Holly Jolly Saturday

Saturday saw me at home, all day, with Levi and Molly...trying to make sense of the holiday explosion that had erupted at our house...I didn't think I could do it, but with some coffee, Christmas music, and cooperation (I like to call them the 3 C's), I got the tree up, most of the deco here or there, and the house nicely ordered before David and the 3 big ones arrived on the stoop at 5 pm. Whew! 'Twas so nice to have them home...until E. threw up...but it was nice to have them all snug and back in the cubby...I slept better last night!

this was where I thought we would put the tree but it really hindered the elliptical use...now that we have 2 couches in the living room, we couldn't put the tree where we usually do. bummer.

Love the action shots of levi and molly here....

aforementioned explosion. what to do...


how magical...that little blob on the floor by the skirt? a tiny tree...that Levi put there and told us that it was the tree's baby. I didn't realize it was still there when I took this pic. We really like the tree in this spot!!

we've put this ornament on our tree for the 16th time...our first Christmas together...

these two mugs, taking naps while I did the tree stuff...how cute is this pic though?

David and I went out for some coffee last night...and Levi got to go with us...you can see him peeking thru...wait, there's one where he shows up...never fear...

David loves Panda Bear Express (his name for it)...

I know it seems like I take a lot of these self-portraits of me and whoever I'm with lately...but I figured it was the only way I'd show up in pix (that I could control anyways)...and since I don't have a lot of pix of my mom from my younger years, I wanted to reverse that trend for my kids. Though the pix are 99% of the time unflattering, that's ok. There I'll be. for posterity...

Off to take my walk/run...hope you are relaxing, kicking back, getting stuff accomplished, enjoying your day....hugs!

A trip to Wally World

like your shorts...

my ear showed up. It's been said I have some unusually small ears. why couldn't other body parts have caught on??

I failed to put make-up this day...wow, I'm looking old...becky is freakin' me out with that tongue...

Holiday Razzle Dazzle

I'm a Target gal. that's ok...I always find some great bargains at Walmart...and a lot of their stuff is the same as Target's.

It's just not as neat there, and the people that seem to show up there are er, um, challenging. Forget about the woman I heard threatening her THREE YEAR OLD daughter a few years ago, that she was going to kill her. nice. ya just don't hear that kinda thing at Target.

as often.

you will usually hear more of the spoiled brats crying because their parents only got them one toy as opposed to the 11 they wanted...brats.

so I will remain a Target girl but will visit Wally World now and then...Beck and I went to WW to find a Leapster for 39 dollars...they were wiped out of 'em...so we had some fun trying weird things on and taking pictures of our ears and such...And isn't Holiday Barbie Spectacular? Beck has a tradition of getting one for Piper each year...though last year's was African-American...and that's cool...she was actually much prettier than Caucasian Barbie...

Thanks for putting up with this pointless, froo froo post...I had to get these pix outta my system....sorry for neglecting you, dear blog...I've found some long lost friends on Facebook (though I joined up there a while back) and have even gotten David started on it...if you haven't joined up yet, why don't you? and add me as your friend...

A bit more Dash and We Gather Together...

Lest we forget to show a pic of the Dash Elvis...rememba him? Beck and I got our pic taken with him last year...always nice to see old friends. ha ha.

can I just say YIKES...(me)....?

hardly a flattering pic (of me, as if)...but this is proof that we finished and that my hair was drenched with sweat...Beck, you look picture perf, as always...see below

while I was taking pix of the Turkey Day eaters, I was closing in on Mom and Scott...and this is what I got. crazy girl!

yes, there is predominantly more stuffing on my plate than any other food...it's only like this because I forgot my stuffing so I just threw it on top of everything. good thing we don't eat like this very often. but oooh, it was sooo good.

Tom, could u at least try to smile for the picture? fake it. this was the "kids" table.

goofball...

his offspring follow in his tongueprints.

Levi looooooves sitting at the princess table...he does. he told me so.

Nora was cheesin' it for me...good job, Uncle Tom could learn a thing or two from you!

Happy Anniversary, schweetheart!



Again, this won't be a long post, as I'm walking out the door to shop till I drop...just kiddin...I'm meeting my parents for breakfast since I only have two kids...and because they are just nice...

I didn't do very good on the picture front at dinner yesterday. Good thing Tom did...Mom, I got a pic of you but you told me not to post it. Dad, I got one of you too but you turned your head...and I was too tired, sore, to fight for good pix...so my bad. Mom and Dad were there. how unfair that I didn't get any decent pix of them...they financed the whole gathering (mostly) and that just seems wrong. Forgive me. I will make up for it at Christmas. Or at my big 36th Birthday bash that I'm sure they will throw. ha ha. just kiddin.

Man, I'm hilarious today.

Ok, so Dad, I posted for you...hope you enjoyed the pics of most of the people that call you Dad, Jim, Pa, Warren or whatever...

