Lighten Up!

That's just what I did yesterday! I haven't been to the salon in what feels like FOR-E-VER. She also took off an inch :)

BEFORE

AFTER

I'm super happy with the results and it was lovely to sit in a chair for two hours and have someone work on me while I read magazines!

Weekend Happiness

Taxes Done!

New Faucet!

It seems silly to be so happy about a new faucet, but this is a Delta (Arabella) and I feel like I never knew what a real faucet could do until now!

Haircut for Ben!

He's not smiling from the haircut. He's smiling because I'm finally letting him spend some of his Christmas money :)

This cutie!

She absolutely refused to be still for a picture, but I thought she looked so cute for church today!

Sky Blue Toes!

The Grammys and a Bachelor Wedding tonight!

 

Day Trip

Yesterday, we traveled to Lincoln to meet with a financial planner to begin a special needs trust for Sadie. There were lots and lots of details, but we are proud to say we finally have the ball rolling on both Ben and Sadie's future. Wills, and life insurance policies, and mutual funds, and...you get the picture.

Afterwards, we went to a tapas restaurant called Sebastian's Table. I love to take pictures of my food!

 Chickpea Salad, Meat and Cheese Board

Stuffed Poquillo Peppers, Risotto Espanola

I'm lucky that Greg always lets me choose where to dine. I know he would be just as happy with a SuperSonic double cheeseburger, but NOT ME :)

Today was pretty uneventful, but Ben did bring home some lovely grades! He knows the way to my heart :)  And then he promptly pulled out the next publication and named off his picks. That's my Ben.

Tonight, I'm grilling some chicken and admiring these pretty blooms that have almost all opened. I picked a good bouquet this week :)

Happy Weekend!

Busy, Busy

Today was one of those days where I felt like I was just going, going, going!

Some of the high points:

A good workout. I'm reintroducing my body to The Stairmaster. A little antiquated, but it has earned its keep at the gym. Oh, the burn!

A chocolate cake:

Ben is responsible for that large missing hunk ;) He LOVES to come home to a fresh-baked dessert!

The beginning of Spring Cleaning 2014:
First up? The linen closet. There is no "before" shot because, seriously, it was an utter catastrophe. I am very happy with the finished product.

In between, Sadie had double therapy and Ben had scouts and swim, so I was the "mom taxi".  Wouldn't trade it for the world :)

Unplanned Travels

Last Saturday, I was busy preparing for a trip to Texas for a Life Celebration for my stepfather, T.  T was terminally ill with head and neck cancer and was in the care of hospice. I had purchased plane tickets, booked my hotel, and was working on the kid's schedules.  A few hours later, (9:30 pm), I received a phone call from T's wife, Liz, saying that he had passed. Total shock. Expected, yet not expected so soon. He passed peacefully, without struggle or pain. More than we could have asked.

As usual, I went into survival mode, cancelling reservations, booking new travel plans, and waiting for final details.  A week later, I am still in disbelief that a man so full of life is now gone at the age of 55.  I have dreamed of him every night since. I go over memories in my head (good and bad) and hope he knows how much I cared for him. I asked to speak to him the day that he passed, but he was too sedated. He had been sleeping all day. He was dying that day. So sad.

I chose to drive to Texas, so I could spend extra time with my family. Lots of hotels and good food and company!

And I finally met my mom's husband, Mike! He is super sweet with my mom and has my full stamp of approval (I'm sure waiting for my approval has been keeping them up at night! Ha!).

Unfortunately, I was struck with a stomach bug the morning of my departure from the big state of Texas and I honestly do not know how I made it home. But I did. And I will try to forever block that memory. Enough said.

Despite the sadness, the trip was very relaxing for this mama! I was glad to see my family, though, and ready to get back to routine.  Here are some random pics.

 Ben practicing the recorder. So cute! (ask me in a few days if I feel the same...)

Bathroom humor, no doubt.

Hot wings from a neighboring town that were a little too painful. He needs to toughen up!

Sadie post-bath. Love :)

Have a great weekend!

