Splendid

Stop the Junk Mail!!!

I don't know about you, but I am up to my eyeballs in junk mail.  I cannot believe how much junk mail I receive on an average day!  Flyer's for plumbers, home-security, hams on sale, magazines for trap shooting and human anatomy study aids.  Ridiculous!  I just moved and already the onslaught of telemarketers has begun for every possible thing under the sun.  I signed up for the National Do-Not Call Registry which helps, but then thought about all the junk mail I get. I recycle it, but thought why even get it at all???  I remembered seeing this website and thought I'd sign up.  For each $19.95 subscription they stop all flyer's, catalogs and unwanted junk mail (unless you specifically request a catalog from a company, they will stop coming), but also plant a tree for you!  Cool, huh?   

I'm baaaaaaack...

Well, I'm swimming in half opened boxes and have box tape stuck to the bottom of my feet, but we're in!  I love my new home!  It's better than I thought.  It needs some tweaking and little fixes here and there, but the character and energy is so wonderful.  I can't wait to decorate.  It's almost 100 years old, and has plaster walls which I'm told can be tricky in hanging pictures.  My mom comes in a week and a half and so I'm leaving that job to her.  For those whom do not know her, she's Martha Stewart squared.  She can decorate, use a jigsaw, bake amazing pies and breads, sew and upholster, paint GORGEOUS watercolors, do floral arranging like an upper class florist, and even tell you what stocks to buy or not since she's a VP of a bank (sorry Martha...)  Anyhoo, I will be uploading pictures of the new place a lot lately, so stay tuned!

The girls are happy here, and love having the third floor all to themselves, They have their own large bedroom, playroom and bath.  Pretty nice setup! I'm painting up there as soon as I unpack.  McKaylah already has their room planned.  Two green walls and two blue tone on tone floral walls like we saw on Anna's Flicker. I'm not sure yet about the other rooms or bedrooms.  I thought I'd see how the light plays on the walls for a couple months first. I do know what we'll be doing in the kitchen, but that will all happen in the spring or summer. New cabinets, counters, etc.  Ikea has great ones! All that to come!

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving week! 

tag, you're it!

tag, you're it quiz! copy and paste this to your blogs gals...

Yourself: trying to pack so I can move outta here, feeling excited and anxious

Your partner: a great person, friend, dad, handsome, hard-working 

Your hair: long, black and in need of deep conditioning

Your mother:  my best friend, awesome, supportive, smart, talented, creative

Your father: quiet, serious, hard worker, real firecracker there!

Your favorite item: hard to say, maybe my scrapbooks

Your dream last night: don't rememeber 

Your favorite drink: water and Tazo chai lattes (preferably iced)

Your dream car: hybrid range rover-there isn't one that i know of yet, but by the time i'll be able to afford one, there will be.  i also like the mini coopers

Dream home: somewhere up by lake tahoe, with a windowed sitting room

The room you are in: my office

Your fear:  my children being hurt

Where you want to be in 10 years: hopefully watching my oldest graduate from high school, going on wonderful family excursions abroad 

Who you hung out with last night: dave, my kids, julie, steve. their kids, ana, joe and their kids for my bday 

You’re not: a procrastinator, i'm almost compulsive about having my ducks in a row for big issues 

One of your wish list items: travel with my family

The last thing you did: kissed my girls goodnight

You are wearing: sweat pants and a tank top

Favorite Season: fall, love it!

Your favorite book: hard to say, some are "she's come undone" or "anne of green gables"

Last thing you ate: gelatto for my birthday instead of cake

Your life: wonderful, i'm usually pretty chipper

Your mood: overwhelmed and a little stressed out.  moving sucks!   

