Exciting News!

It's been a while since I have shared any Luscious Links, but this one makes up for them all! Lovely Ruth Ann has just launched her new website and it is fab-oo! Please go over and check out her new site Sugar Pie Farmhouse! You'll just want to kick your shoes off and never leave!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Well, now, if that's your thing, good for you.

A true fan!

Good job.

Yea, that looks like fun. And good excercise...

Is that all for you???

I think you have enough now.

No no....

Yes, that's it...

This could pose a problem...

No problem!

Yes, you are...you are.

No.




Yes!

Sale!!!!

How I spend my Friday nights...

Last night was rainy and cold. None of us wanted to get outside for our normal Friday night dinner out. So we got in our jammies for an impromptu family game night.

Jason's new specialty is making delicioussssss omelets.


He got a special new omelet pan and everything!

Mmmm...omelets with fresh chicken eggs only hours old. What could be better? I made tiny pancakes and hashbrowns. Perfect for a cold night in.


We turned the iHome on and sang along.


Jason can never help playing a little air drums.


Oh, babe you are so cool!


Green Day has nothing on you!!! He was so inspiring we decided to play RockBand on the playstation.


Our band is called The WonderMonkies! Look how Molly gets into it! She dances and sings along! She might be on "America's Next Great Band!" Just kidding!



Jacy is awesome on the drums!


We rotate so everyone plays 2 songs on each instrument. I'm getting pretty darn good on that guitar! Ha! Watch out! The next Partridge Family is in the making.

Whatever!

Sibling Rivalry

My children are driving me crazy.

Isn't that horrible for a Mommy to say out loud? You know, of course, that they are perfect in every way.

Except one.

The fight with each other.

A. Lot.

And I'm slowly going insane.


"No!" "Give it back!" "You're on my side!" "That's mine!" "I need alone time!" "That means GET OUT!"

Sigh.


Yesterday in the van on the way home from school Jacy was telling a story about how their school principal had surgery on her arm and Molly totally interrupted her and finished the story for her. Instead of getting angry and yelling as I expected, Jacy leaned over and kicked her with her foot. I guess she figured that Molly was strapped in and couldn't move so that was her best option.

I just turned the radio up.


We've had long talks about sisters and how important that bond is and how I wished I'd had a sister that I could be close to and that friends come and go, but sisters are forever.


In one ear and out the other.

I told them this morning that going forward if there was no blood, I didn't want to hear about it.

Sigh...

Plugged in.

Don't you think that kids are too "plugged in" these days? It is so normal and acceptable to see a kid in a restaurant with their DS or walking in a store with their iPod in their ears. I must confess that we really never leave the house without ours. They play it in the car on the way to wherever we are going or listen to it while waiting to pick up their sister. I will admit that my kids are plugged in just like the rest of America's kids.

I've never really noticed a problem until recently. You know winter makes it hard for kids to be inside all the time and I think, since I am the president of the "I hate Winter" fan club, that I have a tendency to empathize with them constantly saying to me "I'm booooreed...". Most of the time that phrase is not allowed in our house, because when they say it to me, I always make them practice their instruments. "Well, if you're bored, why don't you get out the violin and practice for 20 minutes." Let me tell you that cures boredom quickly! And my girls are such readers and sewers and arts and crafters that we've never really had a problem with too much t.v. or video games or cell phones or iPods. Until recently...

Our newest habit, of which both girls are guilty, is walking and talking whilst playing or listening to something electronic. It. Makes. Me. Insane. I want to scream "Put the damned thing down and LISTEN to me..." but I don't. I say "Girls, you need to put your game away...or iPod...or get off the phone..." in my sing song voice that I get when I'm upset and trying to exhibit self control. I suddenly realized that we were in the middle of an electronic obsession. Instead of reading before bed, Jacy wanted to watch her JB videos and Molly was on her Nintendo DS building her Zoo Tycoon park. So we implemented a new system.

Our new system is terrific!!! We have always done a chore chart for which they earn their allowance and previously their t.v. time, but now we have a new coin system. Jacy, like most 8 year olds I'm sure (and some adults if we are honest) is having a hard time with the concept of money. That is the one question she always lingers over on her Math homework and a lot of time gets it wrong. I bought her Money Bingo and she is doing much better, but now we have a new incentive and something is beginning to click in her little brain!

