GASP!! Is she blogging???

So here's the deal... I SHOULD NOT BE BLOGGING RIGHT NOW. Nope, we just had company over for dinner and the dishes are all soaking in the sink... the dishwasher is clean and needs to be emptied, the master bedroom is such a disaster that you would think a 14 year old girl lives here, I haven't unpacked from Newport or my work trip (closing in on a few weeks ago), all the kids school supplies need to be organized and put away, and I have a late assignment policy to write that will be going before the school board... so, with all that said, I don't want to let this blog go quite yet. I read back through some old posts recently and it made me SO THANKFUL that I had a written record of so many of the fun memories that our family has had. So, no... it won't be regular, and no it won't be awesome or even all that interesting, but by golly it will be something.

So here's introducing the most random post possible...

Kenz and I went to TWO Taylor Swift concerts this summer and they were fabulous. I'm totally convinced I loved it more than Kenzie. It was just so fun! T.S. is adorable and modest and humble, and so far a great role model for young girls.

cute isn't she?

haha there's no order to these pics...

I'm lovin' Kaden's blonde, surfer dude hair!
Cal woke us up super early in Newport, so we had many early mornings at the docs.

This girl spent her 4th bday at the beach!

The Cliffwalk with the "babies" was one of the highlights of our trip

Although it's sometimes tricky that these two are close in age, it's really fun too!

The whole crazy family in Newport, RI

We're loving the house and I plan to paint white stripes on this wall. I need to make this room have a lot more "my style" and not be so BLAH :) Oh, did ya know I know write a design blog?? lol... this life of mine is just crazy sometimes :)

Ooops totally out of order, but more concert pics...

Homemade shirts- I adore these 2 girls

Me and My girl excited for the show to begin!

Jen and Liv!

It's almost time!!!

Super cool panoramic of the Linc.

Okay, how's that for a random 1st post back?? I'm rusty, but glad to be back at it.

Testing out an annoying, broken blog...

Castle in Disney

Still Blogging

Yes, it's been FAR TOO LONG, but I'm not giving up on this blog yet! Last weekend we had an awesome time coloring Easter eggs with the Mangins and the Bunneys. These are just a few quick pics... Gmom was TOTALLY prepared! 7 dozen eggs and tons of dye!

My little artist

Callen's handywork!

Ragamuffin Kira and Great Aunt Ginny worked together on their eggs!

My Baby Girl Turned 9!

Kenzie turned 9 on March 9th... I think that's called a "Golden Birthday," but all I call it is, "Holy cow my baby is NINE!" We're really proud of the person Kenzie is. This year she transitioned from private to public school and I was nervous and just overall, unsure, but she has made me SO PROUD! She's not afraid of her faith and inviting friends to church with us, she is known as being really kind and thoughtful, and she's excelling academically. Sorry, proud mama moment. Don't get me wrong, she still sasses me at every chance, but I know that we'll eventually get that under control... like maybe post-college :)

Here are a few pics from her Spa Birthday Party...

Live getting a facial

Isabelly's turn!

All the girls from 2 schools were so sweet and got along great!

LOVE this pic

Favorite dessert... cookie and milk martinis!

Dinner time

So many of my best gals came and helped run the party. Thanks Aunt Jess!

Me and My Girl... I only had a #2 candle, which we thought was hysterical!

Sweet Girls

Musical Nail polish!

Later that week we had a family party and of course Gmom Laurie made an AWESOME cake for Kenzie. Man, we're sooo spoiled!

Daddy & Cal

I was so excited to give Kenzie her present!

First she got some clothes, which she loved... then an envelope...

Reading a special message from mommy... look at her face...

Can you believe this???

Do they look a little surprised and excited??

She double checks to make sure she read it correctly...

We're going to a Taylor Swift concert with Mommy, Kenzie, Olivia, and Mrs. Jen!! Woo Hoo!

I'm not sure who's more excited the girls or the moms!!

Callen is a HUGE fan of birthday parties and loves to sing " Happy to you" as he calls it...

okay and this is by far my favorite birthday picture. Kenzie is an AWESOME big sister! She won't admit it about Kaden and Kira, but she LOVES her siblings. She was totally cool with being one of four and letting Kira and Cal blow out her candles because she knows they were excited about it. This makes me proud. Sometimes with four kids we feel like maybe they don't get enough one on one time, and they miss some opportunities, but then I look at this and realise she's learning to care for others, put herself second, and take joy in other people's happiness. I think those lessons are more important that the little things she might miss out on.

Husband Hint

I created this dream outfit for our Real HBC blog, but if anyone wants to put a little bird in Eric's ear, I'd really love the sneaks, Shirt, and sweater :) Just saying...

The Real Housewives of Bucks County

www.realhousewivesofbc.blogspot.com

I'm excited to introduce my new blog to you! Jessica Jackson and I decided to put all of our crafting, decorating and entertaining ideas into one place. Come on over and check it out, become a follower, tell all your friends and leave a comment! We'd love to hear what you think!

Pics for Mom

So my mom is beginning to do a bedroom renovation... bye bye kelly green carpet! I told her I would look for some different inspiration pics. On Houzz you can't save pics, but you can grab the html code, so mom, this post is for you! I only had a few mins, so I'll look for more soon! Enjoy!

Ok this room has a very "you" feel. I also liked the greyish flooring- see it does work! I also really want to work a seating area in- NOT the toy bench! :)

traditional bedroom design by los angeles interior designer Debbie L Talianko

We need some great lighting and I included this one to give you an idea of what I was talking about with the rug and the bed.

modern bedroom design

This one has that girly feel you like, but I think we need to find something more in the middle for dad!

traditional bedroom design by toronto interior designer Chris Kauffman

I REALLY like the look of this room. I feel like you could pull it off!! Cool accent pillows make a huge impact and you desperately need em :)

traditional bedroom design

If you decide on the hardwoods, we'll use an accent rug like this. I also liked the rich, warm colors of this one, but I think you're learning towards lighter tones.

modern bedroom design

Ugg- the last link isn't working... More to come soon!!

mls greenwich home listing traditional bedroom" src="http://st.houzz.com/simages/40409_0_3-6890-traditional-bedroom.jpg" width=320 height=240>

traditional bedroom design by other metros home staging suzanne pignato

Simple Life

Tonight I read this post on the Creative Mama Blog... It was so true and sometimes how I feel. Last night we had a no frills Family Game Night... Monopoly Jr, Pictionary, Smartfood, Cheeseballs, and Pretzels with Frosting... nothing amazing or creative, but really fun. Sometimes when life is crazy, it's nice to be reminded that my kids won't be remembering how creative I was, but they will remember that we played together and had fun!

Living a creative life can be exhausting, especially if you are hooked in to the internet. There are just so many amazing people out there, doing amazing things. It can be easy to develop a warped perspective — like looking at someone else’s life through a fisheye lens all the time. If you’re not careful, you start to believe that everyone else’s homes are immaculate, their children are all burgeoning artists, and their adorable pets never throw up on the tan carpet just before company arrives. Well, that perspective is, well, warped. We all have bad days, dirty laundry on the floor, and tomato sauce spattered all over our microwave. So remember, some days it’s best to just get back to the basics. You don’t need to sit with your kids and make valentines that could be sold on Esty for premium prices. Just sit down with your kids and do something.