it was a magical christmas...

quinn was so ill the entire week befire christmas that he missed his preschool program, we didn't get to make/decorate any cookies, or go to any of the holiday light displays as we had wanted. :( he was feeling better by dec 23...but still pretty worn out. but, on christmas eve, he called me into his bed room, and we both heard santa and the reindeer on the roof!!! the next morning, the cookies and milk were the first things that he checked on and they were gone! and, we found partially eaten carrots on the patio, right by a collar of bells! rudolph dropped his bells on OUR porch, can you believe it?!?!?!

...is santa up there?

i am behind in my being grateful

but to day i am grateful that quinn did not cry when i took him to preschool today....phew....i am also grateful for a brother who is quite interested in cooking....so he experiments....and he is so kind in his experimentation, today he gave us quinn safe homemade chocolate. awesome or what?

i am grateful for ...

Kohl's. after tring to find something (4 major dept. stores and a few boutiques) to wear to the holiday party tonight... i found just what i wanted at kohls....too bad i din't go there first. oh well.

palying catch up

4 days late ... 4 things to be grateful for:

1) that wrigleys gum doesn't comtain the ingredient that is toxic to dogs. why? because percy decided to eat FIFTEEN peices of gum...and foil...and wrapper. but quinn did get to see what the Vet's office looks like and our 'presents' in the backyard are now sparkley!

2) that the KB toy outlet off of easter and serene is going out of business. i got quinn a buzz lightyear costume for $13!!! he has been jumping off th eedge of the bed and reciting "to ah-fin-ney and beyon" cute, eh?

3) that my DH went to AZ last night to watch the NAU vs UNLY game. he brought me back artichoke lasagna from oreganos!!!!

4) that albertson's carries a gingerbread house kit that quinn can eat! yahoo, fun sweet and messy all in one!

day 2

oh! we're on a roll! ;)

i am grateful that my family (outside of tim and quinn) get along so well. i know that there are lots of families that bicker often and don't get together as much as we do. we love and support each other and accept oneanother for who we are.

day 1: thankful for...

my friend has challenged me to blog each day in december. here is her challenge:

For the month of December, every day, let's take at LEAST a minute to blog one thing that we are thankful for, feel blessed for, or are generally tickled green about.

so here we go kids....

i am creting an ABC album for quinn for christmas. i am currently on "F". i am creating this album for him, so i didn't want it to be "A" is for apple, "F" is for frog, etc. i want it to be really personal. so..."F" is for food allergies. although they are really tough to deal with at times (social situations, preschool, road trips, etc) i am THANKFUL and GRATEFUL that he has no illnesses, disease or syndromes.

happy thanksgiving

this morning i am making broccoli casserole (ya-um!) and a quinn safe cherry pie. 2 doors down the sweetest, funnest, coolest neighbors are frying turkeys for the neighborhood and their friends....all day. seriously. they have been doing this for years and since we are now part of the 'hood, they have kindly offered to fry for us too. and quinn loves the girls! they are (i think 9 & 10) but they love playing with him and are really good with him. after quinns nap we will head to my aunts and have dinner with the family.

i am thankful for:
my son, husband, family, friends, home, health, doggies, being a SAHM, being able to create art, each day, my friends babies, all that my DH does for q and i.

i hope you have a good, safe and happy one.

brigit kerr's
--Brighten My Day elements and papers
--Little Paper Bits & Noteworthy Alphas
--Bedazzled Curls Folds
--Essential Sparkles
all from DSAGuild.com

journaling reads:
my sweet son.
how i love to watch you play. you are uninhibited and free, not a care in the world. but you play with concentration and seriousness as though nothing matters more in this moment than the joy you are finding. and that is how it should be. i hope as you grow you can keep being serious about playing. just a few days after your thrid birthday, we brought out the sprinkler toys to test out the grass in our new backyard. i am positive that you enjoyed yourself, and continue too. june 2007

fins to the left, fins to the right...

oh wait, that's jimmys page...sorry


c'mon, could this BE any cuter!?!?!?!?


quinn quote:"i've got a BIG belly!!!"


just so stinkin' cute, ya know?

okay, here are the rest of the photos from the halloween party


"the blind leading the blind"


"jelly fish and sea weed"


"jack & jill"


"Mama & Bobby Boucher"


"Maid Marian & Robin Hood"



our new kitchen, party ready


our new great room



our new great room, the other side

here are a few pics from our annual halloween party, i will post the rest soon....


