{Friday}

woohoo!
what's making me happiest this friday?
sunshine and blue skies.
ignoring the fact that 6+ inches of fluffy whiteness are headed our way tomorrow.
everyone home for the weekend...and a possible/probable snow day for monday.
and mochas with a munchkin.

or two.

in other random news...
every day when i pick up aubrey from school i ask her what the best part of her day was and she always says, "this moment". love it. but then usually i get some other good tidbits too like "taking a 'nap' in housekeeping then
rachel waking me up", "being line leader" and "getting to stay in the post office the whooooole free choice time". but i kinda like the first one best:)

get some other good tidbits too like "taking a 'nap' in housekeeping then

thanks for your sweet comments yesterday.
happy to report that they are still offering half day and we are officially signed up for it. may be the one and only...but who cares!:)

"take a picture of her sesame seed apron mom"

spent some alone time at target this am and found a lamp shade on clearance. 

70% off kind of clearance.

just the right new touch for our living room.

been sprucing that room up bit by slow bit.

pictures coming soon.

deep cleaning and lots of cooking and baking on the agenda for the weekend.

cause that's just what you do when it snows. 

and we got some oldie but goodie movies from the library for the big girls.

superman and raiders of the lost ark.

made me think of when i saw both of those in the theater with my dad!

ya know, when a ticket used to be $1.50!!!:)

hope they are as good as i remember!!

and one last pic...cause i'm pushing the limits of how many panera selfies one blog can hold!!!:)

have a happy day and a wonderful weekend!

cindy

{Flashbacks and Flashforwards}

our desktop slide show is a mix of favorite old photos that just fade in and out all day. i love that. and i love seeing what photo will greet me each morning when i turn on the computer.

this is what i saw today....my sweet dad and the girls.

this was our old house. we didn't have a finished basement then so we turned the little eat in nook into a make shift playroom. i love looking at the old toys. we still have most of them. if aubrey was with us then, that would have been the most perfect time...all of us home...no school yet!!!:)

here are a few other shots from that visit.

my dad's a chocolate milk shake kind of guy!:)

oh those sandbox days.

*******************************************

tonight is kindergarten round up for aubrey.
yep.
tonight.
an evening where we hear about all the procedures and things we can do to get out little ones ready for the transition. i know this should be an exciting time. and i guess in some teeny tiny way it is. i know she will love it. i know she will have fun, learn a lot and make friends. and grow and blossom and all that. but i still can't help but think of it as a sort of ending not really a beginning. an ending to this time before school and all it's massiveness. the massiveness that will take over her life. swallow up all our time and leave us with only the scraps at the end of the day. (how's that for mama drama!!:))

i am blessed that our school still offers a half day program. (at least i pray they do....i will find out more tonight!) the half day kindergarten program was one of the reasons we moved here in the first place. riley is a june birthday and she had such a hard time at preschool, we really thought this would be a better transition for her. we fell in love with the program and it was just perfect for our family. home by lunch for snuggles, downtime, dancing in the living room...oh... and time with mommy! heaven!

last year they decided to go full day. i know it is a Godsend for many families that send their children to day care or extended care so that both mom and dad can work. i get that. i really do.
they still offered the half day program this year but only 8 families participated. eight.
eight!!

really that kind of blows me away. so many families i thought for sure would be on board for the half day option sent their children anyway. i can't help but think that the pressures of making sure their children were "keeping up" with all the other full day kinders played a major part in that decision. that makes me sad really. they have a lifetime of school ahead of them. a lifetime. and time at home before school begins is so fleeting and in my opinion grossly under valued.

but ok...enough of the soap box speech!:) i could go on and on and on and on about that topic!!!:)

so back to tonight...i will sit there and listen quietly for the mention of half day. and be prepared to jump up and demand it if it's not mentioned. (i would so embarrass the pants off riley if she was sitting there with me!!:)) wish me luck!

