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Thursday, May 12, 2011

easter 2011...

The children after church on Easter Sunday. (A rare shot of The Boy)

I know, I know Easter was several weeks ago. Just thought I'd stop by and post something on this poor old blog. I guess it's really been a while because I'm feeling really rusty. (What size photos do I usually post? Why is the cursor there? Why can't I download multiple photos at once?) I'd like to get back to posting regularly. I wish I could make that a goal but life is still a bit too crazy to make any promises.

Easter was lovely. I was relieved that it was late this year. I still didn't do everything that I wanted to but it was nice to have the extra time to get ready. The Husband was actually home for a few days while the children were on spring break prior to Easter. We crammed a lot into that little week! Yard work, house work, an overnight trip to Boston, a visit to our favorite local children's museum. It was fun and exhausting. I should have some photos on my camera that I'll eventually get around to posting. For now, here are a few shots from Easter Sunday.

Pinky stops to smell the flowers.



Cha-Cha and Princess adore Pinky.





Pretty Princess.





Charming Cha-Cha (love those freckles!).


A bird's nest found in the bushes at Grammy and Bippy's house. Such pretty Easter eggs!

Monday, March 7, 2011

l is for lamp...

Crazy weekend. I waved the white flag. The children laughed. I hid away for a bit and doodled while they continued their siege. There is much carnage on this gray Monday morning. Ah well. I'm posting Meredith's 'L' page and then I'm off to attempt to set things right.

Meredith chose the lamp in the living room for the letter 'L' in her alphabet hunt. She thinks the lamp is pretty and loves when her mother puts flowers on the table with it. This time they're dahlias from her mother's garden. (Apparently it's summer in Meredith's dreamy world!)

Click here for more of Meredith's Alphabet Hunt Coloring Pages.

To print the coloring page now just double click on the image above and select 'print' from your file menu . Or you can right click on the image and choose 'Save Picture As...' to tuck it away in your files for future use. (Don't choose "Print Picture..." from the right click menu unless you want a teeny-tiny version to print in the corner of your paper)

Creative Commons License

goodness gracious coloring pages by laina kay are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.;

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

k is for kite...

I know it's not Monday but here's the coloring page for 'K,' finally! Meredith chose her beloved kite for the letter 'K' in her alphabet hunt.

I finally sat down and doodled a bit. It's been bugging me that I haven't done a coloring page in so long. Princess and Cha-cha will be thrilled, they've been asking.

Life is hard right now. Ten million things that I should be doing but I needed a little break. I will certainly pay for it later, really in the next few minutes as soon as I finish posting this. As I speak Pinky is scribbling on the fireplace hearth with a pencil. I should mention that she moved onto that after knocking over a small potted plant that I bought as a gift for a friend. Not only knocking it over but scattering the dirt across the end table and smearing it into the carpet and several toys nearby. I let her do all this while I doodled. There are so many messes around here right now, what's another two? Not sure if I'll ever get caught up with my life again. The children certainly aren't relenting any time soon. Surrender? Do children accept surrender?

Anyhoo, sorry for the whine. Cha-cha's birthday is tomorrow, Pinky's was Saturday and still no husband to speak of, so I probably won't be around again for a while. Who knows, maybe I'll be defeated enough to sit down and just doodle again before Monday. Letter 'L,' anyone?!


To print the coloring page now just double click on the image above and select 'print' from your file menu . Or you can right click on the image and choose 'Save Picture As...' to tuck it away in your files for future use. (Don't choose "Print Picture..." from the right click menu unless you want a teeny-tiny version to print in the corner of your paper)

Creative Commons License

goodness gracious coloring pages by laina kay are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.;

Friday, February 25, 2011

plush play...


This fun play rug caught my eye. The contrasting textures are so smart, visually and practically. I want to play with it! Don't you!? There's a farm and a dollhouse, too! Check them all out here.

via lmnop

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

lovely little lions...


Aren't these lion cookies darling? My mind is bubbling with ideas based on these sweet creations. Oh, and there are penguins, too. So many clever ideas in blogland!


via Chez Beeper Bebe

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

on this day...

February 22, 2010


Cha-cha and I baked carrot cake from scratch for The Husband's birthday on this day last year. Carrot cake is his favorite, actually I think it's become a toss up between carrot cake and my go-to chocolate cake. Anyhoo, he loves carrot cake, so carrot cake it was. With thick yummy cream cheese frosting (see Cha-cha lick the spoon -yum).