"mama (from 'Waterboy') and reno 911"


he looks like this all the time...hee hee this is "white trash"


the party people


father ans son....the hippie and bobby boucher


prisoners of luv...


mom and dad...having a hippie flash back


the 'aints....i mean the saints


klaus...the chef



"bunny and carrot"

tag im it....

alyson tagged me...

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
sophomore at NAU, dating my future husband probably trying to find a halloween costume

2. What were you doing 5 years ago?
married for 2 yrs. wroking for parks and recreation. painting our house.

3. What were you doing 1 year ago?
getting ready for our 4th annual halloween party. raising a 2 yr old, designing digital scrapbooking products.

4. What did you do yesterday?
stayed at home taking care of sick quinny. :( set up my halloween village. :)

5. Snacks I enjoy:
snap peas, a fountain coke (thanks for the one the other day em!!!), cheese - yum.

6. Things I would do with $100 million dollars:
pay off the homes of my family members, sock it away for quinns college, invest for retirement, give to family if they want to retire, buy a secluded cabin in the Flagstaff Area, give to Food Allergy Research.

7. Locations I would run to:
Kauai, Laguna, Flagstaff...


8. Bad habit I have:
ummmm....well.....maybe later (procrastination) :)

9. Things I like to do: be a mama & a wife, graphic design, create art of any kind, hang out with family and friends, enjoy a good Pinot Grigio, sit on the back patio watching quinn play....

10. Biggest joy of the moment:
seeing quinn perk up from being sick....yeah!

good grief...does this lady post anymore?!?!?!!?

tad bit busy....

i am excited to say i made top digi picks....check it out :)


nana nad grandma j were in town, i am designing and getting the house ready for halloween (a little decorating so far) and making curtains, hanging pictures, etc.

more pics of the house...the kitchen is DONE (messy still, but done!) and the wall between the living room and family room is gone, leaving one HUGE great room! the fireplace is soooo very close to being done too! (see the last pic for that)

in the midst...

we started our remodel! covering the brady bunch fireplace (against the advice of my MIL *wink*) and tore out the 1978 dddddaaaaaarrrrrrkkkkk cabinets, replacing them with a more modern natural oak. (woo hoo!) we also took out the old light and have relpaced it with the "ultra dome" from ceiling concepts. more later!

barn burnin'

oooo....she is at it again!!!! another post....look out!!!

so this morning we met aidan and warren at the park. the boys played or a while and the we went to the CCHM. I don't know when it was actually started the museum, but it was around when i was a kid. but we never went there. it was even just a mile and 1/2 from our last home, drove by it every day. never stopped. but we decided to go. today. i thought i had remembered that tim said his department was having a team building meeting there today, but wasn't 100% sure. so we pulled up and i decided to call him. he said that he was infact in a meeting there. he said that they were locked up in a barn. {at this point you need to stop and go back and click on the link if you haven't done so yet. please look for what you think looks like a BARN on that page. anyone have an answer yet? yes, you in the back? RIGHT! the barn IS red!!! And yes, it IS shaped like a barn, like EVERY barn i have EVER seen!!!! now what about the green and yellow building? there is a TRAIN to the right of it, AND behind the tree there is a sign that reads "depot", keep this in mind}

anywy, we are walking along the trail spouting off facts about the items we are seeing, trying to pique the boys' interests, while they are picking up rocks and screaming "oh! there is another jack rabbit!" or "whoa! i just saw a lizard!"

so we AVOID the RED barn, because (1) he said it was locked (2) he was having a meeting in there (side note, i have NO idea WHY they had there meeting there when they have ample room at their building)

so our next stop on the self guided tour is the TRAIN DEPOT. we walk in, and i hear voices, but assume that they are other people on the tour and keep going in.

uuuuuhhhhhhh WWWWRRROOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!

it was tim's coworkers, bosses and HR people....! THIS IS NOT A BRAN TIM!!!!! sheesh!
so we scurry out, totally embarrassed! does my husband NOT know what a barn is, and could they NOT have locked the door???? helllooooooooo!


oh well. i have yet to hear from tim about what was said on his end. :)

side note, i saw this video {see below} on another blog....you have to read this woman's blog, so stinkin' funny!!!!

okay, quinn is waking up, so i am outta time....follow this link for THE mos wonderful/hilarious baby laughter!!!

alyson taged me...sheesh

i was tagged.
The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (if you don't have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.


randomoddities:

1. i don't know how to type correctly...its is kind of a hunt-n-peck/professional typist hybrid way of typing

2. when i put socks on, I HAVE to pinch the sock between EACH toe before i put on shoes

3. i hate to unload the dishwasher and put laundry away.

