front row seat

They are re-paving the road in front of our rental house and Theo has a front row seat for all the action!

love

okay...

so, remember when I was posting about my lovely Mother's day and all the shopping I did?  I wanted to write a post about the fantastic place my friend Jessica took me.  I like nice clothes and considering the different place's my husband has worked the last 12 years, I also like expensive clothes (they really are better) but he  left a certain job for Grad school so I haven't had the luxury of a permanent discount (boo), and my wardrobe has suffered ever since!  Jessica took me to this amazing resale place called Crossroads trading company and it was awesome.  We also went to H&M, which I can only handle for about 10 minutes because it is crazy in there but did manage to get a cute red top. Here is a pic of some of my splendid finds:

red tweed French Connection jacket $12

red stripe ruffle top (from H&M, new) $17

white under shirt (new from H&M) $5

black Paige denim skinny jeans only $25, seriously

Chanel flats I already owned (that would be one of the perks of my Bergdorf Goodman spouse discount!)










and should I just put it out there that I already miss long hair, why on earth do people say short hair is easier?  it is not, but I still like it, I just have to get used to the maintenance.

chopped it!

and apparently, I think I'm cool.

I am completely filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude today

It might be the new perfect top I got at Anthropologie today, or my kid free morning, or the high calorie hot dog I ate at Costco (soda too), or the fact that my husband is getting a ton of interviews at super amazing companies that we have only dreamed about (hello, Blackrock), or the fact that we are going on a date tonight to our favorite restaurant, or maybe it's just a bunch of little (or big) things combined but whatever is it I am really truly grateful.

BBQ chicken pizza

I would like to say that I love cooking, but I don't and we eat a lot of the same stuff...often.  Yesterday, was pizza Tuesday, but considering that only the kids were excited about this I decided I needed to make an extra special pizza for Jeremy and I.  I had some left over chicken from our roast chicken Sunday dinner, a red onion, BBQ sauce, and of course mozzarella (a staple at our house).  I found a recipe off this blog (new fav blog, btw) and voila, lovely and yummy pizza!

I didn't have fresh cilantro but I plan to the next time I make this!

abundance

My kids have a lot of toys, too many in my opinion.  My Carter is sentimental and can hardly bear to get rid of anything, which is turning her into a bit of an hoarder.  I am constantly finding random ribbons pieces, half put together bracelets, millions of drawings on scraps of paper, rocks, dried leaves, you name it in her room.   I am constantly having her clean her room because quite frankly almost every time I go in there it gives me anxiety.  The problem is really an over abundance of toys, it can never stay clean because there is just so much.  How can I solve this problem?  Is there a way?  With Christmas and Birthdays and very generous family members and friends my kids just continue to get more, and more.  Of course we clean rooms out, and of course we give stuff away but it's kind of hard to do when my sweet little 8 year old insists she plays with everything and has a hard time saying goodbye.  Remember these?

Zhu Zhu pets, they were all the rage about a year ago.  Carter has a nice little collection of these that now sit in her dresser just waiting to be used every few weeks.  She also has a big collection of Littlest Pet Shop and plays with them often but with her closet full of Playmobil and a bucket full of American Girl doll stuff, I am just wondering how on earth she can fit anything else in her room.  Does anyone else have this dilemma? I hardly want to have spoiled kids but most of the time when I step into her room, I am embarrassed by the consumption.  I can't stop or ask other people to stop buying her Christmas and Birthday presents but I do want to reign it in.  

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

my busy little hoarder!

so about that...

This blog post made me really laugh out loud, maybe even a snort or two!






and for my 5 or so faithful readers if you are looking for a house in Moscow Idaho you can buy one here or here, or if you have a fantastic job offer for a fantastically smart soon to be MBA graduate who also happens to be my husband, then we will take the job and maybe one of these houses!

Sometimes, I forget that He takes care of all my needs not my wants.  Thank you God for providing everything I need in my life and often many of the things I want too.

See Kai Run

Jeremy is out of town this weekend and in the almost 10 years that we have been married it's only the 2nd time he has been away.  I don't like it.  It turns out I miss him like crazy and he has only been gone since Friday morning.  I also get a little freaked out being in the house all by myself.  Our little chihuahua is hardly the type of dog that would scare anyone who dared get too close to the house, but she would at least give me a little bark of a warning.  Luckily, I have had a super busy weekend already and have hardly had time to be scared or bored.
Yesterday, I worked the See Kai Run warehouse sale.  I was so blessed to be asked to do this event!  They asked 4 other ladies who had children that modeled for them last year to work the event, our payment...three free pairs of shoes, a bunch of socks and a ridiculously yummy lunch from Purple cafe.  I was pretty surprised to see people already lined up at 8:30am, the sale started at 10.  But, I guess when shoes that are normally $42-46 dollars a pair are on sale for $12-16, it's worth waiting in line for!

