Here's what Bailey's Grandpa made for us with his free 8x10 collage from Walgreens coupon. Hopefully it will allow you to click on it so you can view it larger. This made me all verklempt. =-(

Would you just look at that red dress picture with the cute little girl bob haircut....that's Kindergarten...and it was also her 5th birthday that very day. And yes, I DID follow the school bus to school, bawling the whole way. No one will let me live that one down - but I had the birthday treats with me - I HAD to drive behind the bus!

And the one to the left of it...in a yellow shirt...NO FRONT TEETH! Oh, Lord...it just all goes too fast. Help me to remember and appreciate these teen years too - cuz I want to enjoy them NOW...not just look back on them fondly.

Lauren's First Day of Preschool!

(First she said she wanted to be a butterfly, but then changed her mind and said Doctor).

Lauren was sooo excited for her first day of Preschool! She's been imagining what school would be like for days - weeks...and judging from the yawns this morning, I'd say her excitement kept her up a lot last night. So finally, today was the day. It was orientation day for kids only....which to me means the 1st day of Preschool. It was a half-hour shorter than her regular days will be - but it was the first time she wore her backpack with her name written in permanent marker on the top.

It was the first time the minivan got in line behind all the other Moms to drop-off. It was the first time I've been alone with Grant for more than a couple hours - ever.
I really should have worn makeup and - I don't know...SHOWERED? before this milestone photo was taken. oh well...keepin' it real.

I checked the calendar and previous mailings to make sure I had everything packed in her backpack. I double checked the drop-off and pick-up times. I checked it all again. When Mrs. Sue opened the van door to retrieve Lauren for her first day, she said..."Did you remember your name tag?" SCHEIST! I forgot the name tag! The blue rectangle with her name on it - the one that should be around her neck so all of the teachers know which group is hers. AAAGH! Well, I thought it would take longer than a DAY for the teachers to learn that I am unorganized, but within 30 seconds the truth is revealed.

Grant & I made a Costco run during preschool and then it was pick-up time. Lauren had an awesome time! She learned about owls, worked on at least two owl crafts,

made some new friends, ("Hailey is my new friend - and she is beautiful" and enjoyed her new-found independence. She also brought home a book order form! BOOK ORDERS! Now doesn't THAT bring back a big warm fuzzy memory! I LOVE BOOK ORDERS!

I'm not really ready for her to go off without me...but the time has come. I know it is only a few hours a few days a week...but that's how it starts. Next she'll be going off to all-day school and then she'll be driving and then moving out! I know - settle down...but honestly - it DOES go that fast.

I shared an awesome FREEBIE with Grandpa the other day and he decided to take advantage of it. To create his free 8x10 collage from Walgreens, he needed 1st day of school pictures for Bailey for 2007 and 2008. And you know what? I have RUINED it! And I've RUINED a future scrapbook page hilighting her 1st day of 8th grade last year. You know why? Apparently I didn't take one!!! What kind of Mom forgets to take a 1st day of school picture?! We WERE selling a house and picking out flooring, countertops, etc. for our new house this time last year, but STILL!

To make myself feel a LITTLE bit better, here's this year's 1st day of school picture. Bailey's first day of high school. HIGH SCHOOL! Mid-life crisis...here I come.

On June 27, 2009, Bailey & I attended the Taylor Swift/Keith Urban concert at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. This was an AWESOME Valentine's Day gift from Mark. We were in the 20-something row on the floor and at times had up-close and personal views of Keith Urban.

He shot this video at the concert (cool!). When the camera pans around behind him...that was our view of the video segment of the concert. (Not a bad view when we're talking about Keith Urban - ha). Enjoy!

I'm looking for ideas on how to decorate this house! We've lived here for 8 months and I still don't have things anywhere close to where I want them. I haven't painted Grant's room, I haven't painted our master bedroom, I haven't painted our master bath, the mud room, the living room or the laundry room. So I look through catalogs and I've been spending more time on HERE again, which gets me sidetracked and in trouble. =-) Suddenly I don't care about the inside of the house anymore, because I found THIS! Mark can make this in a weekend, right? And it would be cheaper than a swingset/playset, right? I mean it's just some wood and screws, right? And this would be so much fun to play in, right?

