A Celebration

Yesterday we celebrated Victoria's 15th birthday, a Quinceanera. She looked beautiful. According to my daughter, she was Belle (Beauty and the Beast). But in my opinion, she was a lot prettier than any Disney Princess ;)! And YES, I have pictures to prove it.

Here is Victoria... AKA Princess Belle

Dancing with her daddy...

Opening her gift...

Dancing with our grandpa...

My cousins...

Vanessa :)

Charlie's Angels... LOL!





My dancer...







Her lecture stance...





It was a beautiful celebration and everyone had a great time- even Jayda, who quickly got over the fact that their was NO moon jump (a birthday party with no moon jump-- tell me it ain't so)! But, now I think she will expect birthday parties like this from now on!!!! She literally was in awe of Princess Belle all night long and when we left last night she quickly informed us that she had "lots of fun at Victoria's party". Happy Birthday Victoria... we LOVE you! Edited to add... YAY... finally charged my 'good' camera... much nicer pictures!

Family

To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.

~Barbara Bush ~

My family, what can I say? They are great, fun, reliable, amazing, awesome, etc, etc. I couldn't imagine life without them, any of them. I think people only dream of having a family like what I have. Seriously. We are close, we are always there for each other and I know I can ALWAYS count on them, whether it's a babysitter, a shoulder to cry on or a simple laugh.

My grandparents- so strong, so loving and have I mentioned awesome!?!

My aunts, my crazy aunts! Oh how I love them so!! The way they find the fun in anything is awesome! The way they party out at our parties you would think they did some heavy drinking ;)!!

And my cousins, my sisters. They are beautiful and I hope they know that I am here for them always!

You can imitate, but you can't duplicate this family!!! ;)

Always Remember...

If God brings you to it,

He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God,

Difficult moments, seek God.

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.

Week 3 Blog Challenge-- Favorite Recipe

Directions:
Keep frozen. Not ready to eat. Cook thoroughly. Baking directions for the perfect DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza: Crisper Crust: 1. Preheat & bake at 400 degrees F. Keep pizza frozen while preheating. 2. Peel apart plastic wrap. Remove pizza from wrap & cardboard. 3. Place pizza directly on center oven rack. 4. Bake 23 to 26 min. Softer Crust: 1. Preheat & bake at 400 degrees F. Keep pizza frozen while preheating. 2. Peel apart plastic wrap. Remove pizza from wrap & cardboard. 3. Place pizza on cookie sheet on center rack. 4. Bake 25 to 28 min. For High Altitude (over 3,500 ft.): 1. Preheat & bake at 375 degrees F. 2. Peel apart plastic wrap. Remove pizza from wrap & cardboard. 3. Place pizza on cookie sheet on center rack. 4. Bake 23 to 25 min. For 2 pizzas at same time (Timing based on same flavor pizzas.): 1. Preheat & bake at 425 degrees F. 2. Peel apart plastic wrap. Remove pizzas from wrap & cardboard. 3. Place each pizza on a separate cookie sheet. Place one cookie sheet on second rack from the top of the oven. Place second cookie sheet on second rake from the bottom of the oven. 4. Bake 25 to 28 minutes, must switch rack positions of cookie sheets halfway through the baking time. Product must be cooked thoroughly to 160 degrees for food safety and quality. Do not allow pizza to thaw. Do not eat pizza without cooking. Your oven temperature may vary so adjust baking time & oven temperature as necessary. Pizza is done when cheese is melted & edges are golden brown. Because DiGiorno bakes up fresh and hot in your oven, please use care when handling the pizza. Let stand 5 minutes before enjoying.

By the way... make sure you remove the cardboard from the bottom of the pizza or the bottom will not cook (not that I have experience with that or anything ;))...

HA HA... did you really think I could cook something!?!

I'm the Girl, the Girl who has Everything...

Look at this stuff, isn't it neat,
Wouldn't you think my collections complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything.
Look at this trove treasures untold, how many wonders can one cavern hold?
Lookin' around here you'd think, Sure, she's got everything.
I got gadgets and gismos aplenty, I got whosits and wotsits galore,
You want thingamabobs? I got twenty...

~The Little Mermaid~

Yes, I ask myself the same question... why oh why do we keep buying her so many thingamabobs??? This child has EVERYTHING, and secretly, yes, I admit, I LOVE it!!

Cousins...

My Blog Challenge (Week 2) Picture of the Week!

Are You Addicted to Facebook?

Here's how you know...

10 warning signs that you may be addicted to Facebook:

1. Facebook is your home page. Not that bad... YET.

2. You update your status more than twice a day. Ummm, depends on the day.

3. You have over 500 "friends" half of whom you've never actually met. LOL, I don't have '500', but I haven't 'met' many of them... they are women from my birth board.

4. As soon as you step away from your computer you're on FB on your phone. LOL, YEP!

5. You are a FB stalker. You qualify as a FB stalker if you

a) click on someone's profile more than once a day even if they haven't messaged or tagged you in a photo. Maybe

b) have dragged and dropped more than 3 FB photos (not from your own profile) NEVER! Only on MySpace.

c) actually go to a place mentioned on someone's page in hopes of seeing them in real life...creepy! Honestly, that is creepy!

