funny gals...

Meet Lori and Sandra...two of my clan of gal pals that I meet every Friday for coffee at Peet's. This is their high school prom pose. Notice the head tilt? Impressive, right? They are clearly pro's at prom poses! Even better, they are part of my gab group. Yup, we're the mommies who monopolize all the tables and chairs at Peet's; some with little ones in tow, wreaking havoc on those who come to try to get work done. We chat, share news, giggle and laugh very much out loud, pick up flying plastic bugs, slinky's, or hot wheels without blinking an eye. We're the mommy's of morgan hill. That is, until, Lori, jumps ship and heads to the rainy city to be with her long-lost hubby. I say I'll miss her, but I have to say I'm a teeny-tiny bit giddy...only because I'll now have a place to go and visit. (no offense, Jenn Mac...I swear I'm planning a trip to see you, too...maybe spring break?). Needless to say, they are part of what makes my day so bright.

fry diddy...

For those of you that aren't in on the joke...bare with me on this one. A few drinks in, the discussion of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution came up and we started talking about this lady who apparently fries everything, even making her kids homemade fried donuts every morning. So, I whipped out the comment I've got a fry daddy. That started all the jokes...and wayyyy too much laughter. We talked about frying twinkies, donuts, bacon, and even lettuce...yes, I said lettuce. That was clearly a joke. But, still too funny to describe now. The convo turned to carrying a portable Fry Daddy (appropriately nicknamed the Fry Diddy) in my purse, then in my coat pocket, etc. You see where this going...to crazyland!!! I couldn't help but bust out the this my Fry Diddy is my WT fondue. Yeah, Amy, I know you're cracking up right now!!! It was just one of those conversations that took place amongst a little drinking and other crazy talk I'm too embarrassed to bring up. Needless to say, the tears were rolling with laughter and I'm sure the nine of us were irritating the other patrons and staff. Oh, and the next time you eat at Chili's, ask them to leave a pitcher of water on your table!

loving life...

Had a great outing with some great friends tonight to celebrate three of our birthdays (all just a few days apart). I received these flowers from Amy and Erica, and the picture does not do them justice. Today was just one of those totally fantastic days. I got to teach C's first grade class to draw bugs, found a gorgeous climbing rose for my backyard at the local garden center, had lunch with the hubby, enjoyed a brief playdate before running off to E's dance class where I got to watch her learn a crack-me-up dance routine to "Beat It," then spent a night out with my gal-pals! I couldn't have asked for a better day.

local honey...

So, there's this myth that local honey can help alleviate allergies. Well, I hopped on that bandwagon. My poor baby, C, has been suffering from super bad allergies the past week or so. At first, we thought it was pink eye, but quickly figured out it wasn't. i was absolutely thrilled to find a little market nearby that carried this local honey. It definitely looks different than the good ol' Sue Bee in the bear bottle...more natural, and a ton thicker. But, boy it sure it yummy. C and I started taking a teaspoon of it a day, then downing a glass of water to wash down the sweetness. I'm hoping it works to help out my guy, but if not, then at least we got to enjoy some good honey.

spring is in the air...

Today was one of those days you just spend with the family around the house. (This after a brief tennis rendezvous with a friend and her daughter.) We chose to work out in the backyard, starting with the weeds. I refilled some of the pots with new soil, and E and I planted some new flowers. She really has a knack for gardening. She even helped pull some weeds. Now, we just need to get the remainder of the yard prepped and pray for no rain for her birthday next month.

no dogs...

C posted this sign on his door today, which made me crack up. I especially love how he spelled "alawd". makes perfect sense to a 7-year-old. I guess I should be happy he's starting with the dog and not his sister.

Something a little different today. I actually took a few photos that I really liked. One being another of the amazing freesia in my backyard. I seriously can't get enough. The other being my discovery of the day...Bunny Mallows. Yeah, literally couldn't stop eating them. Here are some small"er" pics to enjoy...

seriously...this sh!t exists?...