Love to you, wherever you may be.

drumstickin' it...

I will keep this brief, as I would like to get to bed tonight whilst the two little spuds are sleeping...but I wanted to get these posted for your viewing pleasure, followers. Dad.


little rays of early mornin' sunshine...this was not too long after Becky threw her Frappucino all over us...she went to shake it up and forgot the lid was OFF. look on the seat behind her...there's the proof. Mel's number is covered in peppermint mocha frappy too...kinda funny. Beck, we think it was pretty darn funny...pls know that.

the self-portrait queens...look closely between my hair and B's chin...and you can see Mel peeking thru...she is self-portrait queen in training. our apprentice.

my loving hubby of 15 years...isn't he cute?

I just realized how truly short I am. I'm not short..I'm fun-sized. got it?

cool, cool.

really cool cool...'twas so very cold but not for long...once we started jogging a bit...I sweat like the beast that I am.

bustling with activity and excitement...

pretty early morning exercisers...

anticipation...we were listening to Dave Calabro, sportscaster from channel 13...as he spoke and then opened the event in prayer...not just any prayer, folks. he prayed to the Heavenly Father and in Jesus' name...it was pretty cool and made the event just a bit more special to us.

we, of course, opted for the LOOOOOOOOOONG course. my legs are jello tonight...

E. is the little blackclad figure to the left of the 3 mile marker...the big black box is a speaker...it's cute how the residents would play music for us...it never lasted long, as we kept walking/running...

ahh, sweeet relief...the end is in sight...

Jerry Gobbler...a real live turkey

this pic is cool to me and i want to remember why...in the dead center of the pic, way up the road, you can see the mass of people...so cool, the turn out was amazing...I don't know the stats yet but if you go to tuxbros.com, you can see our times and the stats on today's event.


Jeff did the 4.5 mile run in record time for him...26 minutes. youch. not too shabby.

Melanie finished in 54 minutes...you GO, girl!

David and Will did it in 56 minutes. Way to go, guys!

Beck finished in 1:08 minutes.

E and I were in last place for our group at 1:13 minutes...much better than last year but we have a goal to get in under one hour next year.

Beck, I was impressed at your endurance...I thought I would be able to stay neck and neck with you...but having to tinkle, being much more ancient than you and all those other excuses I could enter here were all working against me. Good JOB, sis!

What an AWESOME memory to make with my family...I am so blessed to be a part of such a cool group of cats.

Thanks again, Mom, for getting up so early to be there for Mollsy and Levi...

Good night, folks.

Beware of sap...

I'm feeling rather melancholy right now...bear with me, k?

the original four...November 27, 1993 and November 27, 2008...Jeff was David's Best Man and Becky was my Maid of Honor...funny how that stuff still rings true. well, at least for us. can't speak for jeff or beck...leave me a comment if you agree, kids.

so we didn't get the line up exactly...the fact that we all still see each other is pretty quaint, I think.

but on to other things...I will delve into the Drumstick Dash a bit later...it's my turn to get all nostalgic about today...which is many things, but first and foremost, it's the day that I married Davey boy 15 years ago. this....is wild to me. I still feel like that 20-year old girl in my head (but then of course I see pix of myself and realize that I am still the same in spirit but not physically) that stepped out on a limb to marry this "renegade" dude...out of the system, student of the Bible, not afraid to say what he was thinking or stand up for what was right...me being the dippy, goofy, giggly sheltered girl I was...when I first laid eyes on David, (he had a beard and those BIG glasses)...I asked my friend who the lumberjack was...almost one year from that date, I was his wife...and a little over two years from lumberjack impression, I gave birth to his first son (Lumberjack Jr.)...wild.

It's been good. It's been hard. It's been rich. It's been most definitely a wonderful, wild ride...

And in spite of the hard times, I'm so thankful for God's gift of David to me.

I'm sitting here listening to my cheesy song list...making myself cry.

David and the 3 big kids left after dinner at my sister's this evening. They are going over to his family's home for a couple of nights...I'm home alone with Levi and Molly. I'm dingdongdead tired...sore from the Dash, weepy, verklempt, lonely...so here ya go...how depressing. sorry for that.

I was driving home from Beck's house just a bit ago, Levi and Molly were both sawing logs in the back seats. I saw different houses with loads of cars in the driveways...knowing that people were celebrating Thanksgiving, playing games, overeating, spending time together...and I felt like Kevin in "Home Alone" when he saw all the happy families celebrating in his neighborhood, or Buddy when he realized he wasn't actually an elf...and that sad, sappy Christmas was playing in my head...I miss those 4 loud people.

I guess it's maybe time for me to go to bed.

Happy 15th Anniversary, David. You were one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to YOU....thanks for stopping by and for putting up with my sap. I 'preciate it.

Mom, thanks for watching Levi and Molly so we could do the Dash...for the scrumptious feast...for the time and effort that you and Beck put into that. Sorry, B, for the mess the kids made and for emitting a Grinch-like attitude to Piper...in spite of that, We are thankful and full. I love you all...

a little Pheebs shout out...

