{Love This}

from here.

of course!

happy thursday ya'll

cindy

{Today :: Grumpies and Music}

hi friends.
yesterday was a day for me.
ugh!
not sure why.
could have been all the kit kat mini's i ate.
who brought those in the house??:)
ev.er.y.thing was bugging me.

and like it usually is for us mama's, we never get a grumpy day alone.
seems like everyone just has to join us in grumpsville.
am i right?
oh to escape and be grumpy alone....but i guess if we were alone chances are we wouldn't be grumpy anymore....wait...what?
did i just say that?!:)

happy to say today is better.
usually always is.
thank goodness.

right now i am listening to these guys.
loving this one and this one and this one.
basically the whole album rocks.
and their new album just came out.
can't wait to listen.

what songs are you loving these day and how do you get rid of the grumpies??

have a happy day,

cindy

{Weekending :: Chicago}

my buddy and i left super early for the windy city.
i see the sunrise every morning...she's a getup right before the kids do kind of mama so it was kind of funny hearing her say..."wow the sunrise is beeeeautiful!"

she also feels her stress melt away as she hits heavy traffic and tall buildings.

me on the other hand pretty much not!

i think i might have photographed that exact building like a million times.

the architecture is just so amazingly beautiful in chicago.

as we were driving to breakfast we noticed a few people wearing green.

"hmmmm...guess they are getting ready for st paddy's day a little early?"

says the dingbat duo!!!

HUGE st patrick's day parade was about to begin any minute.

and we were pretty much trapped in it.

and not wearing any green!

ha

we scarfed down our meal, bought an amazing jar of wild berry jam and got the heck to the shops.

but first we had to get at least one shot of the green chicago river.

we're not totally against celebrating in drunken craziness at 9 am ya know!:)

we shopped

and walked

and laughed at crazies in their 20's hanging over balconies

and then finally it was time for the show.

never been to the chicago theater before but this place was truly beautiful inside.

i would have loved if they had turned all the house lights on for me so i could get better pics!

the show was great!!

i just love music. of all kinds really.

and maybe my very limited musical experience (7 years of piano and 5 years of clarinet) makes me appreciate it a bit more...but i am blown away by people with true musical talent! when they make it look so effortless and love every minute of it.

that makes me happy.

afterwards we went to eataly.

this place was amazing!

(nicolle you would have been in heaven!!)

it's an open type market that is suppossed to give you the feel of walking around italy. they have 4 restaurants inside. desserts. beautiful produce and bottle after bottle of wine.

what an amazing concept and from the crowds inside it's a pretty popular place.

we had pizza and thin mint chocolate chip gelato for dessert.

pizza was yummy...but nowhere as good as my honey's!!:)

next time i visit the whole family will be with me...and we won't be wearing heavy coats!:)

hope your weekend was wonderful,

cindy

{Happy Friday}

another sunshiny day with temps in the 50's!
life is good.

grabbed myself one of these yesterday.
i've been so good in the soda department lately  (if you don't count pizza nights...i can't have  pizza without coke!) but it was finally "get my hair done day" so i had to treat myself!

 gray is gone and that feels better then any bubbly drink!

wish i could pull off a fun little headband like that!:)

middle of the week lunch dates are still the best.

spent some dreamy wandering moments in my fav place.
don't these colors just make your mouth water and your hands want to grab a popsicle...or some other kind of frozen treat!

and this little beauty flew right into my cart.
perfect piece for a mini bathroom make-over that will happen
some day.
soon.
hopefully!

i'm seeing white bead board...light blue walls...white ruffly shower curtain...barely pink towels and fluffy white bath mats. and lots and lots of girlie inspirational art!
can you picture it!?:)

tomorrow i am heading to chicago for the day with my girlfriend.
we are seeing this guy in concert (ever heard of him? new to me...but sounds good! i'm up for any kind of music and a day of shopping, food and fun) should be an adventure.