This is what the sale looked like before the chaotic mob ran in:

I was asked to help crowd control, restock and help people find sizes and styles that they needed.  The first 20 minutes were so chaotic that most of the See Kai Run crew just tried to stay out of the way.  Some people can get a little feisty when it comes to sales!  Eventually, we got in a groove and had a blast. The people of See Kai Run are so amazing. Another perk of working the sale was that we  got to preshop  I scored a great dress for Carter and a cute polo for Theo from Kate Quinn. 
My in law's live really close to the warehouse so it was great that the kids could hang with them all day while I was working.  They had so much fun that we didn't leave until 7pm.  The kids were pooped and fell asleep in the car and since I always keep an extra pair of Jammie's in the trunk they were all ready for bed and made an easy transfer.  I rented How Do You Know?  and considering I feel asleep 3 times while watching it, I am assuming it wasn't that good. 
Since it's back to pouring rain today, it might just be a great time to rent Tangled and snuggle with the kids until daddy gets home.  I think I'll make a roast chicken for dinner, our favorite!

This is what sunshine looks like!

I bought new white Converse yesterday, I haven't had a pair of those in years, I forgot how much I like them!

Theo making faces on  his "people"

crime scene?

even our dog was enjoying the sun, by a hydrant nonetheless!

Baskin and Robbins, oh yes!



I had one too!




this guy came too, he actually was happy despite what this self-portrait looks like



hair today, gone tomorrow

So, I chopped 4 inches of my hair (2 weeks ago) because I am impulsive and ridiculous.  Now, I. don't. like. it. all!  I was trying to do something like this:



minus the bangs since I am growing mine out

but it really looks nothing like this because my bangs are in transition and my hair pretty much hates the weather here. Boo. It's flipping out all crazy (see below mother's day pic to see the flip) and just doesn't have the look I was hoping for.  So...do I just deal with it until it grows a bit or do I try to correct it by getting a little bob instead?  Blogger friends,I need you help.  Please don't say you like my hair because everyone says they do but I don't, so it's a problem.  I fear if I mess with it more it will get worse, oh the dilemma of bad hair!

Mother's Day

cousin Katie, Uncle Tim, my mom, my Grandma, Aunt Melanie and me

I had a fantastic Mother's Day!  It started with the early 9:20am church service and then a delicious brunch with my family and then the WHOLE day off.  My friend Jessica so kindly pointed out that I need some new clothes and since I hate shopping (yup, hate it) she decided to take me all day on a shopping excursion and promised it would be fun, and it was.  I think anytime I can shop without my kids means I will have success and have the stamina to try a lot of things on.  I got a ton of stuff and feel so ready for spring weather so I can wear them.  We also met up with her boyfriend who happens to be my brother in law and my mother in law for some dinner and a movie.  I got home at 10:30pm and really I can't remember the last time I spent a whole day out, just doing fun stuff and focusing on me, but really what better day than Mother's Day!

uneventful

It seems the older you get, the more uneventful birthdays turn out to be.  Jeremy turned 33 on Saturday and we celebrated by doing, well, nothing, at all.  Every year he says he wants nothing and every year I get him just a little something, more often than not it's a polo shirt, have I ever mentioned that I have never seen Jeremy in a non-collared shirt?  Polo's or button shirts are the only things he wears when he is not in a suit, lucky for me because he looks ridiculously handsome in collars, he even wear a beat up polo to the gym!  So, this year I didn't get him anything and he really didn't mind.  I did vacuum and clean the car out. He even mowed the lawn on his own birthday, great guy. We had lunch at Ivar's and on the way to lunch Theo just randomly said from the backseat "I am happy" and really anytime a 3.5 year old just says that, it makes life pretty great.  We headed to his parents house in Woodinville for a little birthday dinner.  I was supposed to make lasagna for everyone but his mom called a few days before and told me not to worry about a thing, including dessert (thank you Dena).  I did make homemade french bread as requested from the birthday boy.  We had a lovely evening with his whole family and I am glad that we are finally the same age.

some oldies but goodies

my babies



young Carissa and Jeremy (27ish years old)

I have been trying to find a specific picture and I have been sorting through zillions of digital pictures, I haven't found what I am looking for but in the mean time I have found someother delightful photo's. I just can't resist sharing. : )

oh the cuteness!

Theo baby!

sunshine!

The "real" sun is out and I am also out of my cloudy mood.  Things happen for a reason and maybe I should rejoice in the reason rather than freaking out.  I am just going to tell y'all something...I. am. a. control. freak. Yup, I like it my way.  I want my life to go the way I imagined and planned it.  But, lets face it God is the controller of my life.  I need to let go and know that God has a plan for my our lives and His plan is probably far greater than what I have planned anyways.  I need to learn patience.  So, here is to the unknown.  Here, is to the possibilities and here is me letting go and letting God.  Jeremy and I love a good adventure anyways!

When it rains, it pours and I am not talking about the weather...although I wouldn't mind a change in the real weather either!

sometimes...

I forget to take something out for dinner and we just end up getting a pizza from Costco (hey for only $10.90, it's a win) and since today was sunny and beautiful we decided to hit the Issaquah highlands.  It was lovely.  I am already loving spring and all the promise of laughter, love, ice cream, flowers, dirty hands, fresh mowed grass, bike rides,  bbq's, and so much more.  Bring. It. On. Spring.

cool slide

sometimes someone actually takes a picture of me, notice I chopped 4 inches off of my hair, crazy!