Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
 
Can it possibly be
time for a new year already?
Oh yes, it can!
 
 
One of my favorites from this
past year -
a sweet photo of me
and my girl!
 
Happy New Year y'all!
 
xoxo
 


Monday, December 30, 2013

Backing Up a Bit to the Birthday Post!

Hello there!
Yes, I got a little sidetracked by
Christmas and neglected to
post about Miss Maddy's birthday.
 
 
Lucky girl -- she only had 2 hours of school
on her birthday with one of those hours
being at Mass and the other the
Christmas party!
 
She has been a little bit obsessed
with the Disney movie, Frozen, since we
saw it at Thanksgiving.
 
 
I think she had an all-Disney birthday!
She and I went to see Saving Mr. Banks
on her big day.  I thoroughly
enjoyed it and she liked it, but
it didn't measure up to Frozen in her book.
 
 
A fun dinner out with Mr. Tennis
and Connor and
then home again for gifts.
 
 
Her fave gift -- Olaf from Frozen!
While I hesitated to buy any more stuffed animals,
Olaf was at the top of both her birthday and Christmas lists.
And next year, she'll probably only want make-up and money,
so Olaf seemed like a good idea.
It made her so happy that even doubting Mr. Tennis
said I hit it out of the park with that gift!
[Love it when I'm right!]
 
Happy 12th birthday Maddy Boo!


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you sweet readers
a very Merry Christmas!
 
Yes, I am still wrapping . . .
I must be the world's slowest
gift-wrapper!
 

 
From our house to yours,
we wish you
peace, hope and joy at Christmas
and the new year!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Happy Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Dear Maddy!

Yes, it's  Maddy's birthday!
and
she's 12 years old!
 
 
I think she was about 1 year old in the photo above.
Look at those adorable little cheeks!
 
And
here she is now!
 
 
Sweet, kind, fun and loving!

We are so blessed to have her as our daughter!!
Love you to the moon and
back sweet Maddy!

 
 
 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Counting Down!

Wow -- the countdown to Christmas is on
and . . .
I feel a bit behind.
Every year I have a vision in my
head of getting everything done early,
wrapping as I go, decorating up a storm,
baking and merry-making.
And
every year,
that vision does not materialize and
I feel behind.
 
But, that's ok.
There is still time to do some baking and
wrapping and decorating, right?
I was busy last weekend shoveling snow,
don't you know! :)
 
Love how pretty our house looked in the snow!
 
We did go to our neighborhood "adults only" party
(that sounds kinda creepy, doesn't it?
it wasn't creepy at all).
It was lots of fun and tons of yummy food
and drink!
 
Muffy loved every minute of playing in the snow!
 
We really have the best neighborhood!
One elderly lady told me she's lived in her house
for 60 years!
Wow -- she knows something about every house
and who lived there.
Finally, after 20 years, our
house is no longer referred to as the "Wilson" house.
(The Wilson family lived here before us --
we still get some mail for them sometimes!)
 
 
Muffy and her BDF, Dixie, playing tag!
 
And since, I seriously do not like to have
a post without a photo, I've
thrown in some random ones
for your enjoyment!
You're welcome!
 
xoxo
 
 
Have a great week!
 


Monday, December 9, 2013

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas!

Our very cold wintry temps
led to even more fun
over the weekend
when a snowstorm
breezed through town!
 
 
We ended up with about 6 inches
of the fluffy white-stuff!
It was not the kind of snow that
works for snowballs or
Olaf-inspired snowmen,
but so pretty!
 
 
Maddy and Muffy had a blast running around in the snow
while I shoveled our walk
and our neighbors' walk too.
Back in the dark ages when I was young,
when it snowed, we grabbed shovels 
and headed out to make some cash
shoveling walks for people.
Nobody does that anymore -
so sad, the old
traditions that snowblowers have destroyed!
 
 
Maddy
(and every other school-aged
kid in the city)
hoped for a snow day today.
I thought they might get one as the temp was
a lovely -6 this morning, but no
such luck! 
Bundle up kids-
there's learning
to be done!  :)
 
 
 

Friday, December 6, 2013

A Wee Bit Chilly Here!