Your best friend: lainie 

What are you thinking about right now: how I should getting ready for bed

Your car: black nissan murano

What are you doing at the moment: typing this

Relationship status: happily married, 11 years

What is on your t.v: i rarely watch TV, but i like food network and hgtv

When is the last time you laughed: with my sister tamera 

I am tagging lainie, sarah, tara and ANYONE READING THIS.

i was spoiled today! happy birthday to me!

   today is my birthday.  in the midst of packing, inspections and homeschooling, we had a lovely day. we had cereal and chai lattes picnic style in the living room since it was a bit chilly this morning outside. (yes, i allowed my daughters a small chai latte as well, it's my bday.) we did school while the pest inspector and c/o inspector came through the house, later a plumber (that's a shitty job-bah da dah-insert drums there.) we enjoyed the afternoon with a quick walk around the block and then back here for more packing and laundry folding while i watched food network (that giada is something!) hubby came home, we ate a simple dinner since i have most of everything packaged up (only 8 more days ya' all!) and then played a few games of uno and old fairy (like old maid.) i saw somewhere on a blog about a list of experiences one blogger had in the last year.  i thought about that today.

1. this last year has been really exciting and stressful all at the same time. we moved out here from the west coast, not knowing anyone. 2.  i said good-bye to my sweet, sweet granny right before she died, right before we moved out here. 3. we put our daughter(7) in school, pulled her out after 5 weeks when she started to become depressed. started homeschooling, what a wonderful and yet super challenging experience that has been. 4. bought this house, turned around 6 months later and put it on the market because we decided since my hubby's office was moving to the philadelphia airport area, not only would commuting be hellish for him, it also means we could get out of this area that we don't necessary like, closer to all of our new homeschooling friends. 5. i miss my mom, we're really close, and my kids are very close with her as well. 6. went to washington d.c for the first time, saw it all from the white house-and picketers- to the washington monument. 7. went to nyc  8. went to cape cod, nantucket, rhode island, massachusetts, connecticut-mystic pizza-,yum... 9. started studying herbs again, looking through my old herbal apprenticeship photos with a big smile. 10. started compiling kids clothing design ideas. 11. made some wonderful new friends 13. sold my house, and am buying a new fabulously homey one in a super Martha-ish neighborhood.

last night my good friend julie had me over for a bday dinner.  she made a delicious mexican themed dinner since she knows mexican is my fave!  and look at these gorgeous pillowcases, aren't they beautiful?  she made me a matching set. for my girls bdays she made them each a pillowcase, fairies for mckaylah, mermaids for ava.  they are really amazing. i know aimee ray and amy hart would be impressed. what a special gift!

above you'll see the sweet little vintage windmill salt and pepper shakers my bf lainie in san diego sent me today. she knows i have a thing for windmills. she knows a lot about me. i miss her a lot, too.

see my new super cute purse from my pal ana whom i met last year when i first moved here...this is a funny, cosmic type of story really...see, we were meant to meet. she may not agree wholeheartedly, but we were (hee, hee.)  she's the head fashion designer for my favorite clothes line which i've been wearing for years..., she came to my bday dinner last night and gave me this super luxurious silk bag. cute, huh.. jealous, aren't you?

from hubby and my girls...well, of course from this place

   

                                                                                                                   

and from my mommy, "amongst friends" by lisa kaus, an original. this will be my color inspiration for my new home's kitchen...

  okay, okay, i know i was spoiled and don't mean to brag, but i've been really, really good. promise! 

ciao

trick or treat!

we had a fun time trick-or-treating here in our neck of the woods last night. our pals invited us to their block since they live in a neighborhood that goes crazy for halloween.  as you can tell mckaylah was hermione  granger (although instead of her usual flip flops she donned her orange flowered rainboots) and ava, as usual, changed her costume last minute to a witch.  good thing we have so many dress-up clothes.

they love running from house to house, filling up their bags with yummy chocolates and lollipops.  i remember as a kid that same feeling.  it's one of the only times a year parents encourage us to be glutenous.

we usually have a kick-a*@ halloween party each year, but unfortunately this year we are knee deep in boxes here, so i can't wait for next year when my house will look this !

earlier in the day we went to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed the usual; hay rides, pumpkin bread muffins, apple cider shushies...yuuuuummm...

happy fall ya' all!

my sweet punkins'

on the hay ride

the beginning of a pumpkin; the flower here actually becomes the pumpkin-just a little homeschooling pumpkin trivia

        out in the fields