The children gave him a jar of mixed nuts with a personalized label for his desk at work. We all had a chuckle when The Boy added a padlock to the jar's latch. He also got a pair of Tevas and a couple of sweet handmade cards.


We're missing him today as he's away for work. It's the big 4-0, too. Crazy big birthday to be away for. Luckily he's near two of my sisters and their families so they're helping him celebrate. We look forward to our chance to celebrate with him, we'll have to do something even nuttier when he returns! Happy Birthday to the best husband and Dad around... or not around!♥ XOXO

Monday, February 21, 2011

a place for everything...


The husband and I are discussing the possibility of refreshing and updating our kitchen in the next few months. Of course, this has me daydreaming about kitchens every chance I get. I love all the little details.

I ran across the photo above while perusing my sister-in-law's back issues of BHG yesterday. I'm loving that bread box. It would be nice to find an authentic old version but I'm thinking that this shiny new one is pretty cute, too. You like?

Friday, February 18, 2011

fit to be tied...


The Boy turned twelve this past weekend. Twelve! He is now part of the young men's group in our church. I'm the mother of a young man. Wow. When did that happen? This means white shirts and ties on Sunday as that is the suggested attire for men participating in services in the church. Gone is my cute little boy in pastel gingham shirts and matching vests *sniff*.

We're shopping for some smart looking ties which can be hard to find for this age group. Looks like we've hit the jackpot with etsy though. Such a great selection of sharp ties for my handsome boy *ahem*, I mean young man! Which one's your favorite?

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where to begin?...


Please forgive the spotty posting lately. Life has been a tad hectic. The Husband's work has changed recently and requires a great deal of travel. He basically lives elsewhere and visits us occasionally, at least for a while that will be the case. It's definitely taking some adjustment. I'm working on connecting the dots... as soon as I figure out where to begin!

I know some people have asked about the Alphabet Hunt coloring pages. My girls are waiting patiently for Meredith's letter 'K' page, too. I miss making them. Hopefully I'll find some time to sit down and doodle again soon!

Bear with me!

image via That's My Word

Thursday, February 3, 2011

buried...


We're buried here. For real. I don't remember ever having this much snow in my life. The kids have had at least six snowdays in the last three weeks or so. I can't say how many exactly because I've lost count. It's a good thing that I like snowdays.


I spent last week in Texas where it was sunny and 60 degrees or more (though I've heard it's not like that this week - I got lucky!). When I left on my trip I thought we had a crazy amount of snow. Little did I know that it would continue to snow and snow and snow while I was gone.


See, here's a shot I took one morning a couple of weeks ago. That's a lot of snow, right?


Not so much compared to the shots I took this morning (I laugh every time I look at that pile of snow on top of the portico - it's taller than the roof of the portico). I think we've added two-feet or so to our original pile. It's a bit surreal. Actually the barn across the street collapsed under the weight of the snow last week - before we added another foot. The snow on the sides of the driveway is piled as high as my shoulder. I can't shovel because I'm too short to throw the snow over the piles. Darn.

A lot of people are complaining but I kind of like it (maybe because I'm not shoveling it all). I'm an indoor girl anyway so I enjoy LOOKING at it while puttering around my cozy house. You can't deny how pretty it is, that sparkling white against the blinding blue sky. Magical.



Of course the children love it, though it's difficult to play in because they can't even walk in it anymore. They can only play around it and burrow through it. They're not complaining. They've amassed an impressive collection of icicles, mostly from the neighbor's house. We have seen some pretty impressive icicles in the last few weeks.


Pinky's loving her first real snow experiences. We bundle her from head to toe and she waddles happily through the tunnels of chilly white stuff. Every time the older kids leave the house she wants to follow them. Here she is all ready to "go 'side" this morning as the kids got on the bus (after two days off). As long as she's got her boots on she thinks she's good to go. Luckily she can't open the doors by herself yet!



Ah well, I caught her and convinced her to stay inside with me by tempting her with a giant batch of steel-cut oats and lots of fresh honey. How could she resist? See, it's not so bad having the house buried in snow when you get to snuggle up inside with a warm bowl of yumminess.