Pull up a chair; it's a long one!

Was it really 13 days ago that I did my last post? I am still taking daily photos but it seems like I just blinked and now it's January 25th! Between rehearsals, homework projects, and what you call LIFE, I haven't managed to sit down and actually compose a post.
Let's start with a little review--
13....aren't these the most clever.....duct tape wallets (compliments of our little friend Max)....of course, black and gold for Ian and then Sean's even has an id pocket.

14.....more random cuteness....Ian....the snuggliest little dude...always willing to toss me a smile

15....fun at the park.....with our friends' the Skverskys and Paynes....Grace fits right in with my blondies :)

16....and here is where I attempt to be June Clever. I've recently started packing Collin a lunch b/c he wants to eat better and he's tired of fast food. I did it for a couple of days and then he is now sick so I'm out of the habit. Oh well, I tried.

17......and the not-so-willing-to-toss-me-a-smile Maggie/starving after rehearsal/don't take my picture!

18....my girlie Amanda....on nights I have rehearsal she is often asleep before I get home. I love kissing her soft forehead and counting her as the blessing she is!

19.....the insanely spoiled dog....this is how I left him on Thursday night and this is exactly how I found him Friday morning. He greeted me with a yawn. (by the way, he does have a bed)

20....two of favorite things....scrapbooking and babies! My friend Laura joined us and brought her sweet little daughter. Ian and Amanda were smitten; it was so cute to watch them together.

21......hubby was out of town; kids and I had a late lunch so Cheerios....it's what's for dinner :)

22....Sunday was full of house cleaning and laundry. Here is my biggest laundry FAIL to date. I haphazardly washed the tablecloth in photo #20 with a load of kids clothes. Um, those shirts sleeves WERE white and those jeans WERE a pale lime green. AND, another load had a sparkly lip gloss explode that ruined about six pieces of clothing. Bad laundry day, but nice clean house.

23....Costco at 8pm is deadly, especially since they close at 8:30. I felt like I was on Supermarket Sweep, but I did my damage. And this is only part of what I had to put away at 9pm (after I retrieved Mag from rehearsal)

And, last but not least, 24....today....why am I posting in the middle of the day? Because Ian is home "sick"

He's armed with his bed friends; the remote and some Ginger Ale. I thought he might be getting the bug Collin has been fighting when the school called for me to get him (99* temp and tummy ache). Alas, he is FINE...an eating machine.....and not wanting to nap.

Silver lining his temp isn't going up and I got to update my blog.

A little catching up

Never fear, I'm still taking random photos and rolling with my New Year's Resolution. The week started off with shrimp and sausage jambalaya and the BCS Championship. Let's just say that the food was WAY better than the game. We'll leave it at that and move on the the Saints playoff game this weekend.

Tuesday brought a yummy dinner of ground turkey and elk tacos. Delicious and not one leftover to be had. We'll call that Photo 10A because I HAD to take another picture of Amanda during dinner (photo 10B). You see, she got a nose bleed. And the kid is amazing. She is so used to them that she just continued to eat and enjoy her food. She wanted seconds and she knew Sean would eat it all if she didn't hurry, lol!

And because I lead such a glamourous life I thought I would share Photo 11 with you. The nice clean hallway bathroom. I LOVE a clean bathroom and it doesn't last long around these parts.

And today, the 12th. A little sample of my daily craziness......

Ian says blood oranges can turn you into a vampire. Hmmmm, a vampire with empty holes where fangs should be. I'm thinking he should stick with Amanda and just continue to be my little monkey. Tomorrow is Friday the 13th.......I promise not to post another picture with Ian doing those crazy eyes. Between the full moon and his wacky side I don't think I'm ready for the 13th.

I'm finding that sometimes a photo a day can be tough. Some days are just not that exciting. Nevertheless, it's a challenge and will be fun (at least for me) to look back and see what I was up to and how the kids grow and change constantly. Speaking of change......Fritz looks like a mini-schneauzer again thanks to a haircut :)

And growing.....all of the kidlets are growing like crazy. So now you can see how I spent my Saturday......doing the clothing shuffle in the girls' room.

Photo 7

I ended up with a bag of hand-me-downs for a friend; 1/2 a bin in a Rubbermaid tub saving for Amanda; and a large bag for Goodwill. Now I wait for sales and coupons to shop for a few pairs of shoes/sandals for them and a couple of spring clothing items and they are SET. Hopefully for at least a few months.
And with all this growing, it means GROCERIES GALORE. I think I had one of my best trips ever :) See Photo 8..... 40% in savings!!!! Yes! Ian was with me and asked 'are you one of those crazy coupon ladies?' I replied: 'I love coupons and I pay attention but I don't think I'm crazy.' He promptly responded: 'Well you are crazy; everyone knows that.'

Hmmmmmm, I'm not crazy. What's CRAZY is that my 11yr. old son wears a size 10 men's shoe!?!

It's Day 5 but it's two photos; we'll call them Photo 5A (Ian finishing up 'I Was Made for Lovin' You Baby' by Kiss)

and Photo 5B

because one photo is simply not enough. Recently, nothing makes me laugh harder than my boys doing Just Dance 3 on the Wii. Nothing funnier.

Never fear, I haven't given up on my resolution already; just got busy with work and the chaos of life again. I did take a picture yesterday :) Here's what Maggie and I are up to now....

Rehearsals! I've been cast as Sister Sophia and Frau Schmidt (again) and Maggie is Louisa. She will also fill in as a young nun when needed for chorus singing. I was Louisa in high school so she thinks it's cool that she gets to play that part.

And today Photo 4.....

The sock cemetary......doesn't everyone have one? Well ours is now buried in File 13. I think everyone should join me and bury their sock cemetaries; perhaps they will find a match on the Island of Mismatched Socks (right next to the Island of Misfit Toys for all you Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer fans).

Photo 2......what is missing?

Christmas lights of course!
Nice, huh. Someone came along and stole all the lights out of the string that trimmed the garage. Stupid. Annoying. Random.

Oh well, just another string to hit the trash as we organize Christmas decorations and de-junk the garage (again!) What are you doing to work on your resolution today? Organizing, exercising, de-cluttering, eating more vegetables or eating some more chocolate :)

So, it's 2012.....did everyone ring in the New Year with Dick Clark? We did. The kids ALL made it to midnight miraculously. Ian was fading fast at 9pm so with a little silliness and a lot of prodding he made it. Little turkey --- I let him have his cider and pop his party poppers at 11pm with the AZ time zone New Year's and he promptly rolled to midnight Pacific time. Collin came home early so it was nice to have everyone home celebrating and then scattering like cockroaches to their beds.

This year my New Year's resolution is to participate in the Hope in Action 365 project. I'll TAKE a picture daily but rest assured I might not get it posted daily. (I'm not completely unreasonable). It will be interesting if not challenging. I love pictures, photography, and scrapbooking so it's all good. Add in a few photos and recipes and it's even better. And maybe I'll even learn how to use some of the features on my camera.

Here goes: Photo 1.......when you don't get your favorite team on tv, this is what you resort to.....tracking them online. Happy New Year, GEAUX Saints!