4. sometimes i paint with both hands

5. i abhor celery

6. i laugh out loud at america's funniest home videos

7. i have a birthmark on my back that has no pigmentation at all

8. i had a nose ring for 6 days

i am tagging:
emily
wren
sara
brigit
amy

quick update...quinn is sleeping in his big boy bed for naps AND at night time!!! yeah! he is doing well, hopefully we can remove the crib soon.

The knobs on the dresser, bed and armoire (sp?) are fire truck/police car related. tim tried to remove them and replace them with plain wooden knobs and quinn about came unglued!!!! so i guess that will be his "theme" for his bedroom...

i havent been able to paint too much with being so busy with the boys, but i did get a whale done.

ch ch ch changes

the patio guys FINALLY cam back today...sheesh..thought they had run off with our chashish. they are finishing the stamping today and then will stain it tomorrow. we had our shutters installed today too!!! woo hoo! nice & dark!!! ahhhhh.....maybe it will cut down on some of the a/c usage....ha! and drumroll....quinn got a 'big boy' bed!!!! he is so excited, but after an hour of NOT falling asleep for his nap, he decided he wanted to go back to the crib. oh well, baby steps...i would post a pic, but he is sleeping in there. it is aidans old bedroom set, but looks new.

posting pics later.

day 2, sans cousin, Jared & Tessa, and books

quinn attended preschool again on monday, and his cousin was not around for support....so how did he do? due he's a rock star! he even told me 'bout a friend he made too! awe! but the teacher does want me to come for snack time...i guess things were a little crazy and he ended up taking a drink of someone else's juice...the teacher looked as though she was going to pass out...so i will bet attending snack time for at least a little while...no biggie.

need a good read? two of our friends, who happen to be pretty hip world travelers, not to mention wonderful people!, have just MOVED to spain! they moved there for jared to earn his MBA...i am sure they will be having tons of wonderful tales to tell...

speaking of stories...quinn's latest favorite bedtime book is no matter what...if you have kiddos, i recommend it.

an i am spent....phew....now THAT was tough

...FOR ME!

quinn couldn't wait to get rid of me! sheesh! if i hadn't of asked for a kiss i woulnd't have even gotten that! no lookin' back for this kid, just head on into preschool...no crying (on his end)!!!!!

he was great! not a single tear. He went through 'the gate' (safety feature) and was greeted by his cousin -adian- who took him by the hand and began showing him around. (side note: i was watching this from the other side of 'the gate'....his cousin led him to a room off of the main room, where they aren't allowed to go unless the teachers go with, and showed him that room. so of course quinn wants to go in and check it out. aidan comes running over to the teacher, and tells her that quinn went in that room, and the teacher tells aidan to go get him out. aidan tells quinn (i can't see quinn at this point) and aidan runs back to tell the teacher that he wont come out. so the teacher has to go get him. he wasn't in trouble, but that little stinker aidan!!!)

so i watch for a minute longer, and they are playing with the other kids. no freak out, no worries...he is just having a great time.

so i feel useless, and un-needed (is that a word?) and head to my car to go i-don't-know-where while i cry my eyes out. My baby is in preschool!!! being taken care of by someone else! and he didn't bat an eyelash! (which i know is great, but c'mon...a little sad to see me go????)

i call alyson...crying and talking to her as i drive to joanns to look at fabric for new curtains (which i didn't get b/c i was in a daze)...she helped me feel better...she has a fabulous way with words that i will never posess...so i stopped crying, but it felt so weird to not have him there...it was so quite...

i snuck in to pick him up and saw him eating his snacks at the little table with the little chairs, just like all the other kids. aidan spotted me, but i preformed the universal signal for 'shhhh' and he smiled and nodded his head. i watched little quinners be such a big boy, drinking from a big boy cup, sitting there so politely. he finshed his snack and skipped away, i just continued to watch.

