oh mama...

my friend lydia
is an awesome photographer.
my chandelier friends
are awesome mamas.
the chandelier kiddos
are numerous & awesome.
& about a month ago we put
all of that together
& the world did not explode...
in fact
some pretty great stuff happened...


22 kids in all (with one on the way)
seriously
that's a lot of kiddos!


Q & E, his buddy since birth...


brea & her girlies
i love the treatment lydia gave this one...
& they are too cute!


janna & sweet a :)


dawn & her posse
(ages 10 months-19 years...she's incredible!)

emily h & her little elves
(& one on the way! she's got energy to burn...
though she probably wouldn't say so :)


& michele & her eight (8!) beauties
she is amazing
& all of her kiddos are so cool...


then it was the mamas turn...
cute mamas...




hot mamas...



happy mamas...this shoot was so fun
& such a great way to do it...
we were all there together
so when lydia was shooting each mama
everyone else was watching the kids...
& i think when she was shooting the kids
they were more relaxed too
because they were just playing with their friends
& then looking at the camera...

if you are an oregon mama
i would highly recommend contacting lydia
& talking to her about doing this with your friends...
(her email is on her site)
the pictures were done specifically for father's day
(a surprise!)
but they ended up being so much more than that...
gifts to ourselves
(when was the last time you had a professional picture taken
just of you?)
gifts to our kids
(in their natural state :)
it was just awesome...

check lydia's site
& you can see the rest of the pictures
from our shoot
in this album...

& think about doing it...
really.
you won't be sorry...

:)

happy pappy...

happy father's day to my two favorite dads...
you guys are awesome!
:)

for father's day
i gave Q & miss m a quiz about their dad...
here are some highlights
(i typed it exactly how they said it)

What is something dad always says to you?
Q- when i kind-of hurt my sister he says this ‘Quinn your job is to take care of your sister’ he kind-of always says that

What is his favorite thing to do?
Q- hmmmmm well, like um be with me & merra & be with mom & just be with his family
M- we like to play outside & snuggle buggle

What makes dad sad?
Q- when you, okay, like when like, i had a time when me & merra were fighting & i said ‘fine’ & pushed merra over on the cement & dad sent me to my room. that made him kind-of sad
M- (makes a sad face)

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
Q- hmmmm oh! like um wrestle with another man! & another famous thing: be the guy who always beats up the other guy. & he could be in the newspaper.
M- working in the garage

How tall is your dad?
Q-10
M- like this (holds her hand up over her head)

How do you know your dad loves you?
Q- hmmmm i know because like sometimes when i’m mad & i umm & i say this “you don’t love me!’ he says ‘Quinn i love you so much!’ that’s how i know
M- he says ‘yay merra!’ (x 42)

isn't that exactly how you want to be loved?
to know that the person loves you even when you are mad &
feel like no one loves you
& that they are your biggest fan...
:)

i feel so lucky to have a great dad
& to get to see brian be a great dad...

very cool...

:)

(& when did my son become a valley girl?
he said 'like' about 57 times...
wonder where he gets that...)
:)

that bad mom...

sometimes
at the park
there's this one kid
who is just a little too excited about being at the park
& he's just holding it together
but then at some point his craziness
just gets away from him
& he ends up hurting someone.
& the moms at the park are looking around for his mom
'who's kid is this?'
their faces say
'who could have raised such a hooligan?'
& they find her
& she is texting on her phone & didn't even
see said event take place...
when informed she apologizes
& tells her son to apologize
but he refuses.
further proof that this is one bad mama...
& the kid
the wild kid
he starts having a fit
a monumental fit
calling his mom mean names
& flailing around...
the park moms walk away
talking under their breath
& shaking their heads
'no wonder our world is such a scary place'
their backs say
'with kids like that on the loose'

today that kid was Q
& that mom was me.
crap.

:(

ps the girl was just fine.
Q is in time out.
i am trying to forgive myself.
& him.

pps for the record
the mean names were
idiot, stupid & baddest mom ever in the world.
sigh.

ppps not ALL of the moms were like that.
one mom, who i know
smiled & waved as we left
(thanks, meg, that got me to the car
without crying...)

pppps the worst part about this
is that i have been like those other moms
lots of times
thinking
'sheesh, get a hold of your kid, lady!'
it goes around
& comes back.

click, click, click, click

e: i don't care what movie we go to, i just want to see it at the vrc theater
bg: why? are the seats more comfortable?
e: no, i just like it better...
bg: why?
e: i just do
bg: why?
e: i just like it!
bg: there has to be another reason
e: okay, okay...it has a photo booth
bg: aha! well, we definitely don't have enough photo booth pictures...

:)

ps i have done so many of these
you would think that i would have some sort of plan
like
'pic 1: serious face
pic 2: stick out tongues
pic 3: kissie face
pic 4: smile'
but no...
every single time
'what should we do?!'
1 second before the shutter clicks...
so we get smile, (crazy) smile, kiss kiss...
not that i'm complaining...