Hump Day

I was up bright and early to get the kids off to school. More snow overnight! It never ceases.

Sadie was super excited to go back. Ben..not so much, but I know he missed his friends and was getting bored at home.

This is Sadie when I picked her up. Worn. Out.

Ben came home with a great report card and was super stoked that I would be shelling out some $$ in his direction. He wouldn't cooperate for a picture. He also received his Breakout hoodie at church this evening for completing all of his lessons. Breakout is the youth group for his age.

Today was filled with a workout, errands, laundry, and cooking. And now its 8:20. Where did the hours go?

Sadie had an incident with the dining room chair. The chair won.

On the menu: Chicken and Biscuits - One of Ben's all time favorites! I loaded it with chicken because the boys like to eat meat with a side of meat ;)

Happy Wednesday!

Better Weather

I actually felt a hint of warmth today! It was still super cold, but the sun was out and outside life was bearable again.

Ben broke out his Christmas stocking Fun Dip. Can't believe it took this long! Look at that holiday bed head :) He has lost his two upper incisors over the last month and has a molar coming in. The orthodontist sees him quarterly to monitor his spacing. Didn't you need to know that?

Not the best picture, as Sadie refuses to act on command, but she opened 3 kitchen drawers today and stood up to peer inside! Our drawers are a little hard to open and she realized she needed to use two hands. Exciting!

Swim practice resumed tonight and Ben was happy to take his new swim bag.  I hesitated on the purchase until I knew he was really invested. The unveiling...

That's all for today. School starts back tomorrow and I get some "mommy time" back. WOOHOO!

Just a Monday

We are slowly getting back into the swing of things as winter break comes to end. The bitter cold remains and most schools/extracurricular activities were closed.  I ventured out only once today to take Sadie to speech therapy and that was enough outside time for me!

Just a few random pictures..

She wanted an extreme close-up!

The boys relieved their "cabin fever" with some racquetball.

There has been this 5 ingredient icebox pie recipe floating around Facebook, so I had the boys pick up the ingredients while they were out. It's just like I remembered it! YUM

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

And by cold, I mean you cannot stand still. You must keep moving very fast to your destination. I've even heard predictions of wind chills of -30. What!? I must have heard you wrong, Mr. Weatherman. Please tell me I heard you wrong. We made it to church and out to lunch, but it was brutal.

I smartened up and wore my North Face base layer under my jeans to go grocery shopping and I was very, very glad I did. Our meals this week will include chili, roast, and chicken soup - warm and comforting was the theme I had in mind.

In other news, Ben and I ventured to Norfolk yesterday for a swim meet and were able to swing by Target to spend some gift cards that were burning holes in our pockets.

Ben bought some "only at Target" Halo items. Poor boy is such a victim of marketing.
And I picked up some super cute clothes for Sadie as we (hopefully) transition into Spring.

School starts back in 3 days and I think they are more than ready. I took some pics of preschool pics the school had given me prior to break. I just love to get these! Sorry for the quality.

Outside in the playhouse

Snack time

Celebrating Dr. Seuss

That's all for today.

I'm off to put on my footed, onsie pajamas and have a bowl of chili!

I Could Get Used To This

I am loving these vacation days with both kids at home, sleeping in, watching movies, playing games, cooking and baking...

Yesterday, I ran a few errands and scored these cute cardinal salt and pepper shakers 75% off!

And then, my new 2014 planner came in the mail!

An upcycled book from Etsy (of course!)

I've already started filling it up...

And then a heated game of Scrabble with the boys

which led to this...

I won, of course ;)

And today has been tons 'o paperwork: bill paying, scout organizing, doctor scheduling, swim meet preparing, etc.. and now its time to get baby girl up from her rest (with a little help from brother).

Happy Friday!

Happy New Year 2014!

We awoke to a blanket of snow!

Did some building!

Ate some great food!

And ended with a warm bath!

I hope to blog much more this year and have 365 days of pictures to look back on.

Here's to a great 2014...!