For every chore or positive thing they do, (ie. Feed the dog, avoid a fight with their sister, pick up after someone or themselves without being asked) they get a coin. Each coin is worth its weight in minutes. A penny is one minute, a nickel is five minutes and a dime is ten and so on. It goes into their personal jar and they can cash it in to use towards t.v., video games, computer time, talking (or texting) on their phone, etc. The only rules are that they can never ask for a coin, (no "Mom, I picked up my pj's can I have a coin?") and they have to ask before they use it to ensure they are done with homework, chores, etc.

It is working like a dream!!! Now that the weather is nicer it is getting easier to not have them so plugged in, but also for the most part, they are wise about saving up their minutes. They know they can't watch "Hannah Montana" in ten minutes, so they store them up and "spend" them in bulk! It is great. They are now looking me in the eye when I'm talking to them and reading before bed again and I don't feel like one of those parents who is contributing to childhood obesity by allowing their kids to be plugged in all the time! And I don't nag.

Maybe I should start a coin system with Jason???? That's a joke. Please, no emails. Just kidding!!!

Puppy Love...

I just spent an hour this morning online trying to get Jonas Brothers tickets for a concert that is coming to our city's big event center in June. An hour. And several (and I do mean several) hundred dollars. Talking back and forth on the phone with my good friend, Debbie who was also trying to get tickets for her girls, we were both sweating at the wait and we were both shocked with how fast the tickets were going! But our tickets are in hand and I am SO excited to tell my girls that they will be in the same room with the Joe Bros!

My first concert I ever went to was with my parents to a ZZ Top concert. Not exactly a kid-friendly band, but I loved them and I thought my parents were sooooooo cool that they were taking me to a concert. Of course you already know how cool I am, but I will say that Jason has already put "earplugs" on the list for our concert-going experience. Mainly because of the multitude of little girls and their screaming...

I don't remember liking any music or having crushes on any boys when I was my girls' age. I do remember being in love with Peter Pan, whom I saw in a musical at our performing arts center when I was about 5. My mom later told me that a little girl played that role and I completely ignored her. I much preferred to think of me as Wendy and Peter Pan carrying me out the window to Neverland!

It seems like my girls have started early. Here is the poster of the JBros that hangs above Jacy's bed.


She kisses Joe goodnight every night before bed. Here is her little shelf next to her bed that holds her iPod and iHome speakers. She watches a JB video on her iPod before the goodnight kiss every night, too. She knows every. single. word. of every. single. song they sing. I think I might, too, as much as they both play them! She's only 8!

Molly's favorite thing to do is spend her allowance on those silly tween magazines and cut out pictures of all her favorite people. Mainly Nick Jonas and David Archuletta. Nick covers every square inch of her school binders, spiral notebooks, folders and journals. He also completely covers the inside of her closet door, where she sometimes closes the door and talks to him. Oh, wouldn't she just kill me if she knew I was telling that!!!

Here is the closet.

She also made a poster for Jacy of Joe Jonas.


I bet she has gone through 100 magazines cutting out JB pictures.

They are going to fuh-lip out when I tell them about the concert. It isn't until June, but I know I will barely be able to stop myself from pulling them out of school this afternoon and telling them...

I'm almost as excited as they will be just to see their little faces.

The Joe Bros! Squeeeeeaaaal!

Hangover...

I have a softball hangover this morning.

I feel like I used to after a night of heavy drinking long long ago.

I guess after 13 hours (not kidding) on a softball field, you tend to feel a little zapped.

This is a picture of my little catcher after she hit a ball into the outfield and brought 3 runners home. Yes that is dirt on her cheeks that she rubbed on her face for luck. Don't ask. Clearly, the luck didn't work because the next game saw them get beat 13-0 and knock us out of the tournament. Thank goodness.

Now I can get some laundry done.

I was tagged by Little Town Big Life to take a picture of myself at this very moment without freshening up. I think I'll spare you a picture of myself in my pj's with my softball hangover and my bed head. I don't want to scare you! But feel free to use your imagination!!!

P.S. Do you think it is over the top that I just joined this Fan Club so I can ensure I get tickets to their world tour concert for my little fans???? If I don't get tickets for them I will just CRY!!!! Debbie, I'll just CRY!!!!

