FFF- Colonal Sanders? Is that you?

We've been working on eating solids recently and I am one of those moms that reads everything she can on how to do it right and then take them all and make up my own expert opinion. Well, one site said let your baby "explore" the food, feel it touch it and maybe try to put some in their mouth themselves it helps the process. So I think, "ya... I get that" and of course Miss T loves her rice cereal so far.. well... She grabbed the bowl from my hand and started slurping the rice cereal out, then decided she wanted to eat my finger too. She said it taste like chicken but I'm not sure she's had chicken yet!




If you'd like to participate in this week's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta, or if you just want to look at more pictures, head on over to Candid Carrie's and check it out!

Swap till you drop.. (updated!)

Oh my gosh-
I have always wanted to be in a swap and there were two of them going on right now.. well, one ended and I am waiting to see if I can be involved but Wendi from Because Wendy said so still has hers going!!

WE got in both swaps!!
I am so excited.. but I need help trying to figure out what to send...
I have my one partner mamashpere and I have read over a bit of her blog but am a little overwhelmed now.. I gotta go shopping..

FFF - Girls Rule, Boys Drool...

I am tellin ya.. my kid is going to be a mafia boss one day.. look at this negotiation on this poor kids life.. and bear.. lion, whatever...

This is another meeting of Miss T and Mr J... she smacked him around quite a bit but he's less than a pound less than her, so she knows her time is short..
We learned this on Friday night wrestling.. elbow to the melon!
He's like "hey bebba..."
Another move, I think this one was from one of those old kung-fo films..
Someone throw a flag, she's biting!!
Oh, why wear cute socks unless you want some chick to try to take them from you... someone get this ref some better pants!

Welcome to the show me state...

For some reason, I have a feeling we are going to compete with the other MO people pulling that "show me state" bs.. so we are not going to talk about the arch

Branson (yes, this is real)6 flags (even if it is where I saw my first concert)Lets go to that down home feeling...
Drinkin orange soda, swinging....


roads that your dad always knew and you would just get so carsick - oh the hills are alive... ugggI mean really,, do you need a sign? (and does this one look upside down to you too?)Oh yes, the mailboxes are back.. this one I find interesting.. and had to drive by 3 times to get this shot... enjoy it!


Yes, people live here, they have a sign that they babysit.. I really want to go talk to them just so I can see the inside.. but I won't.. well, not right now

And last but not least... lawn art.. who has this kind of Land in San Fran to do something like this?? "Well Floyd, another tree died, guess we better go get a new lawn gnome"
Welcome bloggers from around the world.. Hope you enjoyed the Real MO.. :D

Award Winning Post today!! OSB update

I am so horrible recently, I have received multiple awards and have not thanked or presented any of them... I am going to do so now and thank my friends (and not give any out until later!)

I'm so glad that Z's mom thinks we are fun to read... Makes me happy!

Kelly gave us this Ass kickin award, well, cuz we do kick ass!! Whooo hooo!!



The pink rose is from Kris and from Z's mom. We love them both!

Somehow my OSB update got bumped with the same line as at the top... I am down 1 total but not feeling so hot so we are just going to do our thing this week and hope we get some sleep.. the whole family is sick.. uggg...

Around the World

Ya'll know how I am about getting post cards from all over the world for Miss T. There's someone else that's loving our theme too... She's getting blogs from all around the world.. what a great idea.. lets help out..




I know some of you crazy gals out there live not far from me but far enough to count so help a sistah out

what a good time.

Read it all.. I'm ramblin again but it could benefit you!

I am thinking of having a contest... The Walmart by me is going to stop selling fabric and I went a little nutty buying some (ok, a lot but who's judging?) so my spending habit could be your gain...
I am thinking 3 prizes... (in no special order)
1. a doll.. (stuffing included)
2. a bag (cute and what I use in my charity work)
3. a plastic bag grabber (everyone has too many bags in the kitchen not to need one)

Thoughts? tell me if you think it's dumb or what..


(Yes Aunties get special prizes if they want any of the above.. but theres going to be some seriously cute aprons made for this year)


Isn't this the cutest thing ever!!
Betz White made a laptop case that I just love!


Burta Style does it again with this cute nightie

We got Pillowcase kids dress instructions from Red instead..cute idea, even cuter tutorial!

We plan to edit this one, but cute idea to make a teeshirt dress (we will use a different bottom...

Even a lil somethin for the boys we love ...akin some pants from old tees

FEED ME!!

Ok, we started on rice cereal yesterday and it was a hit!!

We did a video yesterday but it went so well that it's too long to load here so I did a short.

and a few stills :)

and someone wants to do it all on her own already!

Princess fufu's -- FFF

So I talked the Unkie of the monkies yesterday and he asked why there were no pictures of his angel babies on my blog... HA! That was my sign that I have the OKKKEEYY to post um!!

