Late...so late.

It's almost 1 am and here I am...awake.
Nope no insomnia anymore just stuff on the mind.
Nothing bad, nothing sad, just stuff.
Thinking about the temperature that's slowly dropping, flowers I meant to bring in, is it warm enough in the garage for Kiley our old kitty?, is it too late to have another piece of brownie?Is it too late for Kahlua and cream? Will the temperature be cold to the point that it will ice over enough for Nick to stay home? Will I get a grant to go back to school next fall? Will I get called on for a job as a translator? What will 2010 bring for me and my family? Will Z find himself back to his old self when school starts again? Will I stick to my long distance running regime and eating better this new year? Could this really be the year of the Sexy??? Well Tonya, Karen I do hope so, Will I finally remember to buy hair coloring for this cotton picking grey? Why is my skin so bloody dry this season!?

I need to stop thinking, stuff brownie in my mouth curl up on the recliner next to Nick, be grateful for it all and relax!

Christmas, Christmas and More Christmas.

First off....Christmas photo or my attempt for one at least.

Next looking at Christmas lights. Since we were already in the O.C. Papaw took us to see some lights around the neighborhood first.

We saw traditional lights first, by which we saw about two cop cars in front of someones home....Domestic disturbance????

Seriously Oak Cliff isn't all bad. Quite honestly I didn't want to leave.

It's diverse, multicultural and where else can I get me some REAL Pan Dulce (mexican sweet bread!?)

Which brings me to this neighborhood.

I loved this! They also had a "Santa Drive In" in their drive way and showed free movies for the neighborhood. We wanted to stay but it was too chilly out.

LUV the pic below!

Had to pose the boys, they are after all true Oak Cliffians!

Oh and yes Gingy.

Zenon received a gingerbread man book at his class book exchange and Ethan loved it...since this year Gingerbread men are his thing.

He tapped the bed and asked me to sit next to him...he wanted to talk.

He asked for a gingerbread house along with trees and a chocolate lake.

I didn't even have a kit! So I made due with what I had at home.

He was happy with his Ginger hut, chocolate lake and trees.

Then Christmas Eve. Nick came home early and recommended we head to Dallas early before the storm.

It was just starting to flurry before we left, the boys stood in the drive way catching flurries on their tongues.

Little flurries became gusty flurries. This was right outside of church before services.

We braved it since Church is practically right down the street from John and Debs.

Christmas morning...we were exhausted they were excited.

I too was excited...I got a NEW CAMERA!!

Went from 5.0 mega pixels to 12.2......super happy!!

Thanks John and Debbie you spoil me way too much.

One of my first shots with my new camera.

John made a mini snowman with skittle eyes that bled out and it looks like frosty got two black eyes in a bar room brawl and had his arm torn off.

Last but not least the whole reason for celebrating.

Our "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake.

Boys helped me frost and of course lick spoons.

Finally singing and blowing of the candles.

How long will they make this cake with me??

Okay maybe they won't want to sing or blow the candles but I want to have two grown boys baking a Jesus cake with me every year.

Who knows they just might surprise me and beat me to the kitchen when it's time to bake our cake.

Nick's begun the countdown until next Christmas and I swear I wanted to throw a shoe at him.
Now time to gear up for a new year!!

For Helen: Tutorial for stenciled shirts.

For my friend Helen whom I found online, then found out she lived a town away and here's the kicker she even went to school with my hubby....what are the odds???
I think she's lovely yet never formally met...Helen we must!

Helen asked how I did it so here it is.

These are the basic materials I use:

Sponge applicators (about 1.00 for a package at Walmart)
Freezer Paper (only place I've ever found it was again Walmart about 4 dollars but last forever!)
Slick paint
Blades- I found this pink one at Target for about 4 dollars but favor the gray blade which I've had since High school! I LOVE LOVE my grey blade, I believe it came with an art kit my mom bought me back in the day.)
Cheap flexible cutting board.
Shirt of choice and size
Iron
Ironing board

I print from images I find online. One day I will try and create my own but for now Google works the magic.

