WAS THAT THE WEEKEND I JUST SAW WHIZZING BY?

Well, the weekend has come and all but gone. There's just not enough Saturday and Sunday to go around, what with all of the house-cleaning, neighbor-visiting, clothes-washing, kid-playing, and fun-having that happens! I am definitely voting in the next election to extend the weekends by a day. Just think of all the fun we could have! Holy cow! Why didn't someone think of this earlier? Why do we work 5 days and only have 2 days off, anyway (traditionally speaking, I mean...and schools, you know, the traditional ones)? What kind of raw deal was that? Clearly, 3 to 4 would've been a much happier ratio. Someone didn't have their thinking cap on when that one was decided.

Well, off to bed to gear up for another 5 day work week! Only 5 days until next weekend!


p.s. Speaking of calendar type things, this site has lots of cool calendar freebies for your computer, to print out, and even for your blog!

BIG BIRD EXPLODED IN MY WASHER! (OR, "WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY INSTEAD OF BLOGGING")

I will be back over the weekend, God willing, but until then, this is what's been happening here...this used to be my favorite black tee shirt. It is covered in the dying efforts of a favorite yellow blanket (that has been washed about a thousand times without issue). I had to vacuum out my washing machine. 3 times. It was bad. Really bad. Have a super Friday, and I'll be back soon!
Oh look! My other favorite black tee shirt...

JEN LANCASTER AND HER FUNNY BOOKS

I'd like to share a new author friend with you! She and I have never actually met, but I feel that we would totally be BFF's if she knew I existed. Not that I'd stalk her or anything, that would be wrong. Here's a video clip she made discussing her new book, "Such a Pretty Fat". Her website is here. The book that I just finished is called "Bitter is the New Black", and tells her story from dot.com money-making wench to unemployed, humbled lover of dogs. There were so many funny one-liners in this book, I found myself grabbing for a tissue to dab at the Diet Coke running from my nose on more than one occasion. Now with school starting, there will be less time for reading, but I'll definitely make time for these books!

FROM JUNKY TO FUNKY!

For all of you who are really done looking at my dog's boy parts (I didn't even clear that photo that I used in my last post with him first, how rude), I thought I'd post something different. This table has been with us since my husband and I were married 14 years ago. It has seen many things: Cherrios, sippy cups, craft projects, building blocks, and the occasional magazine. It was well loved by crayons, feet, and sometimes bottoms. It used to sport a fashionable (not) padded bumper around its perimeter to keep little heads from smooshing when they ran into it. It had that weathered look without spending even one day in the sun. But still, I knew it had potential beyond what it had already given to us. So I give you the transformation: from COFFEE TABLE to GAME TABLE!


The kids and I sanded, painted, and then painted and sanded some more, and it was a fun family project! Hubby even got in on the action--he marked off the squares for us to paint The checkers and chess pieces will be stored in the drawer in the front, and my next project is to find (or make) comfy floor cushions for sitting on while playing. I'm going to check out some after-summer clearance sales on outdoor cushions at Pier One or World Market. Does anyone know when summer officially ends here in Arizona?!

FOR THE LADIES OF THE 80'S!

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER!

If you don't get this, click here: Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze
because you're really young.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS...

I've had one of those days.

Do you know how sometimes you DRIVE somewhere that you've been

a MILLION times,

and when you arrive and get out of the car you

AREN'T QUITE SURE HOW YOU GOT THERE?

You don't remember anything significant about the drive? It's almost a little EERIE. That was today for me. I did the usual stuff around the house, did some work, and ?? I can't even remember. It was an insignificant day. Now I know what you're thinking--there's no such thing. And you're right. I hate that today passed me by. I was here, alive and well in all the moments that today's 24 hours had to offer, and I feel like I blew it. But tomorrow's another day, and I resolve to be grateful, thankful, happy, and present in it.

I LOVE DO-OVERS!

HOW TO MAKE A BUTTON

Thank you, Bee and Rose, for passing on the info. from April Showers on how to make a blog button! I am much better with the old-fashioned kind of button maker, I'm afraid, and even though the instructions were very simple to follow, I still had issues. Heavy sigh. I gave it my best shot, and at least there's something up there in the corner to show for it! It's been a good weekend so far; we've played some games, watched some movies, and spent some time with good friends. Isn't that what it's all about?! We had a yummy dinner tonight complete with a recipe for ribs from a friend, and lots of fresh veggies! Even the dog had his way with a few carrots and some spilled mashed potatoes! Besides a little work that needs to get done tomorrow, I have really high hopes of getting in that great room of mine called my CRAFT ROOM (or more commonly, the place where the kids go to watch t.v.) I'm thinking of attacking my scrapbooks from another direction--one I started a while back when I was feeling overwhelmed with the incompletion of it all. I decided to do a book for each major "theme" in our lives, and expand from there. For example, I have a book entitled "HALLOWEEN". It certainly doesn't contain all the photos I take for that given holiday (hello, have we met?!), but just a sampling of a few pictures of the highlights. I also have a book called "BIRTHDAYS" with a 2-page spread for each birthday party for each child. Since my husband and I were married over the July 4th weekend, that holiday holds special significance not only as a national holiday of our great country, but as a celebration of our marriage. I have tried to take a family photo each 4th of July weekend, and these photos go into the "JULY 4TH" book. You get the picture (pardon the pun!). I also have a "YEAR IN REVIEW" book concept, and that one is a bit overwhelming because there are so many years that remain undone. With the 365 day photo challenge from BECKY HIGGINS, future years may be easier. Especially if I actually remembered to take photos every day. Ugh. Anyway, here are a few photos of the books as they are right now, and some other projects. With any luck, I'll be working on them here and there throughout the rest of our (rapidly disappearing) summer! I think the temp. here is supposed to be 156 degrees or something like that tomorrow--I don't watch the weather reports anymore--really, what's the point? The only thing I know for sure is that I now need oven mitts to grasp the steering wheel of the car and open the doors from the outside, and tongs to remove the keys from the ignition once we get where we are going. It's the price we pay for our beautiful winters here in Arizona. And I can say that, although I've had 2nd degree sunburns before, I've never lost a digit due to frostbite. I figure I'm about even.Photo tour of our home.


Year in review book, no journaling yet, only notes.


Another page of the same book, ready for pictures.


Birthday book, year 2. Incomplete, naturally!


Thanksgiving photos, recipes, traditions.


Book of Christmas cards from one season, not decorated yet.


Just a fun school idea that the kids and I did here at home.

ABC book of baby's first year, the first book project I had ever done.

Another book of Christmas pictures and letters from family and friends. I put these out every year in a Christmas basket so that we can look through them and remember years gone by!