don't know what to call this post so i'll call it 'the fams here post'....

6 days.

doing 'nothing' but hanging with the fam/and the other part of the fam.

NOT that it was too cold to do anything but nothing (did that make sense?).

cough. cough.

although, it's AMAZING to me how busy 10 kids can keep themselves.

oh, SO good is my life right now.

a few days back, we were all sitting around, out in our field (nope, NOT sitting on the new patio we put in. go figure.) chatting.

it was one of those moments that i wished i could 'bottle'. you know what i'm saying? wishing you could stop time. that was one of those moments.

all of my siblings (lori/ed ,tim/lisa and brady) were there.

we could see all of our kids (kayt,ben,olivia,ben,mady,bo, bailee,eli,zach,sam,max and jack) playing nicely with each other.

the sun was out.

we had no where to go.

no big plans, planned.

i was content and feeling EXTREMELY blessed.

once every 4 years is NOT ok.

NOT. AT. ALL.

with the craziness of life, time just got away from us. it's not that we don't see each other from time to time OR have the desire to but when one of you lives across the country, every year is just not possible.

thankfully, i have a sister that, like me, doesn't feel like we NEED to chat everyday(uummm, not like THAT happens!) to KNOW that we love each other & no matter how many miles, nothing will change that.

i know that.

that being said, it BITES that they live 3,500 miles away!

good news is, i have another 6 days with them.

tomorrow the weather is SUPPOSED to start getting better so i'm thinking we'll break out the slip-n-slide (blue tarp) or head to t&l's to swim.

tuesday evening we have our family pictures scheduled with the FAMOUS BECKY and then on wednesday, it's off to Caltus Lake water slides for um, water sliding.

thursday it's off to seattle to tour the city.

friday, the mariners game.

saturday morning, the fam heads back to new jersey. :(

oh, yeah and also, i turn 40 on saturday.

i'm ok with that. that just means i'm getting wiser, RIGHT??

surprisingly, the batteries in all three of our cameras are dead (shocking) so tomorrow i'll have to download the BOATLOAD of pictures already taken and share.

until then.....

maddness....

ok,what gives?
a full 2 hours making myself insanely crazy trying to come up with a sassy new look for my blog. well, as you can CLEARLY see, it was a wasted 2 hours.
i am here to tell you, i am NOT a patient girl.

i won't even pretend to say that i am.

this is maddening!
maddening i tell you!!!

please, PLEASE someone share with me an easy, inexpensive way to make my blog cute!!!!

i've searched Google.

i've searched etsy.

i've searched eBay.

i've searched my inmost being.

and yet...

well, you can see for yourself.

still ugly.

so, if you know of a great website that can walk me thru, please tell me.

pretty please.

i'll beg.

and that my friends, WON'T be pretty.

some better news.

i'm here at on my sisters computer.

my one and only sister, ya know the one that was going to help me work on my blog tonight.

yup, the same one that is now downstairs, snuggling with her hub,watching a movie.

go figure.

she'd rather do that then sit here and listen to me spew out unnecessary words about my dumb blog.

a lot of nerve that sister of mine.

anywho...

as i was saying, better news....

i'm at my sisters house!!!!!

i love it here.

i love her family.

i love her home.

and yes, i love her new fancy, smacy pool.

it makes me love her more.

i guess i'm shallow like that.

oh, and she takes me shopping.

and lets me sleep til 11:30!!!

i did that today. for the first time since 1990.

and i liked it.

yup, i liked it.

sisters are also good for talks that you wouldn't just have with any old joe off the street.

we do that.

we talk about things that only sisters should.

you know, important things like should one REALLY wear THAT in public.

or....

oh, ya, if i told you what else we talked about, you'd think that YOU and I are sisters

and

since we ARE NOT,

i WON'T tell you.

trust me, there's good sister talk going on.

i like my sister.

i not only love her but i really like her too.

she's real.

she's funny.

and she thinks i'm funny too.

that's reason enough to keep her around. :)

i don't have enough hours in my day to tell you all the wonderful things about her but trust me,

she's the whip cream on top of my mocha shake.

and she's that sweet. i need to dedicate a WHOLE, big fat blog post about HER!

it will be worth the read.

my kit has now officially graduated from high school. she was so beautiful standing up there with her classmates. all 5 of them. 5 other GIRLS. yuppers, she graduated in a class of 6....and if you ask me, she was the best. :) in the fall she will be heading off to college where she will study to be a pediatric oncology nurse. bless her.

she's awesome.

i'm saving another post for her too.

she's worthy of her own post.

alright, i'm going to see if i can hit the hay and quick fall asleep before i've been awake for 12 hours. how pathetic is that???

new jersey vacation pictures to be posted tomorrow, on my ugly blog.

stay tuned,if you dare.

bear with me.
my blog is getting a facelift. (since i can't afford one for myself)
just not anymore at 1:18 am (i'm in new jersey)
so, don't be frightened by what you see....
a new change is a-comin'.........

a productive saturday....

we have been attempting for a least a month for a productive Saturday.

if it's not one thing, it's another.

mostly rain has been our hindrance.

thankfully, yesterday that was NOT a problem.

it was a PERFECT day for working.

there was tree trimming, there was mowing, there was lots of weeding and there was LOTS of sweating going around here!

AND we FINALLY got around to redoing the side flowerbed. laying a new path sounds very easy in theory, however, in reality, it's A LOT of work.

thanks to the hub who worked his cute little bahookie off.

last night, as i closed the curtains, i was happy with our progress.

stop on by, it may not look this good again for a long time.

maxwell was extremely proud of the fact that he could drive the loader. daddy has much faith.

my hanging baskets are coming along very nicely thanks to Miracle Grow.
love u.

the finished product.

another angle.

the hub looks mighty fine up there.

fresh dirt. me likes.

my dear mother. spiffin' up some old chairs.

the thorn in my side.

the pile of pavers, overgrown by weeds. the beautiful view from my kitchen window since last summer.

good grief, can someone please give the hub a few more hours in his day so we can get this sorry mess taken care of???? on a positive note, the grass is sure a nice shade of green.

my children's play area. um, yes, that sandbox did have sides at one point. the contruction zone has widened.

a big mess but what wonderful little memories it's creating.

the before shot. minus all the little pebbles, those blasted things.