:)

pps i'm thinking bangs are coming soon
for that shiny forehead
wowie!

:)

world wide wonders: today i am loving...

(photo from color me katie)

this post check out all those toes!
(shelley & brian grew up on the same street...
shout out to indiam springs circle!)

color me katie every bit of it is awesome
but i love this post in particular
(& the one below it, too)
(found through
guess who?
tara :)

the idea of a memorial quilt... rachel at bling on my sewing machine
(great name, huh?) talks about it in this interview...
very sweet, very cool....

oh, posie, i love you! the comments on this post
are really fun to read...she asked about sewing & when you first learned
or if you don't sew would you ever want to learn...
over 1000 comments later, i think she has a few answers :)

eat, pray, love is one of my favorite books
in fact i just rebought it a couple of weeks ago
($2.99 at goodwill & it's $.01 on amazon + shipping of course:)
i need to reread it this summer for sure...
this video of elizabeth gilbert is great...



what are you loving this week?

:)

you didn't see this here but....

it's someone's birthday 'round this house
& he's taller than everyone else
& has less hair than everyone else
(i love the shaved head...)
& he works harder than everyone else
& he doesn't like to have a big deal made of his birthday
UNLIKE everyone else
but sometimes you just can't help it...
because he is loved so so much
by everyone else...
:)

happy birthday you know who!

ps besides the fact that Q insisted on writing 'brian' instead of 'daddy'
(sound familiar, rona? :)
my favorite part of this card is that
in the picture of our fam at the bottom
he labeled each of us with our first initial...

hmmmm
i wonder where he got that idea....

huh...
not sure...

:)

in search of...

Q: 'not sure, i just want to look around & see what i can find, maybe a little gumball machine that gives you gumballs whenever you want one. so i need a lot of money'

miss m: 'teddy bear, dora shoes & that's all. oh & a dress too!'

emily ruth: bright pots, rick rack & the ever elusive honey stick

let the hunt begin!

:)

some days

the treasures
they just have your name on them...

:)

3 favorite things...

:)

laugh. cry. make stuff. repeat.

what a fun day we had on saturday!
the crop was just fun from beginning to end
a few people rocked the entire day from 9am to 9pm
(go amy & michelle!)
& other girlies made shorter appearances
but they were no less wonderful to play with :)
(hope your date was fun, kim:)

the boutique was full
& we had people stopping by to shop all day
(fun to see you, jess & lisa & andria! :)
which i love!

the day did not go as planned
& i'm so glad for that!
usually we put food out
& let people just eat when they want to
where they want to...
but there were only six of us left at dinner time
& so we all ate together at the table
in jill's cute kitchen...

(emily ruth cooks calzone:)

michelle & amy both wrote really great things about
our dinner together on their blogs
& so i will just say
that i am so thankful for a group of ladies
who just decided to let go
& share from their hearts...
difficult experiences to start & hilarious ones to end :)
i know it has something to do with scrapbooking...
we are used to expressing ourselves
outside of ourselves
(usually on cardstock, but you know...:)
it was just a really neat way to end the day
& for sure we will add eating dinner all together
to the schedule for next years summer crop
mark your calendar :)

all of the pictures here were swiped from michelle's blog
(thanks michelle!)

isn't this a cute one?

goodies...

the last four standing :)

(me, amy, jill & michelle)

so thanks, to kim, amy, michelle, tina, leauriy & rebecca
for sharing such a great day...
thanks, girls!

& of course, jill :)
i love creating these fun events with you, dear!
you are awesome!

:)

& for those of you interested
our super fun september come play is being planned right now
there will be cocoa daisy kits
& some great instruction
& of course the coburg antique fair
(6am on sunday...woohoo!)
come play is september 12
& coburg is the 13th...
mark your calendars
& look for more info in your in box
& here!

:)

if seeds were wishes...

some people plant seeds...

& others plant dreams...

after we planted the pumpkin seeds
brian, Q & i were working in the backyard
& someone else was planting wishes in the front...
:)
how cool would it be if you really
could grow shoes ?
i would totally have a green thumb...
& a green toe...

:)

croppin' & shoppin' (oh boy...)

i would love to see you for our summer sale
it's going to be super fun
lots of cute stuff & good deals
(& sun...please? let there be sun!)

we are also spending the day being crafty
whatever craft you're into
knitting, sewing, stamping, wood carving
scrapbooking, needle felting
stitching, card making, taxidermy...
whatever!
you can come play all day
or just part of it
check the come play blog for more info on the
come play summer crop & craft day :)

also if you want to shop
click the graphic up there to go to the
creative boutique blog for directions to jill's cute house...

i would love to see your bright smiley faces!