another mom came and the teacher said...so-and-so you mom is here...quinn turned around and looked towards 'the gate' and saw me. he squealed with delight..."mommy!" and ran towards me.....i melted inside!!!! ah! he DOES love me!

the teacher gave us the EpiPen back along with his craft for the day, yup, my little guy made his first craft and i got weepy all over again.

he told me about his day in the car, and when he was done i asked if he liked it there and if he wanted to go back. yup. ok buddy, you got it.

so we came home and had lunch...i have never seen him eat a cashew butter and jelly sandwhich so fast, watched a bit of a movie and went to take a nap....and i took one too. i was emotionally spent. phew.

i woke up to the sound of rain...ahhhhhh....and he is still sleeping and that's that.

off to preschool....man i look sharp!



empty...



log cabin & covered wagon


future engineer...

abcd...efg...hijk...lmnop...qrs..tuv...wx..y & z

so i really strongly dislike (hate is such a nasty word) getting up early. REALLY DISLIKE. but i couldn't sleep this morning. at all. i looked at the clock...5:02 am. this is probably the norm for lots-o-folk....but not me. tryed, tryed to go bacl to sleep, no luck. why? completely anxiety stricken. my baby is off to preschool today. not only do i have the standard anxieety about letting you little one off into the world by himself...being taken care of by someome other than me or a close family member....but i also have to deal with the food allergy issues. We are taking baggies of snacks for him to have there and each day we have to take his epipen and benadryl in a baggie. he will do a few 'drop-in' days to get used to everything there, and at the end of august he will go each week, 2 days per week. i spoke with them administrators there the other day for quite some time, i felt better after that. they have had kids with FA before, just not this many or severe. keep us in your thoughts...i will post pics later.

{almost} month in review

ca-ray-zee busy i tell ya!


phew...*maybe* it will be a little calmer now....ha!

so what's been keeping me from posting? well...i was worinking again, creating ads for the fall issue of the henderson happenings for 2 weeks.

i watched aidan a few days and will be watching him more in the near future.

we gor our patio cover finished and i go tomorrow to pick out new cabinets & counter top for the kitchen! woo hoo!

i was getting my graphic design portfolio together.

and i have been getting things & products together for Christmas In July at the Guild.




I will be having a chat on friday at 7 pm...come join us....i BET there might even be a gift for you!!!!

sparklers in hand?

oooo! tomorrow is the fourth! (a dear friends fav-or-ite holiday!)

if ya get the itch to scrap your photos, go grab my newest mini kit, OH My Stars! super cute!

lazy weekend...

i am painting a mural in quinn's playroom, an ocean, here is what i have so far:

friday our patio cover was torn down, and saturday our new one was put up. quinn thought it was pretty cool to watch this go on. this morning we went to see Ratatouille...pretty cute and funny, but a little long and a touch to 'old' for quinn, as far as the plot. very very funny short film before the start, Lifted

and at the guild, our theme for the month is gifts from the heart.
i made a calendar that is business card size, for 2008. you can place your photos under, print them, cut them and set them in a business card holder on a desk, or they can fit in your wallet, great stocking stuffer!!!! start your holiday crafting now!!! :)

hold on to your hats...2 blogs in one week....whoa

so since i had such a horrible experience with ABC Distributing trying to get the inflatable lightning mcqueen bed with expedited shipping (which appearently they can not do..okay what company DOESN'T offer thant!?!?!?) and since their customer service was lacking on many, i cancelled the order and got quinn a bed via Amazon.com, which turned out to be cheaper AND quicker....it isnt' mcqueen, but it is cute and quinn was excited about it, sleeping in it right now! hopefull he will be used to it before vacation!

moved in...

phew....well, we are all moved into the new house, and partially unpacked!!! we just love it and quinn loves his new back yard, all the fruit trees and going for walks in the evening on the golf course.

the mature landscaping is so nice! we have had a few apricots and they are yum-mee! i transplanted my pumpkin seedlings and am crossing my fingers that they make it! i was starting to get blossoms before we moved!!!!

here are a few LOs using my newest item at DSAGuild.com, Hot Rod Charms: Alpha & Hot Rod Charms: Frames.

i.updated.my.blog *wink*

uncle JoeJoe invited us to see the fire station and
we took aidan and quinn to a friend's house to see the baby chickens....