Hello Friends!
TGIF!
Whoa -- seems like it has taken forever
for Friday to get here!
 
In weather news, we
went from a balmy 60 (loved that) last weekend
to a brisk (!!) 5 degrees
(BRRRRR)!

 
Soooooo, to keep our
mind off the frigid temps, I thought
I would share a couple photos
from our recent fall photo shoot.
 
 
What do you have planned for the weekend?
 
Shopping and decorating
are at the top
of our lists!
I promise to report back next week.
 
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Weekend Update!

We loved Thanksgiving
and the extra time with family!
Plus, it was so wonderful to be away
from work for a few extra days
(though I did work from home a little).
 
Maddy and I went to see Disney's "Frozen"
movie on Thanksgiving day.
Great movie!!
We loved it!
She invited Mr. Tennis to go
see it with her again on Saturday,
so you know it was good
if she wanted to see it again so soon!
 
 
I dragged took her to see Santa
and his reindeers. . .
in a parking lot!
The setting wasn't the greatest,
but he was a wonderful Santa!
 
 
Later, Muffy had her
holiday photo taken,
so I managed to embarrass both
Maddy and Muffy on the
same day!
Go me!
 
 


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thankful!

Hello friends,
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are jumping for joy at the prospect of
a long weekend!
Truth be told, I've been
very busy at work
and will probably
be working some over
the holiday.
Thankful for my sweet family,
near and far,
friends, coworkers and
bloggy friends and readers!
Eat, drink and be merry!
And I almost forgot . . .
shop!!


Thursday, November 21, 2013

So, You Say you Raked Some Leaves?

One of the pretty trees on our block . . .
ours just has dirty large brown leaves!
On my word --
our large tree just dumped
all its leaves on the front lawn.
It started slowly with about
5 bags and the trash barrels last week.
 
 
This week --
26 bags plus the trash barrels!
 
Whoa!
 
If that were all the leaves, I would be so happy!
But, the neighbor's tree has just started dropping
leaves and they are headed our direction.
More leaves,
more fun,
right!?
 
 
P.S.  Guess my faux fur vest is not quite "out" yet --
look Stylist Rachel Zoe is wearing one too!  :)
 
 


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

5 Things I Learned about Improv

When I last left you, Mr. Tennis and I were preparing to attend
Jim Belushi and the Chicago Board of Comedy show.
What I didn't realize when I bought the tickets was that
it was an improv show. 
 I thought it was stand-up comedy.
You know, tell a joke, get a laugh,
 ha ha ha!
Loved this when I wore it a couple years ago at our holiday party.
Wish I had been drinking before the improv!
 
So, here are 5 things I learned about improv that evening!
 
5.  Sit in the front row and you may be called upon!
 
4.  Wear a cute (?) faux fur vest and your chances of being called
upon increase exponentially!
 
3.  Speak in your very best Midwest twang and
your chances of being ridiculed increase even more!
 
2.  Do not attempt to make a joke. 
  (the only jokes that should be  made are by the comedians . . .
so say the comedians!).
 
1.  I don't like improv!
HA HA HA!
 
What a riot it was!
 
Seriously, parts of it funny -- I laughed hysterically
when they made fun of me
(inside I was dying though).
 
So, the lesson I learned was . . .
read the fine print -- if it says "improv"
don't buy those tickets! 

Friday, November 15, 2013

Finally Friday!

Hello Friends!
 
Did you have a good week?
I hope so!
 It was really cold here one morning -- like 15 degrees
but has warmed up every day!
I like that!
 
What are you all doing this weekend?
 
Belushi and pals!
 
Mr. Tennis and I are going
to see Jim Belushi and the Chicago Board of Comedy!
Hilarity will ensue I'm sure!
But . . .
I'm a wee bit nervous as our seats in the
very front row and they often pull
folks out to get on stage with them
for some real life hi-jinks!
I think Mr. Tennis could handle that
just fine! 
Me? 
Not so much!

 
In other super good news --
my son and his wife and kiddos
will be here on Sunday for
some family photos
they have had to reschedule twice due
to weather!
Can't wait to see them, hold their little hands, hug their
little selves and sniff the baby goodness of  
Baby Harry  --
3 months old already!!
 