6. You change your profile picture more than a 12-year=old girl. Nope, I really should change it though, it's been on long enough!

7. You have checked your FB page while reading this article. Nope.

8. You clean up your "wall" so it looks like you spend less time on FB. Nope.

9. You are a member of more than 10 groups and respond to every event invitation "attending" even if you have no intention of going. Sometimes!

10. You change your relationship status just to mess with people. LOL, I should try that!




Read the entire article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tara-stiles/help-im-addicted-to-faceb_b_166726.html!

I said 'YES'...

And when the future hinges on the next words that are said, don't let logic interfere, believe your heart instead.

~Philip Robinson~



Ignore the picture quality...it's a scanned copy of a scanned copy...LOL!

February 14, 2003, Michael proposed to me at work and it's been an adventure ever since! We've come a long way, we've had our ups and our downs, but we have stuck together through it all... and we are still going strong!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

25 Random Things about ME!

1. I LOVE to read.
2. I tend to hold a GRUDGE… for a LONG time (working on that though)!
3. I love the ‘working with kids’ part of my job!
4. I’m a size seven in clothes, umm, I mean shoes.
5. I’m a Facebook addict
6. I’m a blog addict.
7. I LOVE Disney – it’s my happy place—NO worries!
8. I am VERY antisocial (NOT working on that- ok maybe a little)!
9. I do NOT like FAKE people… be honest with me… yep, dealt with that a few months ago and refer to #2… yep it applies, but like I said… I’m working on it!
10. I NEED coffee every morning.
11. I’m a migraine sufferer
12. I’m addicted to shopping for Jayda—I mean like serious issues.
13. I have an absolutely amazing family! Yes, be jealous… ;)
14. I have a lot of online friends.
15. I HATE cleaning.
16. Michael does all our laundry.
17. My daughter is an angel (hee hee hee).
18. I can’t style my own hair – thank God for Elida!
19. I prefer to text or e-mail… rarely do I make a phone call.
20. My favorite holiday is Christmas, especially now that I have Jayda.
21. I have a wonderful husband.
22. Shy, but personable.
23. Loyal
24. Have a hard time saying “no”.
25. Although I hold grudges, I can still put on a happy face and hide the “dislike”.

Best Friends

We have been blessed to be able to send Jayda to an awesome school that she absolutely LOVES and has learned a great deal; but, as great as the school is, the friendship that she has made with Mia is priceless! Today, Jayda and Mia, exchanged Valentine gifts at ballet, they were thrilled...

The shirt that Jayda gave Mia (they are wearing them on Friday):



The bracelet that Mia gave to Jayda:







And anyone that knows these two will agree that this quote definitely fits them...

Friendship is one mind in two bodies.
Mencius

They are sooo much alike (imagine that-- poor Mrs. Morin)! No wonder they get along so well and call each other "best friends".

Read this...

A`MUST read blog entry about Cora...

http://www.joyshope.com/2009/02/no-words.html

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
Psalm 46:1

May God send peace and comfort to the McClenahan family. Today they lost their 11 month old baby, Cora, to neuroblastoma. Although I don't know them personally, I feel such heartache for their loss. Please pray for them. Pray that their faith continue to lead them as they deal with the loss of their beautiful baby girl who is now in heaven in Jesus' arms.

To send your condolescences click on Cora's picture on my sidebar, it will take you directly to them.

Don't you agree?

It sometimes fibs too.

Strength

You don't realize how strong a person really is until you see them at their weakest moment.

~Author Unknown~

Please continue to pray for Cora and for her parents. I cannot even begin to imagine what they are feeling as they go through this tribulation. They are truly showing their strength in a time that one could easily surrender to their weaknesses. To read updates on Cora simply click on her picture on my sidebar.

And if you want to help fight childhood cancer click on the gold ribbon.

Bowling

Michael has introduced the game of bowling to my little princess and she absolutley LOVES it. This is her 3rd time and she is just waiting for the next time (which will be tomorrow after ballet). I keep forgetting to take my camera to get good pictures, but I will do my best to have it with me tomorrow. For now here are pictures from my palm:

Ignore the quality, but here she is ready to go!



Jayda and Daddy



And the last one, yep it's all in the shoes!




She has gone from wanting a Hannah Montana party to now wanting a Hannah Montana Bowling party (yes, both) but I kind of like the little twists that I have put on her birthday themes, never have left it as a "simple" theme so why start now? So, I am up for the combination theme challenge... but more importantly... Kim are YOU ready? LOL, Kim is my "designer", she does it all for me! My blog, my signatures (which everyone loves), Jayda's birthday invites, Jayda's holiday cards for her classmates, EVERYTHING! Kim is amazing... and if you like anything that she has designed for me, let me know and I will put you in contact with her. She even designed my St. Patrick's Day Disney design in the post below.

Oh and a " just because" picture, here she is in her new dress for Victoria's Quinceneara that we bought for her at (get ready for this) CRACKER BARREL, yep that place (does that make me a true shopaholic?). What you think I just go for the Fried Apple Dumplings?!?

Much love,