more blooms

I'll probably post alot of blooms, because they're GORGEOUS around here right now!!!

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

that's how we roll

Both boys got haircuts yesterday and had green gel put in their hair...

...and the youngest decided to take a super short nap, so mama and da boyz rocked the park!

Cuz, that's how we roll.

Blooms

Nintendo Citizen Journalist Program

Well, the good news lately is that I was one of 5 people selected by Nintendo and the Wii Mommies to do a review/journalist program on the Wii Fit Plus!!

I was so excited to hear that I was part of the Citizens Journalist Program that I literally did the happy dance, which was pretty ugly and I’m glad no one saw it. Just the same, I am stoked!!!

The Wii & the Wii Fit Plus and my assignment arrived exactly 1 day after I was notified of being accepted into the program! HOW AWESOME IS NINTENDO!!!???!!!

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Read more about the program HERE!!

falling apart

everything seems to be.

I've been away for a while; and will prob. not be on blogville for a while yet....

music

Often I'll hear a song a couple dozen times before I find a reason to like it. Usually because the radio has over played it. I rarely listen to country music, though I am quite broad in my appreciation of music in general. I like anything from classic rock, alternative, indie, to rap - yes, rap. Country music has a way of making me think of my oldest brother, who died in 2007.

Last night on American Idol, one of the guys sang "Already There" by Lonestar. The lyrics grabbed me. Even though the song was written about a father of a child - a father who is still living - who's away from his family, it made me think about Mike. It made me think about how very often I sense him all around me. I just loved the lyrics so I thought I'd post the part that hit home for me here...

Take a look around

I'm the sunshine in your hair

I'm the shadow on the ground

I'm the whisper in the wind

I'm your imaginary friend

And I know I'm in your prayers

Oh I'm already there

So turn out the light and close your eyes

I'm already there

Don't make a sound

I'm the beat in your heart

I'm the moonlight shining down

I'm the whisper in the wind

We may be a thousand miles apart

But I'll be with you wherever you are

Wordless Wednesday - I laugh EVERY time

I laugh everytime I see this truck hauling around a bunch of "bimbos"...So I guess that makes me 12... oh well

a special picnic

Special picnics with little J...

he decided to make me a special "salad pie".

There's a special way to smash it down, just in case you ever need to have this recipe. It requires alot of love.

Once you're done smashing it just right, you add the salad (grass).

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!<>

peace out...

this little guy sat and watched as little J and I played in the sand for a long while...

then as quickly as possible, he said "peace out homeys".

oh sunny day

AMAZING sunny day!!!

We spent some time enjoying it at the park, it was still a little cool - but the sun was out and very inviting and we had no choice but to let these boys out of the house!!

Nothing like a little dirt tossing...

and some balancing too...

Tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer!! It may just be Springtime around here very soon!!

The sun is the epitome of benevolence - it is lifegiving and warmthgiving and happinessgiving, and to it we owe our thanksgiving.
~Jessi Lane Adams

10 things...

click to enlarge

A friend posted "10 things" that make her happy, and asked the same question of her readers... go check hers out HERE.

10 things that make me happy....

• Friends - I love em'. They make me happy, even when I'm down... I think it's said that if you come across one true friend in life you're fortunate, and I feel like I've been a lucky lady to have found a handful!
• Family Values/Family Traditions - We have a spectacular lil' family!
• Sunrises - I love sitting at my kitchen table in the morning and watching the sun come up, lifts my mood instantly.
• our lil' creek - we live near a little creek - and for whatever reason, I'm just in love with it!! I love hearing it, stopping by to see it, slowing down when we're near it. And recently, when it snowed, it just became a picture of nature to me!
• Park Bench's - Sitting there, soaking up all of the sun, listening to my kids play and laugh, and even sneaking in a pic or two of a butterfly or squirrel...
• Tree's - and all they represent. Not sure why this makes me "happy" but it does... tree's, just like the sun, have an amazing way of capturing my attention and just creating a feeling of peace.
• Birds - we go to the lake alot, and see tons of birds hovering over the water front. Birds are so free and peaceful. I love watching them play!
• Being an American - I love my country. I love everything it stands for, and believe that we as a country need to re-discover our roots, even still - I love it and love looking at our flag in the wind, and when someone sings our national anthem I get all warm and fuzzy.
• A sleeping child, after a long day of play - Not much is more precious then that of a sweet sleeping child. (our youngest likes to sleep with a dampened baby cloth over his eyes, lol) I'm so happy when I see the peacefulness, it's like there's nothing in the world that could harm them because they're safe in your home and surrounded by your love.

Those are just 10 of the things that make me happy.....

Yes, another snow picture...

The morning after it snowed, and we see the sun!!!
I know, yesterday's picture is VERY similar, but with no sun.

I lost count...

I've lost count of how many times it's snowed. Maybe 4 or 5? Eh, it's been nice!! It's a pretty big change from the South East's usual winters of ice storms only! I've really enjoyed this winter. Watching it snow is so peaceful to me, nothing like a good snowy day and a book with the kiddo's, some comfort food and laughter! Call me strange, but something about the sky looking like a shaken snow globe makes me feel all cozy!! I love every season, I don't really have a true favorite; although, spring brings cherry blossoms and I LOVE those!!

Isn't it funny how when it doesn't snow, you often hear complaints about having none? Then when it does snow, you often hear complaints that it has?? Same goes with rain, and the temperature in general. Weather conversation is sometimes the highlight of the day, and I've heard that it's the most popular conversation starter when there seems to be a lull in communication.

I have a mindset that winter should bring comfort food, holidays and snow, spring should bring showers and blooms and spring cleaning fever, summer should bring the heat, swimming pool visits, and trips to the beach(yay), and fall should bring some of the most amazing rustic colors EVER!!

I'm not sure what's happened to me, but since losing my family members literally back to back in the past few years, I've become pretty grateful for little things in this life. I appreciate what the winter weather has done for ME. Slows me down a bit, and it MAKES me stop to appreciate even more what's inside of these walls. My family, our little family - rockin some snow days.

Now that's funny - to me, anyway.

A relative sent me this recently by email, and I enjoyed it a bit. I had to clean it up some but here - enjoy. And if you don't enjoy it, well, I'm sorry about that part. I have a weird sense of humor.

If you are 30, or older, you might think this is hilarious!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH ways. yadda, yadda, yadda

I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in Utopia! And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our butts! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and screw it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!

There weren't any cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY!!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your butt and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons!

We didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

Our parents told us to stay outside and play.. all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!

And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were luckily, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place! See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have no idea!! You guys probably wouldn't last five minutes if you were flashed back to 1980 or any time before!