Birthday Parties Galore

Happy Day! You know, spring just got here and I know that some of you still may be in the cold,

but I am really looking forward to summer.

Summer is officially birthday party season in our family. Schools out and we are ready to party!

One little boy and three little cousins with birthdays in June, July, and August.

JJ's birthday is in August. That is when it is usually pretty warm around here in the Pacific Northwest, so we try to do a water-related party. Otherwise, these little guys would just wilt. So we have had a water slide and water balloons for fun. And did they have fun!

 

 

 

                                                          

After some cake and ice cream--a little swing at the piñata is in order.

 

 

 

 

 

Then there's the scrabble for all the goodies.

 

Since they get a little warm after that activity, we come to the water balloon war.

These little guys can have a blast chasing each other around whether they are throwing water balloons or not. But a full blown water balloon fight is just too much little boy fun.

 

 

Here's JJ in a pool full of water balloon madness. Just being the birthday boy water balloon king!

 

 

 

 

After the cake, the play time, and the presents are torn open, it's time to go home. The adults seem ready to go, but not the boys. We give our hugs and kisses goodbye anyway.

 

These are the sweetest days of summer for these little boys that I look forward to. Hot lazy afternoons. Being with family. Sitting under the big old apple tree, in my lawn chair, watching my little guy splash in the pool.

 

Summer will be here before we know it. But in the meantime, I will try to stop and smell the cherry blossoms until then.

 

Are your summers filled with birthdays and lots of family gatherings? Or do you go on a long vacation? Or maybe you do all...lucky you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter

Wishing you a very Happy Easter filled with friends, family, and good food!

Also wishing a Happy Spring from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

What beautiful tulips we enjoyed that day.

Have a blessed day.

Trish

Easter Kitty

Happy Saturday everyone. Meet our family cat Scrabbles.

He was a rescue kitty, and he has a brother named Milky.

They look almost identical except Milky is the chubby one.

Both the brothers are really cute together. Well anyway, Scrabbles was getting in to a little mischief today with the egg tree. Scrabbles is such a good kitty though.  And he looks like a little panther don't ya think?

 

I played around with the color in the pic. It's kind of different. It wasn't really a good pic because Scrabbles kept moving around while I was snapping the camera but I thought I'd share.
Happy evening to you!

Having An Attitude Adjustment

Easter Brunch French Butter Cookies

Easy to make French butter cookies known as Madeleines

These little butter cookies are best described by Marcel Proust in Remembrance of Things Past, where he fondly reminisces of his mother baking them and him eating them fresh from the oven. Strange but sweet memories cookies can bring. The act of watching someone bake and that smell from the oven. Then trying to sneak one while they are cooling and holding them in your hand while they are warm. And finally... washing it all down with an ice cold glass of milk. Sounds good to me.

 If you are really in to literature or Marcel Proust, I hear the book is an interesting
read in a geeky kind of way.

Anyway, Madeleines tend to get dryed out. So eating them warm out of the oven is advised.
You can mix the batter up ahead of time, put it in the refrigerater until you are ready.
Of course you will need a Madeleine pan, which can be found at most houseware sections of a major store. If you have a black nonstick pan, it is best to decrease the oven temp by 25 degrees.

Now here is the trick... Madeleine batter can be a finicky creature at best,
soooo I use pound cake mix with adaptations, crazy right?:

1 pound cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 stick butter, softened

2/3 cup water or milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

These are great for weekends, brunches, or any occasion, when you want something a little
sweet with your coffee or tea.

My Husband Wanted to Strangle Me....Really

Yes, when my husband came home from his business trip one evening, he thought I bought a gerbil. A gerbil? That's how small my sweet little dog, who's appropriately named Squeeky, was.

See the story is I lost my beloved yellow Labrador Retriever that previous summer. He passed away after fourteen years and I really missed him. But when I pulled into a parking lot one cold November day, I was not looking for a dog.