hope your friday was a fantastic one...and what's goin' on this weekend for you?

have a lovely day,

cindy

{Janey's Seussical Show}

the fourth grade at jane's school put on a seussical music show tonight.
it was so amazing! the music teacher took favorite dr. seuss books and changed them into songs. so creative and fun!

as you can plainly see...i totally botched the photos! left my camera on manual and it wasn't pretty!! but i didn't want that to keep me from remembering the night.:)

janey has been talking about this show for months now and this past week she has been ready to bust with excited anticipation. as quiet and shy as this sweetie can be, she loves to perform and be on stage!

she sang, danced, played the recorder, the drums and the xylophone.
and she did it all with an irresistible smile that never left her face!

we love you so much janey brooke! 

thanks for a musically marvelous night!

{What a Difference a Day Makes}

::yesterday::

swinging 

looking for signs of spring on the trees

bike rides

long walks around the block holding hands the whole way

hopscotch and bare feet by dinner time

::today::

snow, sleet and slushy ice

mittens and hats

snuggling by the fireplace

how's spring looking for you?

have a happy day,

cindy

{Wonderopolis}

have you heard of this amazing site?
a friend just shared it with me yesterday and i feel a bit sad the girls and i haven't been wondering this way for longer.
i just started clicking around and it looks wonderfully amazing!



Ways to Wonder - Wonderopolis.org from Wonderopolis on Vimeo.

watch the video and
click on over and tell me what you think!
any other great little sites like this out there i don't know about?
please share!:)

have a wonderful day,

cindy

{Monday}

the big girls bounced out of bed this morning. (had to wake up aubrey...poor thing...she's got the sniffles)
i think it was the thought of 50 degree temps and wearing capris that did the trick.

dave made another egg casserole for the week and cut a big platter of veggies for lunches. this post really inspired me. i agree with all of it...not that i do all of it mind you.  but that early morning workout thing...100%!!! if i don't do it early chances are it won't get done! i saw this workout in a magazine awhile back and checked out the dvd's from our library and i love it! very fast paced...and motivational. you hardly notice the 57 minutes!!:)

signed the girls out from school early for dentist appointments today.
the girls have an awesome dentist so that makes it not so bad.
aubrey has gone along for the ride for a few years now but today was the first time she actually hopped up in the chair on her own for a cleaning!! i was so impressed! and a bit surprised actually! she kept smiling and bouncing her new shoes on the seat and giving me the thumbs up sign! it was precious. of course she has three of us watching and ooohing and ahhhing over her...."ahhhh...isn't she soooo sweet?!"

we came home to daddy installing our new microwave,

um...why does everything in the house seem to break at the same time?!:)

dinner in the oven and the windows open.

i guess spring really is in the air?

have a lovely day,

cindy

ps

enjoy this dancing in the kitchen song

)

{Weekending}

a happy weekend it was.

how was yours?

do anything exciting?

we ran a few errands, took aubrey to the pet store to "look" (even though we did hear a few pleas for bunnies, and fish), and just basically hung out on saturday.

dave made these sunday morning.

oh my they were yummy and pretty much gone in an instant!

he used wheat flour instead of all purpose and made them into muffins for more popability! next time we are going to try adding some flax meal and cutting down the sugar a bit. janey doesn't like blueberries so we always have to make a few without for her. wish we could puree the blueberries and add them that way. anyone ever try that?

after luunch i took the big girls out to get some spring shoes.

cause from what i hear...spring is near!

they paid for half and i think that made it all the sweeter for them.

nothing like shopping, comparing prices and parting with that hard earned cash to make your purchase mean a little more.

notice riley's tom's look a little different...she noticed later that the stitching doesn't match...ugh...back to the store for us!

aubrey got a new to her pair too.

hard to believe janey was wearing these in kindergarten the year aubrey was born.

here's a happy new shoes song for ya.