Today is much like any other day. I wake up, get the kids their breakfast and then sit down to write down the things I want to accomplish today. Usually this involves some sort of organization. I'm ALWAYS on a quest to be a more organized person. I'm convinced it will never happen - you're either born with it or you're not...and I was not. I've purchased the storage containers, I've purged unwanted items, I've even purchased the label maker and I'm sure it's around here somewhere.

But I still enjoy reading and watching TV shows about being organized, perusing products that claim to help you get you organized, etc. Today I stumbled upon THIS Web site. Isn't it great?

Let's see - on today's agenda: cleaning, reading more about being organized, listing a few more things on Craiglist (back-to-school fund now at $198 thanks to Craigslist!) and then later going to lunch with a friend and a bunch of her friends. She recently lost her husband to cancer and today would have been their 20th wedding anniversary. Please pray today is full of warm memories and that God's peace be with her and her children.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I think it's time for another episode of "Look at all the wierd stuff you can buy on Craigslist this week!"

LARGE Buddah For-Sale Very Nice!! - - $300

Rare...3 D Picture of Jesus and Lambs - $20

Crazy snake skin/sequin pants size S - $3

100%HUMAN HAIR EASY CLIP-ON EXTENSSIONS - $140

The Lord of the Rings Cave Troll Hammer - $40

It's April....and it should be filled with thunderstorms, growing plants, warmer winds, kite flying, sidewalk chalk, track meets and other signs of spring. But what do we have? SNOW! AAAAAGH! Although it was only a few inches...it really ticked me off! The 30-some-degree temps better high-tail it outta here quickly because I NEED SPRING!!!

Easter is this weekend and I'd really like it if Lauren could wear her short-sleeved Easter dress without a turtle neck underneath! And how cute will Grant look in his matching duds? Bailey found a really cute outfit too...but I can't find a picture of it online.

This weekend my Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt & Uncle are visiting. And on Thursday we are going to pick up our new puppy! SO......that means this week I'm trying to clean, clean, clean! I still have to shop for groceries, Easter basket goodies and figure out what I am going to wear Easter Sunday. I also have to figure out what side dishes to serve up with our ham. I'm thinking THIS will be one of them. Mmmm... can't go wrong w/Paula Deen, right?

On a completely separate note...it looks like we have a drainage problem in our back yard. We had the grading/sod guy out tonight to look at it and he's going to "make it right," but I'm not sure what he can do...we'll see. In any case, I think we are going to be removing sod and dealing with mud before the problem is solved. And I had such high hopes for PLANTING and PLAYING out there this spring/summer! Oh well...baby steps, right?

Have a great Holy Week! Hope you remember what it's all REALLY about while you are coloring eggs and eating chocolate bunnies. =-)

Free REDBOX rental Wednesday! This week's code, good for a free night's rental* on Wednesday, April 1st: MMM401



Enjoy!

Free rental Wednesday! This week's code, good for a free night's rental* on Wednesday, April 1st: MMM401

Enjoy!

I'm so far behind! There's been so much going on and I haven't written about ANY of it. First of all....have I mentioned we are getting a puppy? Friends and family think we are insane. Don't they know I arrived at insanity months and months ago? This is not a new thing! We'll be picking up "Maggie" in less than two weeks. She's an apricot cockapoo...and she's CUTE! I plan to use the bell method - here's hoping it works well...and fast!

Here's a picture of Maggie:

Also less than two weeks to go before my Grandparents and aunt & uncle come to visit for Easter. This will be the first time they've been to our new home and that means I have A LOT to do. Last week I painted the dining room. I had a subtle gray/blue in mind...but it turned out a much brighter blue. I think I'm going to like it ok, but for many days it was a love/hate relationship. =-) Anyway - at least it is painted - done and done! But now the neutral builder paint in the formal living room looks very pink somehow...so I guess I'm going to have to paint that sooner than I thought too. ugh...so much to do. Here's how the dining room turned out: I had recently recovered my seat cushions in a darker sage green...and I REALLY don't want to have to recover them again, so i'm trying to find a way to pull in sage green in other places so it looks like the seats SHOULD be green. ha. i'm not sure i'm going to be able to pull it all off. i'd love to find a rug for under the table that has blues and greens in it...something maybe a little contemporary but not too wild?