Look at my sweeet swweeett nieces!!
this is Arora at Disney - the one on the left is the Beanpole (in the 900% of height) and the right with the ears is the peanut (but dont' tell her I said that, she's on peanut strike)
Talk about driving people crazy, look at that cute!
Gramma, I'm gettin 9
Yup, I got 9 too..


If you'd like to participate in this week's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta, or if you just want to look at more pictures, head on over to Candid Carrie's and check it out!

Tricia Needs...

Ok, I stopped in to say hi to Z's mom today and she had this thing on her page that I used to do in my training class and tell people it was a Fortune Teller and if they did well we could tell fortunes at the end of class.. So here goes..

Go to Google and entered "(your name)" + the word "needs" and hit enter.....
Here are my results....

Tricia Needs...

Tricia needs constant assistance to meet her personal care - does this include a personal shopper and cook?
Tricia needs to move back in with her parents - again I say, personal cook? anyone?
Tricia needs major help! - Well I never!
Tricia needs a rest from me. - not so sure if that means I have multiple personalities or if there is another person I need a rest from.
Tricia needs a CAT. - no not so much, I feed enough people here, can we go back to the personal chef?
Tricia needs to pee - uh, I just did but thanks... oh, wait, maybe I do need to pee...???
Tricia needs to get a lawyer and see how much she can get from the old man. - HAHAHHAA he's not worth anything without me!
Tricia needs affection, stability and devotion, not charm and empty words. - Amen Sistah! you tellum!
Tricia needs help, needs therapy, not the electric chair. ... - Gulp.. lets not go to far here people
Tricia Needs Our Prayers - aww thanks, can you pray for that cook and maybe some ice cream too?
Tricia needs to realise that while her exes flaws are made public, so is her act of craziness. - dang, I didn't know I was so popular!
Tricia needs to stop talking & copying Tyra Banks - Fierce!!!
and that's all Tricia needs. ... you can say that again

Welcome Baby Lucy!!!

Our friends had a baby girl this past Saturday and we got to go see her today at lunch (Colette and I did) and she's so cute and so tiny... I am surprised how much baby fever I had already, I need to go back and read some old posts about being pregnant! She was still so cute, so sweet and so sleepy.

So, Welcome Baby Lucy and Congrats Momma Sarah and Daddy Brian!!!

drawing fun (house)

Ya, new contest and from a family of 5! wow, who has time to blog there??? Crazzzyyy!!
The Fun House is a fun blog, kids, arts and crafts and all kinds of others, my friends all go there.. maybe everyone should.. and the chance for free bath stuff is even better.. now who's gonna have the babysitter contest so I can TAKE A BATH!!

How did you celebrate 08.08.08?

Everyone seemed to document the day, so I did too..


Here's a typical picture of the bottom of our hill. It would have been much more exciting if the sprinklers were on, that makes it look really cool


Lunch with a friend.. sushi makes people happy... ahh, I am just remembering it!
a few crazy mailboxes by me (expect more of these in future posts)
For the love of all that's good and holey take down the dang sign, GRASS HAS GROWN!
oh ya, every neighborhood has one kook!
Uh, Cinderella line 3 please...

Ok, you thought of that I Love Lucy too, didn't ya!
WE had girls night out, it was on then canceled and then at the last minute on again. We went to the pottery place (where I made the granny mugs) and Kim and I wondered for at least a half hour trying to make up our minds. She decided on a sushi plate and I saw this near there and grabbed it up.. It's a separated dish (not sure if you can see the separation between the eyes and at the edge of the red.) and I could not figure out what to do, then this came to me... my own original design for Miss T when she starts eating real food.. Cute Eh? what a great way to end 080808...

Funky FFF --

This crazy squirrel was hanging out in the tree at my ma's this week when we were doing all the court stuff... I was on the front porch and he didn't even bother to run off, guess it was too hot. Auntie Rach thought he was naked but he's just got white hair for shorts... funny eh?

MIA and other stories...

So, I have been really quiet about a few things for a long time. I know that the support on this thing is great and I thank you all for being here for me, but I didn't talk much about being sued recently. It was my whole family that was, not just me but even with that, it's scary, hard and I was pregnant when it stared and Miss T was only weeks old when I got served. It was just hard enough with everything else going on to have this too. I don't talk much about my family but this has to do with my dad and that was subject enough all on it's own while I was waiting for her to get here, that I didn't need this on top of it all.
I made this sound like it was the beginning of the story but it's not and that's a post for another day and one big set for Miss T and her grandfathers (yes both of them) so the short story for now is, he left when I was 5 and soon after I didn't see him again until I was 15 and we started talking when I was 17 then he died when I was 20. Either or this is where some of it goes...
The Court date was this week, we had our primary Unkie in charge of going to court and he and Auntie Rach came in town for a visit. Miss T and I were there all weekend and most of this week to prep and support the cause. We were glad we did, I have a few pictures to post soon but we have been traveling a lot this week so I have not had a lot of computer down time.
I did get a note from a friend this morning that came in perfect timing to help explain my gratitude to my mom for all that she's done for us while growing up, being a single mom with 5 kids, a full time job, extended kids from the neighborhood, and a life of her own to try to have as well. This Post from Migraine Mom, Invisible Mom says it all.. Take a read, it's worth it.

