Monday, May 26, 2008

Locks of Love

Well, yesterday Zoey did something I thought was pretty brave. She had been wanting to cut her hair shorter for a while, and so when we went to her hair appt yesterday and the stylist suggested she donate her hair to "Locks of Love" she decided to do it
 
Before:

 

And after. She loves her new do, and I have to say we love it too. Except she looks a litte too grown up for Mommy :-(

 
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Mmmm...Yummy...

If you know me, you know I LOVE Coldplay! I knew they had a new CD coming out in a few weeks, but ran across this new video today. I've listened to it a few times, and if this is what to expect of the new CD, mmm...yummy...I'll be first in line.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Ouch

Well, this has been a tough week. Sometimes I feel like I am alone, with a bunch of @#$% hitting me from every side. Sometimes (like last night) I sat up until 1AM, because I needed to, looking at pictures of my Mom and my family and sobbing, sometimes so loud I held a blanket over my mouth so I would not wake my family.

Sometimes it sucks.

But a good hard cry has it's benefits. And now, today, I look at things with the eyes of someone that is not on the verge of tears every second, but has resolve. To do what I need to do for MY FAMILY. And that means my children and my husband. And myself. Because I know that while my family would get along just fine without me, in some ways they cannot do without me, so I need to be strong for them.

And snap out of it.

So...how long is the right amount of time to grieve? I feel like a broken record, but I miss my Mom SO much. I would give anything to see her for just one more minute...to tell her how much I love her and give her a tight hug. I can't really talk to anyone about it (but venting to the blog feels good) because I know no one really wants to hear it, and I don't want to hear "move on, she would want you to" or other nonsense. And while I wish my team was there with me, the ones who are going through the same, I have never felt so distant from them, or so unable to understand where they are and where I am.

I feel adrift. Alone. Very alone. Not in the sense of people are not with me, but really only a few understand. If she was here I could speak to her about it and she would counsel me. Isn't that funny? No, not really.

Okay, I'm done. Just wanted to get it out. And you know I cannot have a blog post without a pic...so here goes:



One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. And one of the things she loved the most. I hope I can be the kind of Mom she was.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Jib Jab Monday?

Hey, did I forget about JibJab Friday? Okay, here is something else to whet your whistle...one of the Jib Jab Classics!


Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!


I laugh every time I see it!

Blog, Blogger, Blogging, Bloggiest

Well, it should come as no surprise that I love Blogs. I have found so many interesting, funny, heartbreaking, educational, shocking things written in blogs. I started ours as just a way to share pictures, keep the family informed, just keep connected. But I read different blogs EVERY DAY.

Here are some of my favorites:

"Mommy Blogs"...or Daddy Blogs
These are people just like me (or not) that are talking about their every day lives and how things are in their worlds. Some of them are very well known, and the authors have been featured on TV and all over the internet. Beware, once you read some of these you will want to check them every day"

1. The Pioneer Woman
Ree is a 39 year old (yeah that's right...just like me) woman that was raised very "Newport Beach" but ended up falling in love and getting married to a full time cowboy on a working cattle ranch. Her description of homeschooling her kids,her genuine love for her husband, her awesome photography (and tips) and menus (make me wish I could cook) and just her general writing style are addictive. Check her out, you'll be hooked. She's won many "Bloggie" awards and I think we'll all be hearing more about her.

2. Confessions of a CF Husband
Nate and his wife Tricia and their daughter have an amazing story to tell. Too long for me to detail here, this is a real time/real life story of a couple facing cystic fybrosis, extreme premature birth, and more. You think you have it hard? Check them out for some extreme inspiration.

3. Dooce
She got fired for writing about her employer on her blog, years ago...thus creating the term "dooced". She has recently been all over the news after winning many awards, and been on Good Morning America, etc. Check her out. She's honest, strange, a good photographer, and just a breath of fresh air. One of the most "famous" bloggers around today.

Well, my blogging time is UP for today, time for me to do my own Mommy duties. Check back tomorrow for more awesome blogs to check out.

Until then...HAVE A FABULOUS, WONDERFUL, AWESOME, INCREDIBLE DAY!

And my blog is not complete without a pic...

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Mom

 


After Mom died, we spent a lot of time looking through boxes of old photos looking for nice ones of her for the funeral. This was probably my favorite, and Cheri told me this pic had been taken for a newspaper article. The actual photograph is quite damaged, and my scanner was not working, etc, so we did not get this picture out for the funeral.

I have since gotten a new scanner, but as you can see all of the damage on the photo scanned right in with the picture.

Anyone have any ideas about repairs for this type of pic?
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Remember 3rd Grade???

Well, when I'm not sitting around staring at my new tile walls, I get to spend my evening assisting my 3rd grader with her big Social Studies project for the end of the year. This year it was "create a Gabrielino Indian Shelter and Surroundings". Huh??



Now this is a project the whole family got into, including Avery who was instrumental in procuring some of the rocks for the fire pit.



But the actual shelter was the tricky part. Zoey painted a foam "dome" brown and then cut little pieces of raffia and glued them on. One at a time. Takes quite a while...actually...



But she did an awesome job. To finish off, she created a "water" effect using a mirror that she put some blue paint on, and the scene was complete!



Hmmm...next year we will have two of these projects to complete...with whatever 4th graders do, and Avery's life-sized self portrait for Kindergarten.

Can't wait!

Ahhh...we're getting there

Well, after almost a YEAR of having our kitchen torn up we finally got one of the last pieces finished (notice I use the word "we" very loosely) and my brother-in-law John came over this weekend and worked his magic...with Rob's assistance...to create this:



With details like this:



And soon the blue tape covering the receptacles (is that right??...Hoover help me out here...) will be gone and replaced with pretty covers that match.



But, WOW...I love it. All of the different colors in the slate look so cool, I just sit and look at it and wonder which one I like best. No really, I do. Because I have so much free time on my hands. No really, I do. Have so much free time, that is.

THANK YOU JOHN...YOU ARE AWESOME!!

What they're doing when they say they're "working out"...


Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Sunday, May 04, 2008

The Dude--The Beastly Beast

Here he is...the Dude.

 


He is my one and only son...and an important member of our family.

 


Did you notice he has a HUGE tounge? It's ginormous. When he licks us we say we've been "Ciscoed".
We don't really mind...

 


He lets the girls lay on him, and pretty much do ANYTHING they want with him, and they love him completely.

 


He's pretty much the worst watchdog ever. Today some people came into our home (at our request) when we weren't home. They knocked, rang the bell, then came in yelling "HELLO...HELLO...". The Dude was upstairs in our room, probably sleeping under the bed. He never woke up.

He's a Lover, not a Fighter.
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