Hope you have a fun weekend too!!
 
See you Monday!
 
 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Christmas Photos - Attempt # 1

Recently, I attempted to get some
photos of Miss Maddy
for a Christmas card.
 
 
Loads of people had the same idea
and were at one of our my fave locations too,
so it was a bit of a waiting game.

 
And even though Miss M
loves to receive photo Christmas cards,
having her picture taken for ours
is not her favorite thing to do.
The fake smile is a dead giveaway -- she's had enough!

However, a little monetary incentive
helped . . .
up to a point!  :) 
 
When we looked at the photos later,
the one below was her favorite and
expressed her sentiments exactly!
:) 



 


Monday, November 11, 2013

Hello Monday!



Hello Friends!

How did the weekend sneak by so quickly?


We enjoyed another weekend of fabulous weather!
We wanted to get out and get some photos of the fabulous fall colors,
but time got away from us and
we were only able to get some from our own block.
And
leaves are falling fast!!



We did a bit of yard work -- well,
we let Mr. Tennis do some -- we don't want
to hog all the fun!

Maddy had a private gymnastics lesson on Saturday
learning to do a back flip and walk-over.
She loved it and felt like she improved so
much in only a short amount of time.

She and I ran a few errands and
crossed some items off our list
like 15 minutes of cleaning over and over;
laundry (that took a lot more than 15 minutes)
grocery shopping and
making some Christmas
plans. 
We are going to attempt to
get  all our holiday projects done in November
so we can spend December relaxing and
celebrating the season!

My Mom's birthday was on Saturday.
It's been hard thinking of her birthday coming
up without her.
We thought of her and talked about her all day.
Miss her so much.


She would have loved these sweet velvet pumpkins
I found from an incredibly talented etsy seller.
My Mom had many talents and sewing was
one of them.
  She loved
crafting projects!
She sewed itty-bitty Barbie clothes
for our dolls when we were little!

She encouraged me and loved all my extremely
simple craft and sewing projects!
One year, I sewed myself a
bikini!!  WHOA!!!! 
I think she laughed and laughed about
that one!  :)



Happy Veteran's Day!
Thanks to all the many brave men and women
who have served our country through the years! 


Monday, November 4, 2013

The Weekend Report

Greetings!
I am a bit late with
my Weekend Report, aren't I?
 
Sorry, I was busy celebrating
the Husker last minute "Hail Mary" pass
and victory!
Woohoo!
Go Big Red!
 
Oh look -- a Mickey waffle maker, Mickey toaster and Mickey popcorn maker!
Somebody is adding to her list! :)
 
Maddy, Mickey and I did do a little shopping
here and there.
We're just getting started! :)
 
So sad - I totally missed out on the extra hour
of sleep as I kept waking up at 3 am, 4 am and 5 am . . .!
So annoying!
 
And I had a big migraine on Sunday,
so that necessitated some resting
and Hallmark movie watching with my girl.
We donned our robes and staked out our spots on the sofa!
I need one of those days every now and then,
do you too?
 
 
But, guess what?
I did cook a little!
I made a yummy Spinach quiche
AND
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup!
Maddy made hers into a Lemon Chicken Orzo Taco!
Just like Spaghetti Tacos -
give that girl a
taco shell and she's happy!
Next up -- quiche in a taco shell!
 
Have a fabulous week friends!


Friday, November 1, 2013

Happy Friday -- Hello November!

Hello Friends --
Happy November!
 
 
You know what that means, don't you??
 . . .

It's holiday shopping season!
 I feel a little giddy already!
 
Did you have a FUN Halloween??
 
In an attempt to be even more fun than
I already am ---
I wore "Where's Waldo" glasses to work yesterday!
 Makes you wish you worked with me, right! ;0

 
Maddy loved wearing her Mickey Mouse get-up
last night, and we had more fabulous weather!
The only bad news --
Mr. Tennis gave away my
private stash of little Mr. Goodbar's!
He said the ghosts and goblins were overwhelming him and
he had to placate the masses!
Boo hoo!

