your song

I haven't posted any videos for a while now, so I thought this might be a fun one for a happy Friday :) A friend of Matthew's sent this to him, which is how I came to hear it. 


Now. I gotta say... I am very picky about remakes. Especially when it's a song I love. And I mean LOVE. "Your Song" by Elton John (that's SIR Elton to you!) was my very first favorite song. And it has remained in my top 3 all time favorite songs to this day. There are no words to even express how much I love this song, and the lifetime of history I have with it. 


Which means I was very skeptical of this remake. But I was pleasantly surprised. I don't want to set anyone up for disappointment... it won't change your life, and it will never equal the original. But it's not supposed to. Ellie's voice is sweet and unique - love her accent - and she has courageously put her own twist on this extremely famous song. She doesn't overdue it which would seem disrespectful. She doesn't ruin it by being silly or immature. But she changes it enough to make it fresh and interesting. Interesting enough to listen several times and like it more each time. Give it a try - I think you will too.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

think pink

Ya know... sometimes you just need a pink day.

Today just happens to be one of those days. Think pink! :)

iron men... and women

Saturday was time yet again for our church's youth triathlon.

Matthew decided about a week beforehand that he wanted to participate. 

Last year he participated in the mountain bike leg only -

this year he wanted to do the entire Iron Man

 BEST. KIDS (and leaders!). EVER. 

Modified Iron Man: swimming, 400 meters

mountain biking, 10k

running, 5k

Matt with Kimi Stevenson

He said the swimming leg nearly killed him -

but Kimi was a beast and blew everyone out of the water!

Matt's favorite category - and he was an ANIMAL, hehe!

 Matt hates running... but he's an AWESOME runner!

He lost time swimming, but made it up BIG TIME biking and running!

 Hmmm... one of the 4 times he puked...

... and looks like another shot before/after puking - LOL!

Matt with one of his good friends Calli Morris :)

Calli participated in the biking leg and she was FANTASTIC!

Matt with another good friend, Vanessa Munoz :)

Vanessa runs track and was AMAZING in the running leg!

 Matt came in FIRST PLACE!!! 

His overall time was 1 hour, 9 minutes

I can't even express how proud of him we were :)

And I must say, this came at the perfect time in his life - 

God is good, and knows every one of his children and what they need.

 * LOVE THIS PIC *

 This is seriously too cute for words -

the neighbors were so excited for him, they baked him a cake :)

* SWEETEST CAKE EVER *

We're so thankful for the leaders that plan such great activities,

and we're so proud of all the kids and leaders who participated.

And Matthew, we're so proud of you and who you are.

* WE LOVE YOU * 

gnome deal

Voodoo Gnome has been seeking refuge in the Lego box. He is tired of being poked in unmentionable places for things he did not do. Tired of taking the blame for practicing mediocre rheumatology. Tired of not being able to play with the Legos because he's sitting in the dark. In short, it pretty much stinks to be him. I caught him making a run for it late one night. He was so desperate to make an escape, he actually bit my finger. Gnomes must have a great dental plan in their woodland creature line of work, because they have very sharp teeth. After I recovered from the shock of being bitten by a needle felted Voodoo Gnome, I decided not to retaliate. After all, I've been sticking him with pins. So I made him a deal. Gnomes love deals. They can't resist.

I told him that I would not only ease up on sticking him in general, but I would completely eliminate sticking him in unmentionable places so he would not be scared to roam free during the day... IF... he would be so kind as to - - -  


Completely annihilate all the latest trendy STUPID buzz words that are so overused. It's making me nuts in the noodle. I'm talkin bona fide  nutsy fagan here. Examples are as follows:

• "pop" (as in "pop" of color. so over that)
• whimsy (no explanation needed)
• my bad (seriously people?)
• juxtaposition (I'm aware that it's fun to say, but stop it)
• dreamy (stoopid)
• prolly (even more stoopid)
• ending a question with "no?" (we're not in France)
• swoon (I can't even tell you how much this one annoys me)
• AND THE MOST OBNOXIOUS PHRASE KNOWN TO MAN ME. RIGHT NOW. IS:
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• WAIT FOR IT...
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• "YES, PLEASE!" (STOP SAYING IT. RIGHT NOW. ALL OF YOU)

Well, naturally Voodoo Gnome agreed to those terms, because gnomes always think they've won the lottery if you offer them a deal. And because he will be in less pain. And because he finally gets to SEE the Legos. So today is his first day of freedom. I'll let you know how it goes. And we'll check in on him from time to time.

P.S. yes, I am extremely cranky!

   

special delivery

 John brought me this *lovely* hydrangea a few days ago :)

  Hydrangeas are my favorites :) Don't you *love* getting flowers?

I am sharing mine with you today so you can enjoy them too :)

salsa jars

 Good morning peeps! No post yesterday, as I had misplaced my camera... and yes, as a matter of fact I was freaking out :/ Matthew found it in the garage(?!?) out of all places, so now I can show you this simple little project. See those jars up above? I think they are very cute :)

 Look what they are - they're salsa jars! I think they have a lovely little shape to them and even some nice detail. Plus, they're just the right size to hold a little bouquet of flowers to bring to someone - or enjoy yourself! On your nightstand, by your kitchen sink... wherever!