:)

happy birthday to

the cutest girl on any block

i love you, kate!
you are a great sister
fun friend
& wonderful mom!
it's been so fun to watch you become a mom this past year!
you are so good with your boys
& they are going to grow up
(heightwise way past you before the age of 12...i'm predicting:)
knowing that their mom loved them
so so much & loved being with them!

you are the funnest girl i know!
i wish we lived closer
so that we could go just be sisters together
(leave the kiddos for a bit:)
but we are making it work:)
(special thanks to texting, email,
cel phones & facebook for keeping us connected :)

hope your day is wonderful!
(don't neglect your motherly duties too much
while you are designing new outfits
wink wink:)

:)

world wide wonders: whirlwish

super cool
& cute
just the thing i needed today...

:)

ps
& all of those cute skirts & shoes!
so fun!

video by jen gray via superhero journal

Quicasso

mom & me by Q
dark hair
hazel eyes
yellow dress (i wish i had one)
yellow necklace (that too!)
big happy smile because i'm with my favorite boy

yep he nailed it :)

i need answers...

how can you not wish for more hours in the day
when there are just so many neat things to do?
this is not rhetorical.
how do you (you!) decide what is worthy of your time?
& how do you (yes you!) say goodbye to what isn't?
tell me
tell me
please...

:)

all i need

for a 7 mile
(excuse me 'quarter marathon')
walk/jog/stroll
with friends
tomorrow...
the ipod is just in case my friends are faster than they claim to be
& then i will walk with my podcasts
happily.
& the shoes are for...
well, i hope you know what shoes are for...

also
i realize that in order to avoid being
arrested &/or uncomfortable i also need
some pants
a shirt
a nicely supportive sports bra
socks with no seams
& some strategically placed vaseline...
but the shoes & ipod are my favorite parts...

& so off i go
driving to stay with my sister first
(hooray!)
then meeting the girls at the race in the morning
& then hopefully
in full use of my legs
making my way to someplace grand
to wander & enjoy
& then home & bed
& a wake up on sunday morning
to a joyous, as Q says,
mudder's day
(yep, just like the song:)

it's looking like a fine weekend is in store:)
(& if it's not
i will be sure to be back here
telling you ALLLLLL about it...)

:)

playing with paper & kids...

the cocoa daisy may kit
was fun to play with
i always have fun playing with the kits, actually
even if i wouldn't have chosen the items when shopping on my own...
i mean what's not to like?
i open the mailbox
inside there's a magic key to a bigger mailbox
& inside is a box full of paper & ribbon & embellishments
who's complaining about that?
not me!
& then there was this paper
this paper that told me it wanted to have light
glowing through it
& i'm not one to go against talking paper...
here's what they look like when it's not glowing
just baby food jars
with paper wrapped around them
not quite so magical
they are incognito...
watch out when the lights go out...

& then i had one strip left
& lately if anything is 2 or 3 inches wide
& longer than a two feet
it's a headband...
thankfully this was white
cause black would have just been cammo
though i guess i do have a blondie running around here somewhere...
this kit is called strawberry lemonade
doesn't that cute name just make you want to buy it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

& then this great post
ten tips for being a more lighthearted parent
(linked from simple lovely another super blog)
i love them all but my favorites:

1. At least once a day, make each child helpless with laughter.
4. Wake up before your kids.
7. Look for little ways to celebrate.

so go read them...
they are good
& hopefully one or two will stick...
that's what i'm hoping for...
:)

Q & e

so i really did finish the little table on friday!
seriously!
don't get in the way of a girl & her paint
(if there is enough time & sun & the kiddos are playing happily nearby...)
& paint was my original idea
but
BUT
then i wondered about sharpies
& considering that we got this table just before
someone was taking it to goodwill
i decided to try it...
i love sharpies
almost every holiday brian gives me a set with all of the new colors...
love love love!

the benefit to using sharpies is that they dry instantly
so i didn't have to say
'oh! don't touch that!'
or 'ugh. now i need to redo that part'

we had fun
it was a team effort Q & i:)

first i did the top
Q requested rockets
so stars & rockets it was...
the downfall of having an instant gratification personality
(besides the obvious: weight gain, empty wallet & no fingernails)
is that i get an idea
& i just want to do it
don't bother me with the facts!
so instead of taking the time to sand off the stickers
that were on the top of the table
i just painted right over them
& already they are starting to show themselves...
oh well
it's a desk for a 5 year old
it was going to get dinged & chipped anyway...
(another sign of instant gratification personality:
excuses why what i did was really okay)

so
then i asked him what we should do on the sides
& he said 'Q's!'
& so we each took a side...
Q's by Q

Q's by me
(blurrrrrrry)then Q pooped out so
i worked on the other sides
& did more what i had been picturing in the beginning...


& even though it's different than my original idea
i am so happy that Q & i got to be creative together...
he's a fun one!

here's to things not going the way you planned
& ending up much better...

(guest smiley by Q)