I used to hand trace the images on to my freezer paper until a light bulb went off, I cut my freezer paper to the correct size and feed it into my printer, skipped a whole step..no more tracing.

Take blade and cut out your stencil.

This is time consuming but I actually enjoy it.

When your stencil is cut I arrange it on the shirt and iron it on.
Some stencils you'll see you'll have to piece like a puzzle onto the shirt piece by piece (reason I didn't use the Weezer stencil above...wayyyy too much work!)

Start painting.

I use two coats when using black paint. Wait until your first coat is completely dry before applying a new coat.

White paint is tricky! I use 3 sometimes 4 coats of paints though careful sometimes the whole thing will come up paint and all when you use a lot of coats. Though if that does happen (like one of my gifts that I'm making did) don't worry it just has a worn look which is pretty neat.

When your shirt is completely dry start ripping and peeling off paper. I sometimes use tweezers to get the little bits of paper.

TADA!

Finished product.

I'm making all the kids in our family one....can you say Busy?
Hope this helped Helen!!

It was bound to happen......

Little E decided it was time for a hair cut...A "Real" hair cut.
He got his hair cut, he's thrilled........I'm sad.

The
End.

(will post pics of the new Little E soon.)

Countdown REALLY begins!

The Christmas gift making started today and now I'm sweating it thinking....
Will I finish in time???

Here I'm tracing a stencil that I will hand cut then print onto a shirt.
The process is quite easy but EXTREMELY time consuming you can see a finished Tee I made last year here

http://monkeylemur.blog.com/2008/06/03/
(you'll have to scroll down a bit to see it.)




This lovely stack will become my crayon roll ups.




I love making things for Christmas as stressful as it is sometimes I truly enjoy it.

Resignation letter

Satan,


This is my letter of resignation.

I am resigning after serving you with fear, hate and despair.

I am happy, loved, faithful and have too much goodness to keep feeding you and giving you what you want.

Your degrading, self loathing, and a poor excuse.....poor excuse for anything.

This morning upon arriving for my day, my day of a beautiful morning, day of prayer, day of fasting, you decided my happy optimism was too much and sent me a phone call.
A phone call that made me sad, stress and cry.

My morning was ruined and you did it, no one else but you.

So I collected myself and thought you attacked me because you know you can get to me.

So with this letter I resign being your door mat.

I applied and was accepted to a higher more prestigious position, one with respect, happiness and love.
A job where I love to punch in every morning, no means an easy position, there will be alot of hard work, sometimes employees get feisty but we figure things out in the end.

My shift ended at 10:00 am this morning for my resignation is effective Immediately!!



Liza

New Chapter.

Our first visit with Santa was like this..........




Now as mean as it may seem I think this picture is Freakin' hilarious!
I seriously love it.
Little E (huge Jowls and all) looking at his brother like he's out of his mind.
Did we redo the picture?
Heck NO!
This is reality so I'll take reality over the average pic any day.

Now there was only one more Santa attempt and it send me into a ball of tears.
We took them to the mall when Zenon was 2 1/2 E was 1 1/2 and Z lost his mind. We're in line one minute he sees Santa and takes off!
I had to seriously tackle my kid in a beauty salon. He was shaking, crying and had a glazed look in his eyes.
I trembled all the way home, I think then and there I knew something was wrong.
(He hadn't been diagnosed yet.)

We never attempted Santa again.

Now 41/2 years later the child tells me he's staying up all night because he WANTS to see Santa and give him a hug.

Music to our ears.

I think we'll attempt those Santa photos again, mom and dad have been waiting....patiently.

Funny little tid bit.

Conversation with E while Nick and I helped the boys with their homework:


Little E: "Mommy why is the house SOOooo dirty today?" "There's stuff everywhere!"
(motioning his little arms in giant circles)

(Pop's snickers)

Momma: "Because I spent the day washing clothes then went to help yours and Zenon's class... I was real busy today."