P.P.S. Thanks for all the comments about FB. You guys are hi-larious! I won't tell you what I decided...

Trendy? Not me!!!!

Let me just ask this...am I the only person in America not on Facebook? No, really am I?

I see now that Oprah is now doing an entire show about this ridiculous phenomenon that has somehow become the MySpace for old people. (Sorry, brutal truth.) I'm forever hearing "Are you on Facebook? You're NOT????!!!!" Aghast expression on face. "Why??????"

Hmmmm...because I have far too many internet addictions (and no, I'm not talking bad ones, people, just blogs, blogs and more blogs) as it is and adding another one could cause me to go into a tailspin. Also because I have no desire to connect with people from my past who might write obscenities on my "wall" (whatever that is) and the people that I do want to connect with, I see already and they can callllllll meeeeee. Phone. Remember? That big thing that sits on a table in your house or rides around in the pocket of your pants and occasionally rings and you answer it and peoples' voices come out of it?????

Not to offend any of you darling friends that love Facebook (and I love you so!) I have to say that I simply don't understand this obsession with Facebook. I really don't. While I do admit that the power of the Internet to bring people together astounds me and I love and value the friendships I have made through blogging and I can see the appeal of connecting on yet another plain, I simply can't relate to this new social networking trend. And every time I hear someone talk about it, and pimping their profile and signing their walls and chatting online and yadda yadda yadda, I secretly roll my eyes. Buuuuutttt, there has to be something fun and exciting about it, right? I mean grown up, respectable and some highly educated people have joined and are enjoying it.

Maybe I should join and see what all the hype is about. Thoughts????

Slumber Party!

We had a GREAT time for Miss Jacy's 8th Birthday celebrating with her most special friends by having a "Glam-A Pajama Party"!!! This is the slumber party cake I made for the party by her special request. I've made it several times before and it is always a hit! There are squeals of joy when they see the little Twinkie covered bodies in their cake bed! My cake never looks like the picture in the magazine-a little more lumpy, a little less than professional, but that's okay! They get the idea!

Jacy has some very LOUD friends. After the presents and cake, Jason shut himself in the bedroom and turned the volume up on the t.v. to drown them out. There were several times when I threatened bedtime if we couldn't have our inside voices on!

We had pizza and slumber party cake. We played Twister and Freeze Dance and this fun game that we call the Name Game. You tape the name of a famous person on their back and they have to go around the room and guess who it is with only Yes and No questions. This is always a big hit and Molly's friends play it forever at her parties. This was another special reqest by Miss Jacy. We had "famous" people like Barbie, Kermit the Frog, Nick Jonas, Hannah Montana, Spongebob and George Washington and many many more! It is amazing how fast they can guess them! I think I need to go a little harder next time!

The biggest hit was the game "Pig". The girls all crawl into a different person's sleeping bag and the person that is "It" has to go into the next room while they completely cover themselves, head and all! Then they have to come out of the room and sit on a covered girl. That girl can't say anything, only OINK! And the person who is "It" has to guess who is under there! They played it for a loooooonnng time.


After all the giggling and squealing and oinking we needed a clam activity so we made our party favors which were our fun flip flops with the fabric ties. They spent a good, calming hour tieing on strips of pre-cut fabric to flip flops to make fun, bushy, ca-yute flip flops!


Then I tucked them into their party favor bags, turned on our movie, High School Musical 3, passed around the popcorn and collapsed in exhaustion!


I can't believe my baby is 8!

Zumba Fitness

Have you ever been to a Zumba Fitness class? They should have a sign on the door that says something like this:

"If you are a chubby white girl and the last time you have danced (or attempted to) was in a dark nightclub years ago, with one hand clutching a cocktail and the other hitching your bra strap up and the details of that evening, while long ago, are too fuzzy for your exact recollection, you may want to stand in the back. The far back."

I looked like a mixture of Elaine from Seinfeld and William Hung. It was scary. Here is a video someone shot of me during the class. The people standing around staring at me were my classmates. It was bad.



I will, however, be going back next Friday to inflict further pain on my fellow man.

Bragging Rights...beware!

Warning! Proud Mommy Post! Shield your eyes!

