spring time

i started this post last week.  and then i never published it!  so i will add in some photos from yesterday... a nearly perfect day that started with my mother-in-law bringing over food to put in my slow-cooker for dinner.  corned beef and cabbage.  delicious.  we ate at glorias for lunch with bottomless mimosas... and she made breakfast mini-muffins in the afternoon for us to have for the rest of the week.

a day of good food - and i didn't have to cook!

and i had a nap {rarity}

and we went to see the butterflies at the botanic gardens.  wonderful.  they have this every year, and i am sad that i have never been until now.  i took a bunch of pictures, but it was crowded so sometimes i had a great picture of a butterfly and a stranger's butt in the same photo.  :)  niiiice.

and i wanted to document our spring break although it was low key.

we didn't go on vacation.  nor would i have attempted a "stay-cation" because, i mean, really, we don't have to go to the zoo or the museum over spring break, because we can go there when the rest of the world is in school.  and that's a blessing.  and if you happened to drive by the zoo on half-price wednesday of spring break, you would agree.  or if you dropped off a museum school form over spring break and literally couldn't get through the lobby... you get my point.

low key is a good thing.

so we {being myself and the kids} went to longview to visit my parents... and it was low key, and very nice.  the kids were in heaven, being spoiled and doted upon.  my mom and dad are very grandchildren-centric.  they move their living room furniture to make room for a kitchen play set.  my mother has a crib and a changing table... there are an abundance of new toys and ones from my childhood.  we went to the park...  ethan made choo-choo train shaped sugar cookies with orange and green frosting...  we ate take-out from some of my longview favorites... ethan built lego animals with my dad.  it was a nice trip.

and then we came home and got ready to go camping over the weekend.  we went to mineral wells state park {you should really go if state parks are your thing.  it is a very nice one} and we invited sue to come along.  faustino got to use his new tent and i've got to mention it would have been plenty large enough for sister's pack n' play that we did not take.  live and learn.  i definitely had a moment in the middle of the night where i thought about taking her britax out of the car and buckling her in.  she sort of body surfed between us all night long.  ethan though!  what a camper!  slept like a rock.  followed directions... was so excited about all of it.

and now this weekend is nearly finished, but i am bound and determined to get. things. done.  my sewing machine is out and i have a long list of projects.  i truly envy people who don't have to refashion a corner of their home every time they sew.  one day.... one day....

this is how sewing goes in my life.  thursday:  set up machine.  try desperately to make not enough fabric multiply for pattern.  friday:  breakdown and buy fabric.  saturday:  spend the day with family and make no headway... :)

xoxo, s

excuses

see my flowers, from the FALL?  they are still pretty.  it's been that mild.  and i switched my closet yesterday, cold weather clothes to warm weather clothes.  i paid the price with children who were misbehaving because i was too busy with my project to give them undivided attention.

i hate chores like that.  i have a big pile that needs to go to goodwill.  trust me, it's goodwill.  i wouldn't even dream of donating it to the junior league double exposure, because it was shameful that i was still wearing some of that stuff.  residency clothing budget.  i kid you not, i would get rid of everything in my closet in a heart beat if you told me i could get all new clothes.  i digress.

it needed to be done.  my closet was out of control.  partially because of survival mode.

survival mode.  you've been there, right?

well.  that is where i have been.  not in a bad way... it's just... all my energy i had while i was sick, i spent.  on relishing my babies.  on making sure dinner was being cooked.  on doing laundry.  on bare minimum cleaning tasks.

and now that i feel better, i am trying to survive the aftermath of a month+ of varying levels of "survival mode."   and the time change is kicking my tail.  and i am trying to give up the coke zero.  and have failed like, a dozen times.  i think i am addicted to artificial sweetener.  or maybe not, but it is still garbage for my body... and surely the last month has taught me i need to really take care of myself.

and of course my blog has been a causality in all this survival mode.  i promise, i am back.  for real.

and it isn't like i have just been laying on the couch {although, be sure that i have done my fair share of that} we have been doing all kinds of fun stuff...

we took the kids to dinosaur valley state park last sunday.  of course, i didn't take a single photo.  but i will tell you that savannah is fearless and independent and everything an almost two year old is.  and she will tell you all about it.  most sentences are 4 words... but i have heard some that are 7-8.

and we have worked in the garden.  savannah has shown me that she is definitely her father's daugther because i don't think i have ever drawn on my self with chalk and sat in muddy shoes.  so gross.

and ethan has been really into writing {yay!!!} and has had a major growth spurt in runaway imagination.  the things he says... oh they are so funny.  like, hilarious.   

and the interactions between the two rascals.  oh.  so precious.  he cares about her so much.  and she is crazy about him.  

but back to the blog.  when i sit down to write... my mind starts racing.  like just now.  i thought.  crap!  i have to fill out the registration form for ethan to go to museum school.

and now i really need to drop it off.  and you have to pay to park.  unless you park across the street in the neighborhood... but who wants to cross a four lane street with two children?  exactly.

and then i got a phone call from my husband saying he has to take call over easter.  total bummer.  like, really, i am sad.

and then savannah bit the tip of the sky blue crayola pencil.  and is sputtering blue spit.

and i am about 2 hours behind and don't know how i will make it up.

you see why the blog is suffering??  and my baseboards?  and how organizing my spice cabinet keeps getting pushed back?

indeed.

i'm back!

well, the internet gods were not on my side.  the whole no-modem thing took a week longer than expected... but all in all, a hiatus from my mac probably kept me from posting snarky blog posts when people irritated me.  :)

and we have been quite busy... and since the afternoon is really not the ideal time to blog... (the witching hour!!) i will simply post some photos and be back later.  these were from the zoo, i'm guessing TWO whole weeks ago.  time passes so quickly!  and you can be certain i didn't clean these photos up at all.  sorry.  and the photo of the fudge?  well... i might have eaten quite a bit of it.

xoxo, s