Little E: "Why doesn't daddy help you?","He should help you."


HA! So priceless!

(Pop's did not snicker, he pretended not to hear...stinker.)

OH FUDGE!!

Every year Mawmaw Chappell makes yummy fudge...last year...sigh..she didn't.
So I thought maybe I could take a crack at it.
Nick loves Peanut butter fudge so Peanut butter fudge it is!
No peanuts please.

Process was a lot easier than I thought...messy but easy.




Voila!!
Okay so it's no Mawmaw Chappell's fudge but it came out pretty yummy.
Nick and I are wondering will she give me her fudge recipe????



Maybe it's a "If I tell you I'll have to kill you" kind of recipe , I sure hope it's not.
Because I'll tell you something, she's a jack of all trades!
She bakes, cooks, quilts OH MY!
She's like having my own Martha Stewart in our family...I love her!

Turkey and Tree Trimming.

Little E and I prepared this Apple Pie for our Family Thanksgiving feast.
E wanted to help with slicing I encouraged him to help with measuring dry goods, I'd like him to keep all his digits.
Though he'll learn to peel soon, I learned young and think I'm pretty good at the ol' slice and dice thanks to Grandma.
Now preventing myself from slicing my finger on the toothy edge of my wax paper dispenser this morning.... Weeelllllll we can't win them all.



Pretty!



Didn't get too camera happy on Turkey Day but couldn't resist taking this photo! Hey where's Ryley and Little Aiden!?
You strike a pose Miss Piper!!



Saturday we were lazy and goofy.
Here we are dog piling on the floor.
E was tickled that only his forehead came out.
Z was in the other room engrossed by something he was watching, like I said we were all being lazy.


JUST a Day away and December is here!!!
We trimmed our tree and had a lovely time doing it.
Boy's can't wait for Mamaw and Papaw to come and see their tree.

Here Nick is explaining the special ornaments to the boys, like their first baby ornaments which they hang up every year.

Oh we also had cookies while we worked...mmmmm cookies.

Helping lift from the Pop's.

All done and so beautiful.

Nick and I love this set up.

When all was done Nick and I sat on the couch and just stared.

How beautiful our little tree looks, how happy the stockings seem to be hanging waiting to be filled with candy goodness. How that little glass bowl on the coffee table is soon to be filled with green and red M&M's. How my boys finally understand...... like every other child they ask to make a list, they want to see Santa, they know it's the day for Jesus, they are filled with giddy anticipation.

I think this Grinch's heart has grown 2 sizes this year, I think it will finally make it to 3.

*** So you'll know I've always hated Christmas (Nick calls me Grinch), too hallmarky, too over done, took having kids to slowly change me :)****

Thankful

Though our life is filled with trials and tribulations there's so much to be thankful for....SOOoo much.

First off I'm thankful for my faith.
Sometimes I feel like I teeter totter but God keeps me close and I find myself closer than ever.

Next for our wonderful sets of parents.
Nick and I are extremely grateful we have such wonderful parents.
Parents who love one another unconditionally and showed us the way a good marriage should be.
They showed us that with a marriage we have to take it all, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

I'm thankful for Words.
When our boys were born one thing Nick and I used to tell one another was how our we going to handle the "Why?" phase.
The constant curious questions children always ask.
Our "Why?" and curious questions never came.
Our boys were wordless, we were sad.
We wish we could of had the "Why?" phase, if your little ones driving you crazy with their "Why?" questions relish it. You don't know what a blessing it is.
But alas, they have words.
LOTS AND LOTS of words.
So many that I actually found myself telling the boys..."HUSH, can you stop talking over each other just for a minute so I can collect myself?"
I felt like I was slapped at my new reality....they talk.
For that I will forever be grateful.