 

My husband said you paid three hundred what?#! I said I had to. I had to save him.

This old man was standing on a street corner with a big sign that said "Pom Pups For Sale."

(Well, I grew up with a Pomeranian...our family actually had two of them.) Soooo I pulled the car around and immediately got out with my little son JJ in tow. Concern was running through my mind. I just hate to see little puppies in a box out in the cold in front of a grocery store. You know I mean?
 

Anyway, the puppies were in a little box in the back seat of his car, freezing I bet. I thought the pups looked pretty cute "coming from a backyard breeder" though. So I did it. I picked out Squeeky. I wanted a boy and I wanted his coloring, and I paid the money. Big mistake? No, not to me. I saved him.

 

 

 

 

Isn't he soooo cute. Who could turn down that cute little face.

Well that cute little face has a barking problem. 
I know...I know....Poms are known for barking. But this little guy hears a leaf blow outside and has a barking fit. Strangle, strangle, strangle.

We have tried everything. Calming pills, herbs, rattling a can of coins, squirting him with a bottle of water, even yelling. Nothing works. And I won't have his yapper surgically removed. That would sound worse. You could still hear him bark and it would break my heart.

 

Believe it or not, he does bring us joy. He can do some cute tricks too. I don't think our neighbors would agree though. But until I find a nice old lady that has a hearing problem, I just can't give him away.

 

See why my husband wanted to strangle me?  But I think he secretly loves Squeeky but won't admit it. Tee hee hee...

Inside The Pinewood Derby

I am so proud of my son JJ and my husband Chris. JJ has been in scouting for four years now and is a Weebelo.

 

One more year of Weebelo and he will be a Boy Scout.

Time just escapes me. Seems like yesterday he was a little Tiger just starting out. So cute.

 

 And for my hubby, he is the Cub Master for the Pack. He is such a good daddy. Such a strong man of character. I appreciate him so much.

 

Well now that I am done bragging, here are a few pics from the famous Pinewood Derby for those of you who are familiar with scouting. A yearly event since 1955 I believe.

 

There are the cars...so carefully built with love and anticipation.
I really think the dads do most of the building though hee hee.  I tried to get a pic of them in action but my camera was not cooperating.

 

Waiting for the big race to start. My hub and JJ.

 

 

 

JJ's car is in the first slot. And the winner is.........

 

 

Second place in his class. Not too bad. But really, he needs a hair cut. He was super proud.

 

It was a really fun afternoon....watching all the little boys bounce off the walls with excitement.

 

 

Our Trip To The Zoo

Happy Saturday to you!

 The weather is just beautiful today in the Pacific Northwest.

It is really getting me excited for spring. But I know in other parts of the country there is snow. I did see some little green buds peeking out though.

 It always brings me such hope, you know what I mean?

 

Here are some pics from a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo to enjoy.

 

This is the zoo I visited as a little girl.

So fun to be there again and watch my little guy enjoy himself. 

 

 

My little guy JJ and hubby are finding their way while I just click.

JJ and hubby know exactly where to go.

 

Some kind of Hogwarts I think...

 

 

 

aaaah so sweet.

 

 

 

Looks yummy don't ya think?

 

It's just nice to take a little quality time away from our hectic lives.

 

Here's to spring coming....woo hoo!

 

Have a fabulous day!

 

 

My Denim Wardrobe Pinspired

I love clothes that are relaxed.

With Spring coming up I have been thinking about changing my wardrobe out. With that in mind...there is something about a good denim shirt, nice fitting jeans or jacket that makes me feel comfortable yet classic.

Just throw on those diamond stud earrings and you are good to go.

 

 I am really ready for Spring and I bet you are too.

But no matter what season, I will still wear my denim. Even with those frilly florals.

Yes...I like my denim for sure.

 

. To see more styles or my sources, please go to "My Style" on my Pinterest boards.

 

Do you have a favorite material to wear?