After school today, we grabbed a couple of our friends and jammed down to the aquarium to spend the rest of the afternoon. After going last Friday, I couldn't get the seahorse exhibit out of my head. Connor was sooo excited to share it with his sister and our friends, that there is clearly something incredibly special about it. There's just something about these little creatures that is almost euphoric. I mean seriously...this stuff exists in our world? It just makes me realize how big our planet is, and that there is so much that I know nothing about. I suppose I should realize how fortunate we are to have such an amazing educational aquarium nearby. We are eagerly anticipating the opening of their new exhibit, "Hot Pink Flamingos...Stories of Hope in a Changing Sea," set to open in a week. Another reminder of how amazing and precious our earth is.

freesia...

I am just in awe with my freesia plants in my front and back yards. I planted single plants a few years ago, and love how they have multiplied. The fragrance is breathtaking. With this awesome weather, I've been sitting on my deck and I can smell the sweet flowers from where I sit. I wish I could have a field of these...if only. They make me anticipate Spring's arrival and I'm literally giddy with excitement. Great weather = spring flowers = a better looking yard = more time in the backyard = friends over.

cartoons...

As part of my drawing series, I pulled out my How to Draw Cartoon Characters and worked with my students on nose and mouth-drawing technique. It's always a bit of stress relief to draw, and sharing with others is always a cheery thing to do.

heaven...

This past weekend was spent with my favorite mommy friends. We spent the weekend in Aptos overlooking the ocean. Seriously couldn't beat the view, and more importantly...the company.

extraordinary...

With a renewed membership to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we checked out the new sea horse exhibit, and I was wowed! These are some miniature sea horses, and they were so tiny...no bigger than a half inch. I was just amazed.

flower power...

Took this photo in Aptos (where I spent the weekend with GREAT friends). I just love the colors of this one, and the green contrasting background. These flowers remind of when I was a kid. My mom would have baskets of these, and I would go and pop them before they bloomed...literally killing most of them. It would drive my mother mad. Maybe that's why I don't have them around my house!

super star cookies...

For the kids' final basketball game, I wanted to make something special. That, and a friend of mine wrote down that I would bring "something amazing." No pressure there. So, I pulled out my stamp cookie cutters. I made purple cookies for emma's purple team with their team name, "Lightning," on them, and I made blue cookies with "Warrior's" for Connor's team. Then, I used icing to add each of the kids' names on them to personalize. I wrapped them in individual bags and presented them at the bbq. There was definitely room for improvement, but they were cute none-the-less.

cool cake

I love these photo cakes! They are the neatest things around. don't get too excited, I won't be making these anytime soon. However, I must confess I did research it. I just couldn't afford it for a hobby. One of the moms on Connor's basketball team has a little bakery in town and she made this cake for the team. I emailed her the photo, and viola, there it is on the cake. I have to admit, it was a pretty yummy cake, too. The frosting was sooo light and fluffy.

root beer floats...

yesterday, while the boys were out, emma and I made root beer floats. emma has this thing for root beer. about a week ago, I left one on my night stand, and when i went to throw it away the next day, the can was empty. she sat there with an adorable little smile on her face. typically, i don't give my kids soda, but emma just loves it so much. and, heck, i love root beer floats, so why pass up a good thing?!

in a bit of a pickle...

So, you'll notice that my updates are a bit lacking... yeah, not keeping to my project of a daily photo. Well, before you jump to conclusions, let me explain. I have been taking photos every day. The problems lies with my computer. Apparently, my hard drive is full and I am unable to download any new photos. Yeah, tell me about it, right? I have been unable to locate my external backup drive because my office looks like a homeless person's car. My hope is that I can locate it in by the end of the weekend, get my hard drive cleaned up, pictures downloaded, backed up, and then start posting again. Believe it or not, I'm actually going through withdrawals. I hope to be back up and running soon.

happy march 1st...

What a way to open up March. It started with a wonderful art fair at my son's school. I had to purchase his art...it was just too darn cute to pass up. Later that evening, a bunch of us were invited to a friend's to celebrate since she was out of the country for Christmas. Just take a look at all these goodies. How can this not make you happy??!?!?!?!?! Great food, great wine, great friends. Loving life!!!