 First I turned them upside down to spray a few light coats on the bottom of the jars. And once again, please excuse the muddiest part of my yard where all my projects seem to end up as I work on them :/

 Next I turn them right side up and spray with several coats of paint. Several light coats are always better than a few heavy coats, because you don't want drips of paint running down your jars! Sigh... is it wrong to love the smell of spray paint? (please do not answer that)

 All done - and look how adorable they turned out! You can dress them up or keep them casual. I used this little felted heart cuz I thought it looked like a cute necklace, but a big lovely bow would be fabulous!

So simple and so cute! Now you can save some of your favorite jars - there are actually a lot of nicely shaped jars out there! And you can spray them beforehand, so they're all ready for flowers from your garden and a big bow! A great way to make someone's day :) 

score!

And as you already know, I live and breathe color! I've been collecting Fiesta Ware little by little for some time now. What could possibly be more cheerful than color? (And flowers!)

Remember the antiques place where I found the cute little milk bottle carrier? I found these awesome pieces of Fiesta Ware too! I've been so excited to show you! The colorful plates I've had for some time now, but the oval platter and the pitcher are my big SCORE! I love them! The color is called Tangerine, and I've been looking for Tangerine pieces to add to my dinner plates. Yippee! 

HAPPY FRIDAY, FRIENDS!!!

busted

 Hmmm... where could Luna be? I know she's around here somewhere...

 What the ??? DOH!!! "You don't see me. YOU DO NOT SEE ME"

"Oh hi... Just waking up from my morning nap. 

Ready for Second Breakfast :) 

And while we're at it, let's discuss elevensies"

"What?!?!"

stuck in Lodi again

I found this cool milk bottle carrier at a local antiques mall. I hadn't been there in, gosh... forever! It's one of my favorite places, so I had really missed roaming around in there. Over the years, I've found a lot of cool things there. On Labor Day I drove Matty to the skate park to try out his sweet mountain bike - that's how I ended up at the antiques mall. I like to call these types of occasions serendipitous :) What's even more serendipitous is that it's from a dairy in the groovy northern California town of Lodi!

I had been keeping my eye out lately for a new flatware holder. I keep my flatware out on the counter instead of in a drawer. I know it may not look like much, but with it's 4 roomy sections and nice handle, this old milk bottle carrier had definite potential! 

But as it was metal, and my counter is gray, I would need to give it a little *ZING* so it wouldn't just get lost in my boring kitchen. I didn't want to risk losing the stamp that says "Blewett Dairy, Lodi" so I taped off that section and then spray painted the carrier with a few coats of cheerful red. It came out GREAT!

Next I added 4 French drinking jars (we use these as our every day glasses so they were on hand. You can find them at World Market, and they are inexpensive(!) I put the flatware in the drinking jars and - YAY! - a very simple project that looks ridiculously awesome :)

You could also use wide-mouthed canning jars and they would look great too. I'm so *happy* with my simple little project! Remember... it's usually the little things that bring us the most joy!

Happy Monday :)

xoxo  

remembering

In the back of my mind this entire week, I have been thinking - probably like most Americans - of September 11th, 2001. It's almost impossible to believe this Sunday will be the 10th anniversary of that horrible day when nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost so violently and so tragically. New York's Twin Towers falling... the attack on the Pentagon in Virginia... and Flight #93 crashing in Pennsylvania... changed our nation - and our world - forever. I never tire of hearing about or reading the endless stories of those who were involved in any and every capacity on that fateful day. Those stories touch me to my core. They restore my faith in humanity. The bravery, courage, terror, sacrifice, anguish, irony, loss, and dedication... will always be a source of sorrow and inspiration to me. I mourn for those who were lost, and the loved ones who lost them. It's just a small token, but it's the only thing I can do. I will spend some solitary time reading *MY BOOK*, and spend more quiet moments searching for those *STORIES* that have become a strong thread in the tapestry that is America. 


I am gravely saddened by the state of our world. And I know it will become worse in years to come. Yet I still believe there is much good in the world. I do. We don't hear about it as often because for some insane reason it isn't considered as news-worthy as spreading dread and fear. But all kinds of stories - including those of 9/11 - remind me that there are still decent people out there everywhere. And I witness it for myself every day. There will always be good, every day people such as you and I, that will step up to the plate and do what is right when tragedy strikes - and even when it doesn't. I believe this with all my heart. I hope you will too.

Perhaps all of humanity needs the reminder to never take life for granted. To never let the sun set on the day without expressing love for the people who mean the world to you. Things can happen so quickly.

xoxo

I want to ride my bicycle - OR - I like big bikes and I cannot lie

 SOMEONE got a downhill mountain bike...

 the thing is a freaking BEAST!

 so this takes care of his upcoming birf-day AND Christmas...

 ... AND he has to do my bidding for - oh - I'm gonna say a year.

 I had to force him to put it in the garage 

instead of keep it in his room :/

~ too cool for school ~ 

(I mean that theoretically Matthew!)