What's on the schedule for your weekend?
You know what's on ours -
Shopping, yard work, shopping . . .
decluttering a bit too.

Have a great weekend!
 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Halloweekend!!!!!

Hello Friends!
 
What a fun Halloweekend we had!!
 
 
On Friday night, we visited a local
museum, Morrill Hall, for a "Fright Night!"
 
Yes, I dressed up too -
attempting to be a "fun" Mom! :)
Not to worry - it was geared towards kids, so not too frightening.
But . . .
the third floor had some scary stuff.
And it may or may not be true
that I screamed a couple times!
 
We met Jodee, Kamree and one
of their friends there.
The girls had so much fun!
Jodee and I did too!!
 
Penguin mask at the mall!
On Sunday, we went to a local
shopping center's Halloween festivities!
Some fun monsters and perfect weather!
 
 
Later, off to our local Children's Zoo
"Boo at the Zoo!"
There have been years where we froze
at this event, but not this year!
The temps were around 60! 
Perfecto!
 
Such a fun weekend
and more trick or treat festivities ahead!
It's going to be a fun week!
 
 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

In a Puff-y State of Mind!

Do you think my reference to
puff-y in the title is about my hair?


Ha ha ha -- usually it would be . . .
but not this time!
Yarn pom-pom puffs is what I'm talking about!

So, are you crafty?
This is the time of year when I start thinking
of all the home-made and crafty things I should
do for the holidays!
 
Many years ago, I made almost
everyone's Christmas gift!
Some of those included:
 hand-embroidered Christmas stockings;
lovely placemats;
aprons; bath wraps,
ornaments.
I was a craft demon!!
 
Well, I just saw this DIY yarn puff
wreath on another blog
and it inspired me to put my craft hat on again!


The first one I made (see above) is white and the  yarn may be too
 loosely woven as it seemed to turn out like poodle puffs and a little fuzzy --
 it's like my hair on a really humid day - think yarn puffs on steroids!
But, the first wreath is always a test one, right?
 
Now, I'm working on a red one and I think it
may be too Red!
Instead of all red, I might make it into a
peppermint wreath with red and white puffs -
what do you think of that idea?

Red/white yarn pom-pom puffs for the peppermint wreath -- stay tuned!

Maddy said I could probably sell
them for $2.50 each.
Guess she's not too impressed
with my handiwork!
 Tell the truth -- what do you think?
 
Wish me luck!
 


Friday, October 18, 2013

This and That on Friday

Greetings all!

Can I get a hip-hip-hooray
it's Friday!
My favorite day of the week!  :)
 
A bit of randomness this week for you!
 
 Look at my Safety Patrol Girl -
is she the most adorable ever?
Yes?
 I agree!
Although 6th grade has more homework (and it's harder too)
Maddy has volunteered for a few school activities
. . .
including
Safety Patrol
(delays her departure from school)
and
Choir
(requires once a week early arrival
and giving up an extra recess on Fridays)!
and
Daughters of Mary
(after-school prayer group once a month).
All of these are extras and not required,
but she is delighted to be able to
participate . . .
although she really hates
to miss that extra recess!

Sparky from Frankenweenie!
 
In her free-time, she is
doing drawings of
various Disney characters!
She just looks at a picture
and starts to draw!
Quite amazing to me
as I never evolved past stick-figures!
 
And, what do you think - do you like these shoes?
I have kind of avoided flats as I need a little bit
more in the height department.
But, I have finally accepted that I am probably not going to ever be
a tall drink of water (or whatever that weird saying is) 
and why hurt my feet in uncomfortable shoes???

 
Some ballet flats are not too comfy as there
is simply not enough shoe.
But these are Dr. Scholl's and have some support
and style, at least I think so, don't you agree?!
And it's been chilly --
 time to find some fake Uggs*!
I'm sure the real things are fabulous - but the Fuggs
are quite comfy too and I definitely like the price! :)
 Shopping is on the schedule!
 
A much-needed hair appointment is also
on the schedule -
what to do with my sometimes
frizzy mop poodle-head??? 
 
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
See  you on Monday! :)