Today I got the news that Molly has been nominated for our local Chapter of the Eta Mu Sorority's Outstanding Youth for 2009! Out of the 8 elementary schools, only 24 Fifth Graders are chosen for this lovely award. They are nominated based on character development, community involvement, grades, extracurricular activities and the shining example they show to our community. (Okay, I just verbatim took that from an article written about Eta Mu several years ago...is that plagarism? Well, I really didn't know much about their organization or this award until today. I had to do some research!!!)

The buttons are about to pop off of my shirt I am so proud! Yay for Miss Molly! Their Gram (my mom) says that these girls are going to take over the world some day!

Vulnerability: A Post for Nicole

No, Nicole, I don't think you are a stalker, silly! I think you are a caring person who reads my blog and you are absolutely right. I don't post as much as I used to!!! Here's the deal. Recently I have discovered that loooooots of people I know read this blog. Lots. Lots more than I really realized. And I think there are more people I know reading it than will admit to me, maybe even a few family members {yikes} who are lurking out there....don't think I don't monitor you guys!!! And suddenly I felt vulnerable. Remember my people face? Well I like my people face. I hide behind it. I'm not one that is very easy to get to know in person. I don't like to share too much information about myself. {Yea, right, you're thinking...but it is true.} I was just fine when this was a personal blog where I could say any damned thing I wanted and I wouldn't run into people all over town whom I don't know {but I'm sure you're all lovely, dears} who run up to me and say "You don't know me, but I love your blog!". Reeeeeeeaaaaaalllly? {Said in a Jim Carrey type of voice}. Now I'm a little freaked out.

You see, in case you haven't noticed, I have a hard time being plastic {fake, pretend, not real} on this blog. I don't care for plastic people in the same way that my daughter doesn't care for rice. She'd just prefer not to eat it. And since Molly prefers not to spend her time with rice, I prefer not to be plastic. I actually have a really hard time doing it and I get a bad taste in my mouth when I can't be myself and tell people how I feel. It tastes a little like Green Apples. I don't care for Green Apples. Do you?

Aside: Don't you find it ironic that in the same breath that I tell you I have a hard time being plastic, I am, in fact, admitting that I am plastic most of the time with people by putting on my people face and not allowing them to know the Real Me? Hmmm...something to think further on.

All that to say, one day a person, who shall remain nameless...along with a few others in town and around said they read this {mindless tripe that I occasionally post on this} blog. Sigh. Well hell's bells! Now I have to be plastic again. Pull out the people face, I'm trying to be professional here, people! But it just doesn't work well for me. So I stayed away.

I'm not really sure what to do. I thought about making this a private blog, but I get soooooooo annoyed when I click on a link in someone's sidebar and it says "Invited Members Only". It makes me feel like the one time in 8th Grade when I told my friend that she had a big ass and she wouldn't let me sit at the cool table with her anymore at lunch and everyone was mad at me for about a week until it died down and I was welcomed back into the fold. She did have a big ass though. And, clearly, I had an even bigger mouth. I don't want any of you lovely dears out there to click on this blog and feel that you weren't an Invited Member and then you'll have to take your tray and sit somewhere else.

Then I thought about making this just about The Shabbee Chick Designs, but how boring would that be? Boring.

So for now, I'm just going to be myself and reap the consequences.

And the truth is, {Gawd, I hate it when people say this...gritting teeth} I'm just so buuuuussssy! Truly. So. Busy. And I'm having such a fun time doing lovely design work, but sometimes after I have been on the computer for so long, the last thing I want to do is spend more time on it blogging. But I promise to be better. There? Will that work?

So to answer to your questions, Nicole, yes I am ready for Spring! Soooooo ready. Clearly, though, Oklahoma is not. It was 75 degrees yesterday and I was in capris and flip flops and today it is 32 degrees and I'm in a sweater and jeans. Spriiiiinnngg! Why hast thou forsaken me?! I think God likes to mess with me. Seriously. He's like "Okay, ya'll! Watch this..."

My forsythia is in bloom and my daffodills are out and shining and my trees are budding and the stupid heater is on. Sigh.

And clearly, the chickens haven't realized that it isn't quite time for spring yet. They are laying more eggs than we can possibly eat. This is what Jason brought in this morning.