 

A Few Fave Pics

Snow Baby

Fall Baby

Birthday Baby

 

Partner in Crime

Happy Saturday! This is usually a busy day for our family. You see the guy in the pic? That's my hubby Chris. He has a real job like Monday-Friday. But that doesn't stop there...

 

The weekend hits and it is work-around-the-house time.

If we have a project going, my hubby just jumps right in there, while I am still having my morning cup of coffee watching an HGTV show.

 

What's my hubby doing right now you say? Well he's running an errand. He's really good at running errands. Yep, that's my go getter. Lucky for me.

 

The picture above, by the way, was taken on our trip to France. Oh wonderful France...we mainly stayed in Paris and toured everything. But strangely one of our favorite parts of the trip was sitting outside a bistro people watching. Oh and of course sipping on a beverage of choice. We went in early April and the weather was absolutely beautiful. No rain. Not what I expected.

But for now we are hitting it hard and getting to work. We have got to get our house ready to sell by next Spring, I hope. Can't wait. Want a new-old house to play with.

 

Are your weekends a hit-it-hard time around the house? Do you have any projects planned? Or do you take it little by little?

 

We do have our fun time though...but we enjoy our projects too.

 

 

Planning for a Kitchen Redo

We have been planning a kitchen redo since we moved in this house.

Figures when we want to sell that this redo will actually happen. Now we aren't selling right away, but it is definitely in the cards for us in the very near future. Like I have said...this is a builder grade house...totally. We need to change it up. See what I mean?

We have a ton of DIY projects that will spiff this kitchen up.

First of all we are painting the cabinets white and adding crown to the top.

I am sure some brushed nickel pulls could help. We are also going to change the counter tops and tile the back splash. This doesn't even include fancy new appliances.

By the time we start this project and it's coming around the corner like a freight train our hardwood or should I say hand scrapped laminate floors will be installed. But that is another story.

Oh...I can't forget about wall color too. Top it off with new trim, accessories, and voila!
 We shall see...there is a lot more to do.

Home improvement is so much fun. But for now, it's all in the planning!

 

Are you redoing your kitchen? Where did you start? Painting the cabinets?

 

 

This is my joy...

Here is my second post. Don't worry I won't be counting them pretty soon.

But I have to share my joy...

This is my love, my boy JJ. He is growing so fast I just can't believe it.

I just want to turn back the time to his toddlerhood. JJ was such a lively little guy when he was two. He had me literally running to catch him.

 

 

 

See that little smile. That's my JJ. Now he is in third grade. Like I said, hard to believe the growth, but I love seeing him grow into this wonderful and loving young boy that he is.

 

I just thought I would share him with you. Besides home renovation stuff, JJ will probably show up in a post or two.

 Is time escaping you? Did you turn around and look and have that feeling in your gut how much you missed the little ones?

 

Happy New Year

Happy Day! What a great way to start the new year with a blog. This is my first post. Fitting that a photo of my little boy and horse be on display.

I am just getting a handle on this blogging thing and everyone is probably light years ahead. But I can be pretty handy when it comes down to it. So I will figure this out.

Our family is in the middle of a home renovation/update, and I just had to start a blog to journal the accomplishments and other fun things.

This is by no means our family's first reno. We have renovated two other older classic homes and loved it.

The problem is... we live in this smaller, builder grade home. It's cozy...nothing wrong with it. I am not a snob...that's the last thing, but it happens to be located near the best schools in our county. That's what we wanted for our little boy, so we had to sacrifice the house size a little. Know what I mean?

Our house project has a long list of items to say the least. I will be posting tidbits of all kinds of home reno stuff from building a fireplace mantle, fighting with my husband ha!  updating our bathrooms, replacing the front door to a kitchen redo.
We are also going to paint our house and do a backyard makeover at some point. But for now my plate is full with painting and hardwood floors, and I have a conundrum but that's another story for later.

 Thanks for reading my first post. I am really excited about my home reno journey. I hope your check back for updates.Well, this is all for now...