Lucky Little Leprechauns...

Remember this:

Well this is what they have evolved into so far:

By the time I am dome with them they will be hanging from my ceiling like ornaments. Of course mine is the one with the big feathers and hubs is the one with the big lucky # 7 on it because that is what we are a family of 7 (how strange and still mind boggling @ times).

I am completely obsessed with St Patrick's Day this year and already have the corn beef and cabbage ready to go. Didn't use to be a crafter by any means but with kids it's turned me into a full blown crafting holiday celebrating fool. If anybody knows me well then they already know that I think green is a great color and just about goes with anything as an accent color, so naturally I had to jump on the "Good Luck Green" bandwagon. Anyway that combined with the fact the our ancestors used to have a O' at the beginning of our last name makes me really get into celebrating the Irish spirit.

Plus just look at these little leprechauns and you can see that I must have found the pot of gold @ the end of the rainbow. The girls think we should start a new tradition of making cookies for the leprechauns..I think we should too.

         

Take my word for it, taste connect memories and earache is gone.

Every time I eat Red Vines licorice it brings me back to swim lessons as a kid.  I can almost taste the chlorine right now.  Our swim teacher used to reward us with licorice and to this day when I eat it it takes me back to those warm summer days.  Taste is supposed to connect memories almost stronger than anything else. That must be true because today I bought some of my favorite little sesame seed snacks and when I bit into it took me back to a wood paneled station wagon, Skaggs Drug store and herbs.  Sometimes my Mom would even wear a bandana on her head on such excursions.  I've been wearing scarfs more often these days to hide another no wash hair day.  I wonder if she had the same purpose in mind or if it were just purely style.  Funny how it takes going through something to fully appreciate it.  I appreciate my Mom so much now more than ever as I try to raise kids.

Back to the sesame seed crunch bar.....Would I love them as much as I do if Mom wouldn't have introduced them to me at such an early age.  We got them as a treat while we waited "patiently" as she got the natural remedies mixed with conventional remedies or whatever it was she was getting @ Skaggs & I have loved them ever since. The sesame seed crunch do make me cross-reference to golden seal though, so maybe that's what she was buying when we got our little treat.  Well today as I was buying a natural remedy for a childs ear infection I saw some sesame seed crunch's @ the check-out and naturally found myself adding them to the tab.  I wouldn't want to break the tradition because it feels so good.  Which brings me to the fact that we are more environmentally programed than we think.  I'm not saying I didn't come pre-programed with the propensity to gravitate to certain things (like research & health), I'm just acknowledging that my Mom has had a huge impact on me and, I am thankful to have inherited (genes or not) all above discussed because I think I may have been able to finally help to ease the discomfort of my child today.....

Well after going on 3 days of a child complaining that her ear hurt I was determined to stay out of the Dr.'s office.  Silver Shield it had to be.  I'm not an easy sale but the promises this liquid makes are huge.  After trying it on several occasions the stuff seems to not only work but work fast (the trick to using this stuff on an ear infection is to lay down on side and put a few drops into ear and let it sit 10 minutes while it goes to work).  We are now at a 5 for 5 success rate so I think it's safe to say I am believer and am also considering stock piling on this stuff.  Within two hours big "M's" earache was gone with the wind.  It really has been magic in a bottle.

Actually if you were to research it you would find out it is the forgotten antibiotic. I really feel passionate about this stuff & wanted to profess my love of you Silver Shield right here on my blog. If you want to now more just google bubonic plague and silver or just read here. This sight however endorses their own line of silver which I have not tried because I am partial to the above Silver Shield because of the way it is processed. Really I am putting this stuff on my top 10 essential must have items. If you want I will even tell you what else I've used it for, but not here on blogland.  Call me!  

Now that I have one less child off the sick list I have more time to think of this:

photo via domino

Laundry & Projects...like Death & Taxes.  They're always there.

Believe me I will have a couple more projects done by this week. Did I just say that out loud. Well I guess I better live up to it.

A birthday love hangover

This picture looks like how I felt on my birthday!!

I'm still feeling the love from my birthday. So many thoughtful people out there in my world. Day started out with a surprise package on the front door from Kimmie Sue and they just kept coming all day. A few highlights:

*Sister called from Korea
*Saw my Mom in a very special place
*Hit the birthday thrift store jackpot
*Almost backed into cousin as she surprised me with her famous individually wrap homeade cookies (who does that?)
*More phone calls, in which one of them the kin in Portland sang
*Mailbox full of cards

*Sister-in-law gave me sweet books
*Super cute apron Mom made
*Found a new but old fashioned ice cream parlor on 7th Ave
*A scheduled 10am visit from a loyal friend

*Fresh fish tacos
*Lots of flowers (even from hubby)
*A surprise visitor at the tail end of the day (who I thought was the law coming to get me for the picture they took of me driving on the road)
*Lot's of birthday kisses from half pints

Thank you again to all of those who sent their LOVE! I adore everyone of you.

    

I had the fresh honey banana ice cream.  Hey whatever happened to ice cream parlors anyway, kind of a dying breed.  I used to get the bubble gum ice cream from Swensen's in my younger years before they turned it into a Chinese Buffet.  Oh and remeber Farrols..they even gave birthday kids special hats to wear. 