Just this morning. I made Jason take 2 dozen eggs to work yesterday with the instructions not to come home with them. And I'm really mad at this one mom whose child is a little she-devil to my child, so I'm considering taking some by her house tonight and tossing them at her garage door. What? I'm just shaaaaarrrring! Sharing is nice!

So, I have to tell you that I got this little package in the mail the other day. It was a little square package-always such a nice thing to come home to when you're not expecting a package! When I picked it up it rattled and I thought "Oh no! It's broken, whatever it is!!!", but then I realized that it didn't have a broken rattle sound, more like beads or rocks or something. So after I shook it for a while, I opened it and a ca-yute little note fell out that said "Just a little Shabbee Chick..."! And there...inside a ca-yute little decorated box, filled to the top with birdseed was this ca-yute little Shabbee Chick! It was from Tina! As if the pleasure of doing her blog design wasn't enough, she sent me a new friend. And it is a good thing she put a snack for him in the box along the way. She didn't want him to get hungry on the journey from Cherry Hill Cottage to his new spot on my desk. He is inspiring me, Tina!!!

And my other dear friend, Diane, who was actually both of my girls' preschool teacher at the BEST preschool in town brought this over to me one sunny day last month. It was on a day when I needed a little pick me up and her sweet face coming to my door with a little thoughtful gift was so appreciated! It is from here and I love it. It's all natural and lavender scented {my. alltime. favorite. scent.} It works really well, too, Diane! I am going to order another one when it is gone!

Jacy's birthday party is Friday night. It is her first BIG slumber party. She has been having little girls sleep over for years, but the most she's ever had at one time were two girls. Now we'll be having 11. Think of me. We are calling it a Glam A Pajama party! We will be having pizza and a slumber party cake and doing our nails and having a facial and playing lots of fun games and making ca-yute little flip flops and hopefully all getting in bed at a decent hour to watch a very girlie movie.

And we've started softball again. Our third season. Some days I feel that all my afternoons after 3:00 are spent in the car or waiting on a child during an activity. I think that my busiest time of day is between the hours of 3:00 and 8:30 when they hit the pillow. Molly doesn't know this yet, but we are most definitely not resuming horseback riding lessons this spring. She just has waaaaaay too many interests. Way too many. Cheerleading, tumbling, piano, softball...something's gotta give. And the most expensive one on the list goes first. Buh-bye. She'll be very sad, though. I'm a little sad myself. But it is one more thing that I will not have to drive her to!

Jacy's violin teacher {NEW violin teacher, I might add. Remember this? If you live in my town, and you take violin from someone local-CALL. ME. We need to talk. Liz will tell you the same thing.} told me she was gifted the other day. Gifted? My child? Hmmm...gifted at what, exactly? Throwing tantrums? Annoying her sister? Asking me the same question 50 times in one day? Truly, I know this. I know she's gifted. I know it. She is. I'm her mother. Mothers know these things. It is just nice someone else notices as well.

So, that's it. Now, I'm off to buy another dresser for my children's bedroom {because clearly, I can't get rid of their multitude of clothing, I must just buy something else to hold it all!}, install a blog design, design a logo, pick up the kids, supervise homework and piano practice, drive to violin, cook dinner somewhere in there, pick up from softball practice and collapse onto the couch in exhaustion. Lovin' every minute of it.

So true...it's funny because it's truuuuueeee...

Featured Artist of the Month!

O my goodness I'm so very excited to tell you about a new element on my website! I am introducing a new Monthly Feature called The Featured Artist of the Month. I just get so overwhelmed and impressed with the multitude of creativity that is shared by all these blogging women that I thought they needed a FEATURE! I wanted to focus on the creativity and talent that these women share with us on a daily basis with just a small token interview on my website!
I am so very pleased to introduce as our first Featured Artist of the Month, my very talented e-friend, Rosemary from Roses Petite Maison! She is such an incredibly gifted artist and I truly lust after all her glittery goodness that she creates in her very fabulous and totally shabbee-licious home studio! Head on over to the website to check out our new feature and read Rosemary's delightful interview!

Introducing...

My newest OOAK Blog Design, "Rose Cottage". On sale now! Head on over to the website to check it out!!! And don't forget to check out the Fresh Freebies for Spring!!!