Mark had minor surgery on tendons in his forearm on Friday and his birthday was Saturday. Lauren helped me bake and decorate a cake. She really loves helping out in the kitchen! I'll post pictures of the lame-o looking cake and of the b-day boy later.

BIG to-do list for tomorrow. i hope I can get to it all!!!

It's FREE movie Wednesday at Redbox! Your code for today is: GTL456

I put the kids down for a nap a few minutes ago and was just starting to relax myself for a minute when I heard a suspicious noise from upstairs. This is NEVER a good sign. So I went up to investigate. Noone in Bailey's room - shwew (former episodes involving hairspray, nail polish and makeup when her room has been tampered). Moving on to the laundry room (another former crime scene involving fabric softener) - nothing. Now on to my room...nothing at first glance. Dare I open the door to the master bath? I must. There I find one VERY naughty 3-yr-old smearing THIS and THIS all over her legs and hands.

I hope she lathered her back end up with some "firming cream" too....because she's going to need it! Future MK consultant? Or a naughty 3-yr-old.....you be the judge.

It's FREE Redbox WEDNESDAY!!! What? You didn't know you could get a free rental each and every Wednesday from Redbox? You can! All you need is the magic code...and here it is because you know how I like to share the news about freebies and good deals. Redbox code for Wednesday, March 11, 2009: Today's code for a free night's rental* is: JBG123

Now..this is only "free" if you return it by 9 p.m. tomorrow night. If you are like me, this "free" rental will cost you anywhere between $2 and $5.

So go get your free movie!

LAUREN!!!!!!!!!!

Me: Lauren, please keep taking everything away from your brother. He wants to play to - now let him play with something!

Lauren: Grant? You can play with my shoes if you want

Such a generous little girl.

I can't believe I haven't posted about Valentine's Day yet! It was just so surprising and so amazing that I'm afraid whatever I say about it just won't do it justice. (Which is also why I still haven't put together our wedding album). Ok...so for now I'm just going to reveal ONE of the Valentine's Day surprises I received and then tell you about our evening last night. Valentine's Day surprise #1: Bailey & I have FLOOR SEATS to THIS in June! Row 24 (I think). WOW! More on the crazy - I - absolutely-don't-deserve-this Valentine's Day later. Now...last night:

Mark & I were invited to a surprise 40th birthday party for one of his co-workers/friends. I have met this guy once before - but certainly didn't KNOW him. So I was sort of dreading the evening...a room full of people I didn't know - ugh. But I was very pleasantly surprised!

We gathered HERE where we were greeted with a glass of champagne. (See? Already a good night!) The evening was surprising and highly enjoyable. The chef gave us little lessons and a demonstration at each course (there were 4), educated us on each wine (a different wine with each course) and taught us how to make the dessert. So fun!

Here was the menu:


First Course:

Risotto alla Milanese
Saffron Risotta Garnished with Shaved Parmesan
Wine - Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc


Second Course:
Seared Scallop atop a Cauliflower Puree with Carmelized Shallot Sauce and Chive Oil
Wine - Maison Faivelely Joseph Faively Bourgogne Rouge


Third Course:
Filet Mignon on Potato Gratin (the potato thing was out of this world!) with Truffle & Wild Mushroom Crepe, Garlic Sauteed Brocolini and a Red Wine Reduction
Wine - St. Mary's Bell's & Whistles, blend of Cabernet, Shiraz, Cab Franc and Merlot (This wine - Yuck, by the way)


Finale:
Banana Tarte Tatin with Frozen Hot Butter Rum Sauce
Wine - Scagliola Moscato d'Ast (YUMMMMMM!)


A fun experience with new friends. I really should get out more...I always DO enjoy it.