Hey Sweet Girl. You don't know me.

but I'm your auntie and I love you. you may have seen some pix of me and my family...

You live far, far away from me and though I've only seen you in the flesh ONE time, I think you are pretty swell!

You are growing into such a nice little lady, I can tell.

And you even have the G blood in ya, for apparently, you like to swim as much as the rest of us!

God bless you today, little Phebe Jean. I hope that someday I will have a chance to know you and kiss on you like I do with Piper and Nora.

I feel quite weepy about this today. I dunno if it's because of the pending holidays but I want my whole family together. I wish I'd get to see Mel being a little momma to you..and to see how well you and Piper would get along...and what you thought of your two little girl cousins, Molly and Nora. I'm pretty sure that Levi would like you a lot. Maybe Piper would feel the need to feel jealous of you and her fighting over whose husband Levi really was. snicker...hee hee

Life is hard. yes, it is. don't give up, little girl. Rest in your God...run to Jesus Christ.

Your Aunt Laurie, Uncle David, Will, Ethan, Melanie, Levi, Molly, Grams and Gramps G, Uncle Tom, Aunt Becky, Uncle Scott, Piper and Nora love you very much. Just in case you wondered.

giant thankful hugs to you and your mommy. be safe.

Godspeed.

A 2 Z

Me, A to Z
Heather tagged me and since she's such a cool cat, thought I'd oblige her :):)

A-Attached or Single: Attached with a few growths...

B-Best Friend: male version, David, female version, my mom, my sister

C-Cake or Pie: ooo that's tuff...B's chocolate cake, which used to be Gram G's choco cake...

D-Day of Choice: Fridays are for fun

E-Essential Item: Burt's Bees lip balm (ooh, Heather, I'd HAVE to agree with you) on hand all the time...love the tinted ones. check out those glossed up lips..."My lips hurt real bad"

F-Favorite Color: red and green

G-Greatest Accomplishment: Keeping five kids up and running and pretty healthy.

H-Hometown: Lake Orion, Michigan...miss all those lakes and cool people.

241 Anderson, Lake Orion, Michigan...the little Cape Cod I grew up in
My cousin, Ken, lives there with his family now.

I-Indulgences: froo froo coffee, chocolate

J-January or July: they both rock...Jan. for my mom, cousin, niece and July for nephew, niece and daughter and Independence Day...tough choice...I like January's chillier temps for sure!

K-Kids: Will, 14, Ethan, 12, Melanie, 10, Levi, 6, and Molly, 16 months. whose pix I won't post since they are my everyday material.

L-Life is incomplete without: My husband, kids, family, friends and walk with Jesus Christ.

M-Marriage: worth every struggle, fight, joyful moment...celebrating our 15th anniversary on Thanksgiving Day this year...thankful for my driven, intense, caring, tender-hearted husband.

N-Number of Siblings: 1 older brother, Thomas, 1 younger brother, Andrew, and one younger sister, Rebecca

O-Oranges or Apples: definitely oranges...

P-Phobias or fears: being in tight spaces...ahhh...something not good happening to my loved ones.

Q-Quotes: "God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him." and "Wherever you are, be all there." both by Jim Elliott, the slain missionary to Ecuador.

R-Reason to Smile: I have a few...my awesome, never ceasing to amaze me kids and husband, my caring, awesome family, incredible friends.

S-Season: They are all ok for a minute but spring and fall are the very bestest!

T-Tag Friends: nah...don't wanna...ok, maybe Mary from Daughter of Eden's Eve and Tory...in your free time, of course

see my Jazz cap on my headboard? how cool was I??

U-Unknown facts about me: there aren't very many...I'm very vulnerable, I have a weather man fetish, apparently, my family and I were on TV on Dec. 3, 2001 when Cody Stark from Fox59 weather showed up at our house...I want to be a doula someday, work with pregnant/laboring women, when all my friends were loving some big haired band from the 80's, i was in love, love, love with Elvis...(see the pic above of teenaged me with Elvis pix all over my rose wallpapered walls), I was a cheerleader for one year.



sweet culottes (sp)...

V-Very favorite store: Target (yah, Heather, I knew we were kindred spirits)

W-Worst habit: biting on my hands, fidgeting

X-X-ray or Ultra Sound: ultrasound of course....the quizmaker must've been desperate for an entry so they chose xray or ultra...how 'bout X-Men or Justice League? that would be a tough one for me...they are both cool.

Y-Your favorite food: gosh, as if? pizza, creamy crockpot chicken, Pioneer woman's sheet cake, o the list keeps going...

Z-Zodiac: Sagittarius...but I don't usually consult the stars...

Ok, so there ya have it...me from A to Z...just what you wanted to know on a Tuesday morning, huh? well, too bad. It's my blog. hee hee.