Husband, how tell me how did I get so lucky?
Sure he loves video games and is almost 30, a major die hard Cowboys fan and every football season I am become a football widow.
But he's so beautiful inside and out.
He's a great husband, amazing father and devote christian, and he's all mine.

I'm thankful for our health, family naps, cool evenings, family dinners, knock knock jokes Z just doesn't get but looks so cute looking at us like we're crazy for trying, E being so attached to his mommy still, Z's smile along with E's big eye's that can get them almost out of anything!, and teachers and therapists the boys have been blessed with whom so many have become beloved family friends.

So much more to be thankful for but you know, you'd be here reading all day.



Oh this picture makes me laugh, Nick towers over me, Z's really trying to work out that smile, E is well I don't think he wants to be in the pic and both boys look so squirrely!

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

Almost...Almost.

It's almost Turkey time!!
Though my heart is sad that I can't go home to be with my mom and dad, I am happy to be with much loved family.

E and Z are already thrilled not so much about Turkey but staying the night over at Mamaw and Papaw's.
There's already a little piece of ear drum I picked out with a spoon that just kept hearing over and over "Is tomorrow when we go with Mamaw and Papaw?" "Is tomorrow when we go with Mamaw and Papaw?" " Is tomorrow........." You get the picture.

Now the great bake begins!!!!!

I'm making my mom and Lori's homemade macaroni that Nick LOVES!
I'm no mom or Lori but I give it a good go.
Also, broccoli and rice casserole, In the infamous words of Homer Simpson.
Mmmmmmm.....broccoli and rice casserole.

Next dessert.
Yes I decided I might make dessert but what?
I have lovely ingredients to make pies.

I shelled pecans last night and might make a pecan pie.
I also have a bag of granny smith apples for apple pie AND I have ingredients for a chocolate cream pie.
Hmmmmmmmm what to do what to do.
I would love to make all and just might.
BUT won't say that I will because I don't want to put too much on my plate.

Last but not least fun stuff with my boys.
God gave me some patience not much but enough to deal with these two rascals and I think we'll make some ornaments, gifts for the grandparents and cookies.

And I am off....I hear a fake crier in the midst whose calling my name.
Seriously vacation just started less than an hour ago is this what Turkey day holiday is going to be???
AAAAAhhhhhhh.

That's okay I'm grateful for my boys, so I'll take it and God know's I love it!

He always knows.

Holiday's are coming up and when your not exactly liquid..money that is.
You have to get creative.
Luckily I was taught to sew at a young age...okay they attempted to teach me but I threw more fits and broke more sewing machine needles than one could imagine.
So I gave up.
Up until I had my boys and creating became so much fun.
This year again back to making homemade gifts.
Though I felt different.
Year's past I made gifts because I loved receiving homemade gifts myself.
This year I'm making gifts because we'll I don't have a choice.
So why do I feel bad?
It's been bothering me a bit and on my way home from the grocery store I saw a bill board message outside a Baptist church.
It said:
"He sees the heart, not the hand, not the giver, not the gift."
It truly made me feel better.

He just always knows.

Now time to warm up the ol' machine and get cracking!

Weekending

This weekend was a relaxed one. I wasn't feeling all too well. My sinuses are acting up along with allergies so I stayed in all day Saturday. I just enjoyed my day, my boys, my Nick and our borrowed Miss.Maggie.

Maggie and Ethan really are buddies.
She even sits by him while he creates window art.



Next Little E helped me roll out tortillas. He's the best little roller EVER!
Yup he did that below ALL BY HIMSELF!



Sunday's after service we spend with John and Debbie and we love it.
The guy's watch ball, Debbie and I must annoy them laughing loudly about silly things while they're trying to watch the game :).
Little E plays Noggin on-line and Z plays a game grandpa has for the Wii, this weeks treat was Star Wars....Z is a chip off the old block when it comes to games.
E and I decided to take a late evening walk around the neighborhood.
He collected leaves of all colors.
And well stuffed them in his pockets oh E!




