Balancing Bliss

paid in smiles...

i was filling out a credit application this week.. EMPLOYER: i filled in MOTHER... SALARY: i filled in PAID IN SMILES ...

pretty much...

 that is pretty much how i'm feeling today.. 

 (yes his head is stuck... no children were hurt too badly during this photo op)

changing seasons..

here we go...

thankful...

i'm thankful that we had 15 people over for thanksgiving and it came together so well... no stressing.. really.. at all.. it turned out better than i could have imagined...

i used an old door as a buffet... spread out some of my leaves that i press every year onto it.. added a bit of tulle.. you know, a buffer between the lead paint and the food :)

there was not a picture of the turkey which is a bummer because it was beautiful and there was a comical story behind it. while putting the pan in the oven we pushed a bit hard, ripping the underneath. yes, the $5 pan. imagine that. it's about time i get a 'real one'.  as long as the turkey was weighted in the middle of the pan then it was fine. so we just left it to do it's thing. couldn't have been more moist and delicious.

we then moved on to other traditions...  not really 'we'.. i'm the only crazy in the family that goes shopping from 10pm-10am!

 

unparty take 2...

 this time it hurt a little less. first of all, she is 2 and does not have any friends of her own. she does, but they are from ages 9-35... none that want to wear a party hat or play games. thank goodness because i hate that stuff! it makes me uncomfortable. i sometimes show up at the end of parties or showers so i can avoid such things, yet in time for cake. that is how i roll. my two sisters however? one can entertain, cook and plan like no ones business. plus she enjoys it! my other sister is FUN. like really fun. creative fun. kids love her. even her kids who are in their 20's. me? i can craft/pinterest the 'bleep' out of anything, bake, photograph it, and then scrapbook it. our creativity comes from growing up poor and making anything out of nothing.

 i also have a thing for simplifying. so that is exactly what i did. a mickey mouse party. it started out with the idea of a fun and oh so cute dress, tutu maybe?, cupcakes, balloons, some pom poms,and a few minnie mouse gifts. then i realized that was for me, so i bought a dog guitar that she adores and must play with every visit to target. she doesn't like cake but LOVES cookies and i would work mickey mouse into the party through sugar cookies. the reality of how it turned out? she stayed in her pj's all day, at some point tattooed herself with markers, put clothes on her for a few photos, a box (gasp) of cookies with frosting and a candle, 2 balloons for being 2, and an unwrapped dog guitar, and her siblings. SHE LOVED IT.

the story; she didn't know how to blow out the candle so when we all cheered her on she SCREAMED at it. this was the result of it in a photo. so funny. she makes us laugh everyday so of course she did just that at her 'unparty'.

the party did end up a bit mickey/minnie because of three very special people in her life. grandma cookie gave her a mickey mini lunchpail, luci made colored her mickey rocks and a card. then just when the party was over her most favorite person in the whole wide world, MEG came over with a box of minnie mouses. she went to bed with her mickey, her 3 minnies, and her baby.

although nothing went as my little dream 2 party would be, after four kids i can let go. surprises that were better than planned happened. kids love balloons more than anything even a box. brian picked some really divine red velvet cookies. and most of all? she was happy.

the unparty #2...

last year i pinterest the naughty words out of her first birthday. the perfect dress, the cake to match it, doilies, cake stands, and photos of her through out her first little year of life. all for nothing but a few photos because we all got a stomach bug so there was not a party. it was scrapbooked the 'unparty' .... (notice the little baby NOT in the dress but in pj's looking over the baby gate at her unparty)

well her second birthday turned into another unbirthday... story to follow.. i must get to the store to buy that turkey for 15 people coming to my house for thanksgiving. eeek...

2....

this girl turned 2. it came and went. it was simple. and i will share soon... crazy times here.. and a naughty crazy story to follow this photo...

let it be over...

 two years ago today all i wanted was for it to be over... for the 4th time... i cried in october for it to be over. if i would have known it was not going to be until november 10th i would have crawled back into bed and cried for days. thank God He doesn't let us know ahead of time. i held her 12hrs later. HER, the baby of our family forever and ever. the blessing, trouble, and joy of our lives.

too many days...

between grading days and sick days from 5 of having pink eye, there are been too many days home. too many movies. however after moving on to puzzles and board games i remembered the magic of cartoons. SANITY.

 and i was also reminded of the magic of  'necklaces as keys to get into the fort' . how special it is to be offered one... an honor that i accepted and crawled in to the pink lit
fortress.

hope they remember that i took the time to crawl in there with them while they used my camera to make blurry shots of proof that i did just that...

fall is here...

 today as we watched the leaves falling i tried to explain to the kids how really awesome it is. really, if you think about it, wouldn't flowers falling from the sky be amazing? well, that is what fall is, only in leaves.

 trying to take it all in as it is my favorite time of the year. someone in our neighborhood has been burning for days so the smell of fall is here. the mornings are dreary but the afternoons are lovely.

 what i really love is enjoying my time behind the lens capturing all of these treasures.