and yes we danced to that one in the kitchen.

now i want some new shoes!:)

can you feel the quiet?

so impressed with the junior high study habits we are seeing.

she cares so much about her grades and that makes me happy.

we finished flora and ulysses and now we are on to this new nightly read aloud.
so far we love it!!

hope your weekend was a lovely one,

cindy

{Spring?}

sure felt like it today.
an abundance of sunshine.
blue skies.
and a certain spring in our step that only this time of year can bring.

we had some company at mocha friday today.
our dear sweet friends angela and brooke.
so good to sit and chat over lunch while the girls played with sofia magnets and sticker books.

do you have a friend that makes you feel so happy whenever you are around them?
motivated
energized
proud to be a mommy and a woman for that matter?
cherish them and go have lunch together...you'll be happy you did.

we stopped by our snowy park for some quick play and fresh air.
i love playing outside when there is snow all over the ground...yet it's warm and sunny. the perfect wintry play if you ask me!:)

monkey bars.

curly slides.

tunnels to climb on. 

crunchy snow to stomp in.

and good friends.

have a lovely day,

cindy

{Squishy Little Sweetie}

this is how my computer greeted me this morning.

sweet little riley.

so tiny right?

she was only 5.9 when she was born 5 weeks early.

oh i wish i could reach right in there and scoop her squishy little body up.

kiss her head, put my check near hers and breathe in deeeeeeep!

have a lovely day,

cindy

ps

we still have tea parties on that blankie and

she still sleeps with that ducky...the first stuffed animal we ever bought. dave got her from the hallmark near our house in fl and he laid in riley's crib for months...just waiting to be loved!!:)

{Wednesday}

time in a quiet house.
mall pretzel with my sweetie.

waaaay too many escalotor rides.
just because.
yes, we are crazy like that.

 a rainbow treat.

pink castles where everyone takes a nap.

and this song.




heard it while we were enjoying our pretzel.
just had to sing along.
i know i'm dating myself here...but go ahead and date yourself along with me and tell me you LOVE this song like i do!
and for today it couldn't have been more perfect!

have a lovely day,

cindy

{Weekending}

that big snowstorm we were supposed to get...the one that might thrill the girls with a snow day on monday...ehhh...not so much! we still did all the good "snow day" cooking and baking though. 

love this egg casserole recipe dave found. 

super yummy, packed with protein and it reheated so nicely we got several good mornings out of it. a make ahead keeper for sure!

we had some good quite time this weekend.
lots of game playing and hanging out.
chatting with this one in the morning for hours.
i just love her so much.
i had to snap a picture at that very moment.
i think right after that she said "mom, will you help me clean a bit in here...this mess is starting to get to me!":) that's my girl.:)

this one is cracking me up with her stories lately.
and they are elaborate too.
big sleepovers with ellie (her imaginary friend who doubles as her little sister sometimes) and trips to the beach and sneaking into closets to find creatures hidden behind the coat hangers. i seriously can't keep up with that imagination but oh how i love it. ellie sleeps on the "bunk" above aubrey these days and every night we have to read to her and sing to her and tuck her in.
whew.
it's like having twins for goodness sakes!
(and for the record...twin girls...heaven!!)

designing dream homes.

lunch

grilled chicken

crispy tortilla

lettuce 

cheese

sour cream

homemade pico

homemade quac.

yum

aubrey went to a birthday party on sunday.
she was so, so, SO excited!
i think the biggest thrill for her was actually giving her little friend her gift.
she waited so patiently for it to be her turn to go up and sit with her while she opened her present. she was beaming and giggling. it was the sweetest.

janey still loves when i read to her every night.

truth is, i love it too and hope it never ends.

have you read this one yet?

it won the newbery award this year and it is amazing!!

we finished it on sunday and i have to admit...i teared up a bit!

such a fantastic story!

so, what did you do this weekend?

hope it was happy.

have a lovely day,

cindy