Then on the day after B-day, dear sweet Grandma Jones (that's just what the kids call her), called me over to have a birthday celebration in her secret garden.  She doesn't let her age slow her down.  She stays busy keeping up on her beautiful flower gardens.  I think everone should go to her back yard at least once.  Just a side note:  Grandma Jones has no problem giving foot rubs and makes the best soup.  Love her!







I kept losing the boys in the secret garden.  Have you wondered why they have failed to make any birthday appearances...they're not into holding still right now.  They were more interested in splashing in the cat's water dish.  Plus after baby chubba la hara broke the glass ice cream cup it all went down hill fast.  The girls and I ate our ice cream in peace after they were transferred from their high chairs to their car seats.  Daddy ate his ice cream on the curb next to the car and said he could barely hear them cry after he shut the car doors.

Look who turns......

{picture originally was taken by sister for part of husbands Valentine's present I never finished}

%$#??@@&^*%# today.  I'm only embarrassed to share my age because my Mom turned 29 again this year so that would make me a really mature looking 8 year.  Could you imagine what a stir that may cause.. 

As you can see from the above picture, I am looking really hard to try and find the age old answer. I've seemed to misplace my age. This year I actually thought I was going to be one year older than I really am. I'm serious ask my sister...she's the one that heard me screaming shouts of pure joy after I discovered I was off by a whole year. I guess I was getting a little too proud of this getting older stuff. Let's not get carried away though because I don't want to rush it or anything. I do however love the fact that I feel more comfortable in my skin as the years go by. To think I used to get really embarrassed about alerting people it was my special day.

Also, I just wanted to throw this out there today...I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given to come to earth to figure out the purpose of life on this very day a few years back.  I'm kind of a slow learner sometimes but will continue to embrace opportunity to progress.  Which leads me to how I feel about my family unit.  Can we say that the family unit is where I believe most of the refinement process is able to happen...Thank you to all of my family & friends for helping me to be a better person.  A special shout out to Ma & Pa for helping to get me here as well.  Again I have a long way to go but really want to celebrate today as it has been the day that started my life's journey.

Ok enough of all that and on to my birthday wishes for today:

Besides world peace of course...

I wish I would be with my whole family driving up the coast {in the above piece of awesomeness}  from Northern Cali. to where we would end up in Portland to visit one of my all time favorite people (my sister).  We would all then go to Farmers Markets and shop at all of the Artisan places only after we went to the beach a couple of times.  Pure heaven! 


Next, I wish to go back to Las Vegas and play a game, you know where the all knowing guy says he can either tell you what your weight, your age or your birthday is. If he loses you win a prize. Well last time I played that game I won by a landslide in the age category.  I'm just hoping for a repeat if you know what I mean.  That would make my day, considering 2 people in the last few days asked me if I was my sister-in-laws aunt and then yesterday some carpet cleaner dude asked if I was my kids preschool teacher's mom (um wouldn't that make me 50, which I guess is the new 30 anyway so I'll try not to get my panties in a wad).  Not exactly what you want to hear when it's not cool anymore to be Botox free at my age.  No I don't have a complex.  Who really cares that I called two friends today to confirm.

 

I sure love all of my friends and family.  Thanks for all of your gifts and kind words.

These rock my socks.

Unlike the outcome in the above picture series...I am so HAPPY!

I just got brand new shoes for the boys that do not require socks. Do you know how huge that is to only have to hunt down 6 (ok let's make it 10) little shoes without having to find socks to go with them. Plus I've never been a fan of socks anyway...they just seem to suffocate the feet.

I am so happy, REALLY!  This is going to be a great week.

I will miss these little tiny shoes when we start to swap out for larger ones as the years roll by.

Ending the week and still thinking pink.

Can't wait to meet baby girl!

Good week thus far. Thinking in pink.

Feeling lazy lately so I just wore the same outfit 3 nights in a row to three different events, that's how we do it @ our house.    We like to conserve on laundry.  

Aren't having friends the best.  You know the ones where you could go without talking for a long time and just pick up right where you left off.   

I met up with the other two girls in the below picture for dinner this week. They were here on business and are still going strong working their stock market hours @ my old place of employment.   Sometimes I have to be honest and say that thinking about going back to work seems like it would be a break.  Being a Mom @ full force takes a strong woman who is not weary of heart.  Could not imagine throwing work into the Mom mix.  I don't know how all of my working Mom friends do it.

Speaking of strength in women and Moms, the below picture represents.  Between all 3 of us we have 15 kids.  Friend on the left has a set of triplets and we all know that I had my five in 2 pregnancies.  We used to hang out back in our single days and never would have guessed that our life would take us to where we are now.  I haven't forgotten to mention my friend pictured in the middle.  Not only does she have five kids but she is fighting stage 3 breast cancer.  She is way to young for this but nonetheless has this battle place upon her plate @ this time.  Now what is so inspiring is both her fortitude and attitude.  None of us know what it is truly like behind closed doors with the battles that people truly fight but outwardly I am completely impressed with the way she is handling this situation.  There's no doom and gloom over where she is.  In fact she has kept such hope and her sense of humor alive.  If you want to be inspired by a great and strong woman feel free to stop on by her cancer blog.  Anybody has the invite to not be shy and give her any words of encouragement to help bolster her up.  In fact the below picture was taken @ a party where some genius thought about throwing a cancer shower.  We all got together to show our support by not only showering her with scarfs, hats, wraps but mostly love and support.  She radiates beauty even without her hair.

My little brain thinks in color all of the time and I think we should throw a big huge pink party when Shelly conquers this chemo thing.