Invisible Mother..
I only have 5 more days to squeeze into summer because work starts back up on Monday. Today we will be at a friends house all day playing, playing and playing! A friend sent this to me yesterday and it really struck me. I can't claim it as my own and I'm not sure of the author, but I thought it was beautiful. Enjoy!

Invisible Mother.....

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this ? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Red Rover, Red Rover....

I got tagged by Somewhere over the Rainbow for a meme: Six UN-Spectacular Things About Me.

Dang, how do I narrow it down to only Six un-spectacular things about me.. there is so much oddity in this one crazy chick! Fine, rules are there to keep us all safe.. or something like that

Speaking of rules...

1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

I think I can do this and I can say without a doubt that Kate is just lucky that she does not have a blog cuz,, well she's my number one on these things. HA KATE!!
Ok, lets get started.

1. I love sewing my own things, even if they turn out like crap, I just love sewing them.. Something about it just makes me happy.
2. I am allergic to mustard, odd I know but it breaks me out in hives, it's gotten better over the years but that's odd... and peppermint anything makes me sneeze(yes, that includes candy canes and I love them anyway).
3. I have an addiction to bad tv... and infomercials, I never buy anything but I have been known to watch the 3 am movie on regular TV even if it's one of those bad TBS movies and the cuss words have been replaced with really insane words and there are horrible commercials with Billy Mays in between.. I still love them.
4. I LOVE watching birds fly in flocks, I always have, there is something really amazing about the whole thing, if there were a DVD of that, I would buy it, and the waves that come up from behind a boat.. I would buy that on DVD too.. forget the fish tanks and fireplaces.
5. I have worked at over 5 pizza places and over a time span of over 10 years and still ended up in a professional job that people (sometimes) value my opinion. I still can't get over that one.
6. I like my kids toys and books more than I should.. I am worried that she's going to be bored with Barbie and I am going to lay there and keep dressing her up, cuz, ya, I can see me doing that.. I want one of those ones with the fabric and you would lift it up and put them on the half doll under it.. ya, can't find those things.. I LOVED THAT... they need to bring that thing back..

Sure wish this would have been more exciting like on Gray's when the sister talked about how she could etch-a-sketch really well.. ya, I can't..

Ok, Taggin time!!!
1. Ha Z's mom / Zander and Me... it's time.. Spill
2. Our World. Yup, come on it's fun..super cute new background!
3. Jaxen's Mommy, this will give you a reason to actually post! (Karla, tell Kris would ya)
4. Candid Carrie, this should be a hoot...
5. Creative Kismet.. Now that your test is over do something silly (other than make Brownies with Beans.. I am going to make those!)
6. Song for Whoever... Oh ya, you... Wow, and now that "get out of my dreams, get in to my car" song just popped in my head.. HAHAHAHAHA.. oh I need sleep!

Ya.. that was fun.. yes, please all of you make funny cracks now.. go on, I know you have something to say!

SUPER SITSA..

Wow, Karla and Z are famous!! They were featured on another blog site.. WOWO-WOW! Go by and say hi to Karla and Z and the others and see how funny she is!
Go SITS.. How fun.. Wish I had more time to read the featured blogs!

My baby's a gangsta...

I have been wanting to make these dolls for a long time. Typically, they are called Black Apple dolls... But, I didn't want to use filling on the first (test run) so, she's our FLAT apple doll...(ignore the toe's, I didn't paint them or crop the photo...) She's got eyes (closed) but no other face parts.. I have to practice that part.. I left the room to go get the phone and....



I came back and she was gone... changed her name and entered the dolly protection program..

Try this it's fun... FLICKR FUN

TWILIGHT..... Breaking Dawn out now... OMG

Ok, so like totally, my niece has been totally telling me to totally read Twilight and so finally I totally did and it was like totally good.. I finished the first book, totally! It's so super sticky sweet with teen love that you just can't handle it.. It started a bit I hate to say slow but inching into the story then BAM, your in it! then the last um, 50 pages are a super quick read. I am on book 2 now and we are getting the 4th book tomorrow and I should have that one read by the end of the month. Totally.... So, here's the deal, don't tell me what happens, I can't stand to know... I am dying and reading as fast as I can with a 4 month old... and a tiny night light and no sleep.

FFF - Wedding shot take two..

this proves its really me and that I'll give a shout out to my gals from anywhere...
hee hee.. there may be more of these... :) other weddings of course!

If you want to participate in the fiesta, then you need to head on over to Candid Carrie and join the others!