have a happy day,

(and keep those babies home!!:))

cindy

{Lunch Box Love}

do you pack lunches for anyone wonderful in your life?
i pack two...but someday soon it will be three.
i am pretty good about including a little love note each day.
the girls have a zip lock full from each school year.
worn and tattered little scrapes of paper...some even with a yogurt stain or two.
most days they are just short and sweet with everyday things like "i miss you and i hope your day is full of smiles". but every once in awhile something is going on in their lives that needs a little extra.  a big test.  a worry.  a hard sad morning that needs a little pick-me-up. whatever those little notes hold i know they are treasured. and that makes me happy.

so...if you have a lunch box to pack tomorrow try these free little beauties. just download, print and cut...and make someone happy! (oh and these are pretty cute too!)

have a happy day,

cindy

ps

ignore the blurry "finally changed my Christmas one" header...not sure what's up...argh!

{Sledding}

dave took the girls sledding on sunday.
and i stayed home.
yes, alone.
it was quite nice actually!!:)

they had so much fun and were actually the only ones there most of the time.

apparently aubrey lost interest and found some other things to keep her busy.

looks like fun girls...but part of me is hoping it's the last sled trip of the season.

sound good??

have a happy day,

cindy

{Weekending}

happy monday.

how was your weekend?

ours was good.

just the right mix of going places and stayin put.

girl scout thinking day.

jane and her best scout bud catie.

after a family lunch date, riley and i went searching for new glasses.

we always have so much fun when we go out together.

and isn't this ipod case just the cutest?

one our favorite dinners.

 nothing like a good round of telephone after dinner.

funny.

silly.

but not nearly as funny as the 20 minutes+ we spent playing heads up 7up a few weekends ago! 

yep, just the 5 of us.

dave and i kept looking at each other saying...."why on earth is this so fun?!":)

"read my mind...channel my thoughts..."

what???

blueberry pancakes

night time routines with big sis

aubrey and i made banana bread.

we used whole wheat flour but then added mini chocolate chips of course.:)

it stuck to the pan, but it still rocked.

doesn't that look amazing?

it is!!!!

i will never eat tuna any other way again.

just tuna, hummus and a little salmon magic.

mix em up and dig in!

dave saw the idea on line somewhere but of course added his own special touches. if you like tuna and hummus...please mix them together...you'll love it!

(and yes, this is dave's lunch...i don't do tomatoes...mine was almost as pretty but still super yummy!)

another cold week ahead of us.

but at least we are above zero for all of it.

and the sun will be shining!

have a happy day,

cindy

{Two Princesses}

"come on mom...i picked the purple ones just for you!"

i love you target dollar section!

it's friday!

and that's reason enough to smile!

have a happy day,

cindy

{Wednesday...the "best day"}

early out days are our faves.
with all the snow we've had this year they turned the remaining ones on the calendar into full school days...so we made sure to take full advantage of our very last one.

panera for a bagel and some girly chit chat.
the library for arm loads (and bags full) of books.
and a favorite song playing loud to get us all smiling.

have you had a best day lately??

{Weekending}

the long ones are the best aren't they?
especially when love day starts it all off am i right?

dave's special chicken brine

lots of cookin.
lots of eatin.

three kinds of chips for some heavenly cookies

thankfully some exercise thrown in there too.

we finished it up with a "no-school hang out"... 
(cause you can't call it a play date anymore!!:))
for some of riley's friends.
homemade pizza, and cupcakes.
does it get any better??

and lots and lots of play.
dolls, dollhouses and
nothing electronic.
and that makes me happy!

hope your weekend was a happy one,

cindy

{Happy Love Day}

we love this day,
really love it.
we began it with three smiling faces and daddy's yummy scones.
can't think of a better way to start the day!

later after school the fun part began...the scavenger hunt for the goodies.
we have been doing this forever and i think it might hang around till they are in high school! that's how much they love it.

finding clues in funny places.

and at last the prizes.

 the fireplace covered with hand written love notes just for them.

and we ended the day with a heart healthy meal cooked to perfection!

salmon

lentil salad

roasted sweet potatoes and 

brussel sprouts.

yum!!

so thankful for my little love bugs...big and small!:)

happy love day!