I felt uneasy allowing him to do this since below there's a sidewalk.
So I allowed it and used myself as a shield, nope wasn't going to let this rug rat hurt himself. He was having so much fun I had to let him do it.

Handing his momma leaves.

Just a little camera fun.

Though I was under the weather our weekend was lovely. Lately I have to remind myself how to just relax, destress, keep focus on what I love and what matters.....my family.

Times are tough and I find myself on some days worrying to tears.

I'm starting to think those are wasted tears, why worry so much when I have so much to be grateful for.

I know I will have to be reminded once in a while, but that's okay as long as I don't forget.

Where are the day's going?

There are days I have to just stop and catch my breath. Slumped on the floor listening to Z practice his reading, In the kitchen making dinner listening to them play or even bicker, racing through their school's hallway 3 days a week helping out the teachers or earphones placed in my ears listening to music as I run and daydream away.

Then suddenly I'm told, today isn't Monday it's Wednesday.
NO! Tomorrow is Saturday!
Where are my days going?
Why do they insist on going by so fast?
Worst part of it all.... is my boys.

When did they go from this.........
(Checking out the backyard when we bought the house.)




To this!
(This past Sunday, E drew a family portrait and they posed for me.)




Days go by way to fast, I try not to take these days for granted.
Why?
One day you put your babies to bed and they wake up school age kids, then college students, then they are dropping off the grandkids.
OH! I need a drink!

And along came a Maggie.

Maggie Belle is on loan while her mommy, daddy and sissies stay in a room waiting to wrap up a sale on their home and purchase of a new one.
In the meantime we're in love.

Maggie is the dog everyone dreams about having for their children, she truly is a great little gal.

Though a great gal she is FAR from lady like, note pic below.
She's actually asleep on me. Her, Nick and I were watching Australia in the t.v. room. Nick was jealous that she chose me to sleep on :).



She's kid awesome!
Circling the bottom of the slide for Z like a little shark, except this little shark never shows teeth.




Z and Mag's in motion.




Here she is coming at me, doesn't it look like she's smiling?

LOVE that ear thing that she does, and note she is bit sassy at times giving us the stink eye.

Here she's deciding on which kid to run along side, E's on one side Z's on the other, decisions decisions!

This below is my favorite picture.

Maggie will run up to the boy's and they squeal in delight then she runs and they run up to her. They never touch its almost like a game of no touch tag.

I am signing off, E's in time out in his room and bawling, Maggie is right outside their bedroom door whimpering because she hears little E.

I'm telling you..... sweetest dog ever!

Superhero Style!

Almost all the little ones were Superhero's this Halloween and I will say the cutest Superhero's ever!

Pop's posed the boys like the cover of their Video game.

Pop's and I should of dressed up as the other two Avenger's Team characters, or were there more than two more?? Who know's Nick is the guru when it comes to that and well he's not here to help me out.






Boy's are all gussied up for the second annual Boo Bash where the kids young and old...ummm..older had tons of fun.

Guys took a up a game of Football in the street.
Neighbors must of hated hearing us girls yell "CAR" every time a vehicle approached.
Well that was our men folk out there, we have to keep an eye on them right?




Presley and Little E decided to take up their own little game of football on the grass.




Our Boo bash not only had sports, it had tongue tatoos......

Outdoor dancing, kids jamming to Monster mash....

They also had pinata, controlled the vigilante Punisher who shook the pinata until it spilled out all its candy goodness.

Not to mention goody bags, food,cake and chips...it was way yummy.

Next we headed out for our tricks or treats where my camera died.

Surprise, Surprise! I really need to get a new battery.

Kids had a blast! They loaded up on candy, ran around the house until they dropped like flies and us adults went to bed with achy feet and heads.

Until next year....we can hardly wait!

This is probably Take 100!

Aren't they the cutest bunch?

I think so too.