Sunday, July 31, 2011

Needed more seating

Want to see my awesome Friday morning yard sale find? Of course I was late getting to work but it was so worth it. There has been a shortage of seating around here and 
Super Table (Above) just isn't cutting it anymore.

Way wasn't too happy about bringing home "junk" but it's for me, practical, functional, and paintable (below).
New pine bench with storage in the dining room $20.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The dinner party movement!

Are you tired of dining out and blowing $60 - $100.00 a pop for casual dining?

Are you tired of meeting with friends or family at crowded restaurants only to sit next to two people the whole time and only have conversation with only them or worse...

Tired of going to really loud restaurants where you can't hear anything anyone is saying?

How about being rushed through a dining process? Arrive, be seated, order drinks, order food, eat food, pay, and "get out".

Well, I'm certainly tired of having to order LARGE portioned meals and paying for it.

Hosting dinner parties is the answer! Once a week or every two weeks depending on a persons lifestyle, we should be hosting a dinner party! In return friends and family will send a reciprocal invite and there is your quality entertainment, variety of foods, a chance to show off awesome bargain decor just like women (and men) used to do and socialize. Not mention skip a night of cooking, cleaning, and spending when going to a dinner party. Of course it is polite to offer clean-up help.

I didn't have to be sold on the idea because I love to host! However, I have a lot to learn. I've found some great sites with tips to help plan and eliminate hosting anxieties.

http://www.celebrations.com/dinnerparties
I know it may be easier for some than others, especially if you can't cook or don't know how to cook for a lot of people. What better time to learn?! A huge pot of easy stew or chili on a cold day will suffice and offer a great way to be creative (if desired) with an age-old meal. The budget for either meal to feed 10 people is about $20.00. Tell me where two families can go for $20.00?

I'm expecting more people to jump on board because this is a no-brainer!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

only 1 out of 5?

Elaine is the only kid in sight for another couple of days. Wow! We went out to eat and did a little shopping, some cleaning and now blogging?! Oh yeah did you catch that? There are 5 now. Our newest addition is my dear sweet cousin Isabella aged 10. She will be living with us starting Friday. We are looking forward to having her and sharing our lives with her.

December 27th 2010 Islands of Adventure Harry Potter's Hogwarts

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Happy 1st Birthday #2 Elaine!

As promised here are the birthday pics. It was a small bash but Elaine seemed to have gotten everything she wanted and it shows. Money (Great Grandma Paxman), Baby Building Beads (Mommy and Daddy), a puppet (Gretchen bought for her with her own babysitting money), shoes, clothes including glow in the dark skeleton PJ's (Aunt Shelley), a pull behind puppy (Aunt Kendall and Family), a lovely card designed by Mona and Sonny, and her own Bitty Baby American Girl Doll (Grammy). And of course the terrific Radio Flyer Nana and Grandpa got her for her 1st Birthday #1! Thank you Everyone for making it special!

 Cooool!
 Yeeaaaah!
 Mine. 
 What else?
 Um, it's ok. I'll just have a little.
 Well, I couldn't possibly... ummmmm. No, I really don't want any, ummmmmmm.
 Oh my gosh! What have I done!
Saaweeeeeet!
I almost forgot about these party crashers! Just kidding. This is the best bunch of siblings Elaine could ask for.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Elaine is turning 1 already!

Elaine is such a sweet soul that we couldn't imagine life without her. 
She has touched our lives with her tiny growls and her incessant "Hi. Hi. Hi.".
She's so big and looks like daddy  now more than ever!
  Her curiosity and love of nature may get her into trouble at times but it is important to let her explore.
 I taught her to water the herbs this morning so... 
...she watered the pavement.
"Maybe I'll stop to taste this bit of moss."
"Come on Dad, I'm totally ready for a run! Pleeeeeeease take me."
Even though we aren't ready for her to turn 1 we are looking forward to another year packed with love, learning, and excitement from this tiny miracle.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Work work work.

clean clean clean.
cook cook cook.
drive drive drive.
wash wash wash.
spend spend spend.
go go go.
goodnight-kiss goodnight-kiss goodnight-kiss.
I do it all for my 3 girls.



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Who does this child look like?

She resembles someone new everyday couple of days. I still think she looks like Sonny. I finally replaced the camera I sold earlier this year so look out blog.

Elaine at almost 9 months


Elaine on Gretchen's Birthday with avocado on her shirt.