got such a girly girl! She really wants to paint the walls, too, but I just don’t think I could handle that. The pink curtains already make the walls glow a little too pink for me. I also stopped shy of the “fairy canopy” she wanted suspended over her bed. As it is, the pink quilt, shams, pillowcases and curtains are added to the other confectionary items already cluttering her room. Like this.
And this.
And this. (Notice: even her polar bear is wearing a pink fairy dress.)
Oh, and this, which appears larger than actual size.
And here is her most favored possession, since it contains a bundle of pink jewelry. (Notice again, the fairy princess theme.)
But then she took the pink a bit too far.
The sacrifices parents make. I may *gulp* have a pink room in my house for the next five to fifteen years. *Deep breath* But look at that smile. It’s worth every color-cringing moment.
For more non-scrapbook worthy blog posts, visit We Are That Family and ‘Fro Me to You Carnival.
You Choose My New ‘Do!
As promised, today I’m hosting the first ever “In the Dailies” poll! Yay!! I know, the crowd goes wild. Well, as Monica recently stated so well, “this is a mommy blog, meaning you are all subject to the most mundane aspects of my life.” But today, I’m including you in the mundane aspects of my life!
It’s time for a haircut. I haven’t had one in a year. In fact, I’ve only had my hair cut twice in the three years since Zach was born. The problem is I can’t decide how to get it cut. So I’m going to let you choose.
This is what I look like now.
I’m not unhappy with my look, but I’m ready for something new. Below are some options and you can vote for your favorite. Or just vote to keep it the same. Here are some things to consider:
- Rick likes long hair, and it’s always important to keep the husband happy. *grin*
- I like change, especially in my style. I tend to be a bit drastic with my hair, and Rick is used to this. (In the 13 years we’ve known each other, my hair has been long, short, straight, curly, blonde, brown, red, auburn, green, purple and striped (with cherry Kool-Aid – that was fun!). Not much would shock him.)
- I’m a little self-conscious about my forehead. (I’ve been told it looks like a drive-in movie theatre.)
- I’m a mom and a low-maintenance chick. In other words, my time and motivation are limited. I don’t mind taking a few extra minutes to look great for a date or special events, but for day-to-day purposes, I need a ‘do that can look decent in less than 15 minutes.
Okay! One last warning and then onto the makeovers: these photos are perfectly unscrapbookable. Up to this point, I’ve cheated with ‘Fro Me to You. Sorry! I’m a scrapbooker and I scrap everything. And I mean everything. But today I’m truly working within the essence of the carnival. The following photos will never, ever see the inside of a photo album.
There are some great virtual makover tools, but most of them cost money. However, if you do a Google search, you can find a number of free ones as well. They usually limit your use until you purchase a membership, but I found the free version met my needs just fine. These first three looks are courtesy of InStyle.
Option #1: Layered something-or-other. (Obviously, I’m not up on my hairstyling lingo.) It’s cute and different, but my hair is pretty fine. Too fine for this look?
If you like this, vote #1: Layered Look.
Option #2: A fresh bangs-all-over look. For someone who typically hates bangs, I’m surprised how much I like this. However, I know Mr. Rick would still love me and say I look great, but also know he would miss my long locks.
If you like this vote #2: Bangs All Over.
Option #3: Taken directly from the head of Victoria Beckham. It’s angled, artsy and funky. Again, it’s probably too short for my husband’s seal of approval, but I think it looks pretty spicy. (Get it?)
If you like this best, vote #3: Posh Spice.
And now for makeovers from the second great site I found: iVillage.
Option #4: Here’s another celebrity look, this one taken from Jennifer Lopez. I don’t know how recent this look is for her, but I kinda like it. It’s relatively simple. It’s not too drastic a change and still looks long, even if it’s not. (A plus for my mister.)
If you like this one, vote #4: J. Lo’s Flip.
Option # 5: This may be my favorite, but I’m not sure if I can pull it off. What do you think? It’s kind of a rounded bob with some light layers. It has enough body to make up for the missing length, but will this be too high maintenance?
If this is your favorite, vote #5: Layered Bob.
Okay, now we’re just getting crazy short.
Option # 6: Pixie Variation. Let’s be serious: I’m not going to get this cut.
If you want to vote for it anyway (who knows? Maybe you’ll change my mind!), vote for # 6: Pixie Variation.
Option # 7: A straight blunt cut with some color. I may have experimented a lot, but I’ve never gone really dark. This might be fun! I like the cut, but am thinking the fringe in my face would drive me crazy. Might be investing in lots of barrettes.
If you think this is the best ‘do for me, vote for # 7: Dark Blunt Cut.
If you like the color (or would like to recommend another) but prefer a different cut, let me know in the comments section.
So, place your votes!
The poll will be open for one week. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, September 18th. And then, of course, I’ll post pictures after the deed is done. Should I be nervous?
Oh! One last picture. Just have to show you which hair Ellie liked best. Of course it’s a wedding ‘do!
Isn’t it lovely? For more totally unscrappable memories, visit We Are THAT Family.
