Saturday, June 26, 2010

her mama’s girl

To say she is her mama’s girl is an understatement! From the time she grew in my belly Londy has always loved music! She would squirm and kick every time I'd play a good song, Can’t buy me love from the Dixie chicks was her favorite in utero! So this year when I asked her if she wanted to take a dance class the answer was a definite YES!  Its been fun watching her leap across the floor like she was in the Russian ballet! Her darling teacher Rachel was so cute with her and as the weeks approached for her to do her recital she would ask me every day, “mom is today my recital?”  So the week finally came, 2 dress rehearsals and one BIG recital. We got to both experience putting stage make-up on that cute little face. We both did pretty good with that, not much yelling and only a couple tears! (Londy did just fine…lol)

so here is our gal with all her sassiness….where does she get it?

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Her first time wearing rollers (perm rods really are the best for getting good curl) 

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Blue steele

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Londy mom is so proud of you! you rocked that recital!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The house that built me

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This is the home that built my incredible mother. It was two bedrooms, a tiny bath, a family room and kitchen.  I loved this house! The yard felt huge as a child and oh how I loved the grapefruit, pear and tangelo trees that seemed to drip with fruit each year! I loved to sleep under the “sleepy time blanket” that was my aunt Jerri’s when she was a child. The tree limb that looked like motorcycle handle was perfect for running thru the backyard with and playing policeman.  Grandmas old green car always sat in the carport and I adored the “going to grandmas” bag that had my name written in white felt letters! Grandma made chocolate Pepsi floats in “fancy” crystal glasses after dinner. There was toast every morning with those little packages of every different flavor of jam. There was always wheat chex and bananas too! I thought the old fashioned radio that stood in the kitchen was incredible and the refrigerator that had the freezer on the bottom. I miss this home and the memories that I hold dear from it. Just as I miss the house I grew up in, across the street from kat. The big lap pool in the back, the wood shutters on the living room windows and the big Olive tree in the front that we would climb and hide in. I loved that we had a third car garage that we played “office” or “house”  in. I can still smell the monsoon storms rolling in and can feel the happiness in my heart when Meg would crawl into bed with me and we would watch the lightening from my bed in the corner of my little bedroom. Oh how I wish I could just see the inside of these two old houses and have just a moment of the memories that feel so far away.  Every time I hear this song I smile thinking about the houses that built me and my family! Thanks Miranda!!

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I know they say you cant go home again.
I just had to come back one last time.
Ma"’am I know you don't know me from Adam.
But these handprints on the front steps are mine.
And up those stairs, in that little back bedroom
is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar.
And I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
my favorite dog is buried in the yard.


I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here its like i'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself
if I could just come in I swear i'll leave.
Won?t take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.


Mama cut out pictures of houses for years.
From ?Better Homes and Garden? magazines.
Plans were drawn, concrete poured,
and nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama?s dream.
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here its like i'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself.
If I could just come in I swear i'll leave.
Won?t take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.


You leave home, you move on and you do the best you can.
I got lost in this whole world and forgot who I am.
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here its like i'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself.
If I could walk around I swear i'll leave.
Won?t take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.

Change

Oh how my life has changed since Christmas. Of these things i don't feel comfortable just yet airing them on the internet but i am certain you can connect the dots. So i asked my darling friend Lindsey to take some new pictures of just me and my sassy little Lou. While it was a crazy windy day and we were not looking our best we did manage to capture the way i feel about londy and the beautiful little soul that she is!
What a lucky mom i am to raise this sassy gal and oh how my heart melts watching her.

 

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

christmas 2009

wow i slacked on pics this year of christmas day itself but here is the day and eve in photos.  the traditional cheese was made, pj’s were opened, elf was watched, carmel break apart for breakfast, nonni’s amazing-big-as your body stockings were filled, faces were excited with presents wed been so hoping for, time was spent with the extended family on b’s side with yummy brunch, a wild present opening frenzy, pizza freats (sp?) made at my dads (they are amazing like fry bread and mmmm i want more!)…a first christmas in a long time with my brothers…(insert big smile here) and the evening wrapped up at a suns game with londy getting a barbie on the big screen from one of the suns dancers! it was a great day!

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the advent calendar

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since I was little one of my most favorite things about Christmas was our advent calendar my mom made back in 1970-something! it is a priceless item for me and one I have tried to purchase, beg, borrow or steal for years…since to my dismay I still don't have a sewing machine (I'm just gonna buy myself one since my family doesn't think I'm serious) and I still don't know how to sew! I digress…

so every year I look high and low for one for my little family and this year I found this to which I had to find something to put in the pockets and decided that everyday londy would pull a card from that days slot and that would be something Christmas-y we would do that night. which lead to one very excited fun filled month for londy and one very packed exhausted month for me and B

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to which I had to find something to put in the pockets and decided that everyday londy would pull a card from that days slot and that would be something Christmas-y we would do that night. which lead to one very excited fun filled month for londy and one very packed exhausted month for me and B. We did everything from adopting an elf on a shelf named Charlie, seeing Christmas carol, stringing popcorn for the birds, watching xmas movies, drinking hot chocolate, looking at lights, shopping for a Christmas tree angel, making treats and reindeer food for our friends, making those great old fashioned reindeer ornaments, buying a sled in hopes of a day of snow up north (hasn’t happened yet)  going to Christmas parties, spending the night at nonni’s and even a holiday pic here and there.  silly little things like making a jib jab video of ourselves were also squeezed in where we could! so although the advent calendar was not handmade by my mom, each ornament hand beaded, meg and I fighting each year over who got to put up which favorite ornament on which day….we made it work and it was fun and I'm already planning for next year. but don't think for one second that I'm gonna stop bugging nonni to make me one of those damn calendars for me…lol!PC010671

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Sunday, December 06, 2009

Christmas Wish

 

Every morning i wake up to johnjay and rich on 104.7! they have a great banter and it wakes me up a little bit happier. but during the month of December every year i wake up with tears and chills and a sense of warming in my heart. every year these guys do an amazing thing called Christmas wish: where people can write letters about someone they know who is in need. and then these guys pick a letter, have that person read it over the air while whomever they are reading about listens…normally sobbing!

the letters normally go something like this one i love so much…

i am writing you about my friend Tim. Tim is a single dad with three kids living in a two bedroom apartment. he recently lost his job and has been working three jobs to make up for his one old job, his wife died just last year and 2 months ago he was diagnosed with some sort of awful disease. his heat has been turned off and he has been boiling water for the kids to take baths. the three kids sleep in his bed and he sleeps on the floor! please help him at this time of year where he wont have a Christmas. (yes all stories are like this) then johnjay and rich say we are going to grant this Christmas wish. buying them beds for the kids to sleep in hundreds of dollars in groceries, a Christmas tree with all the trimmings. coats and clothes for everyone, toys and gifts too. payment of passed electric bills and even mortgage payments. and the list goes on and on. I've heard them give hd TVs, strollers, play stations, days at the salon ect. by now everyone is bawling! the friend who wrote the letter, the recipient and me the listener. then the radio guys say is it ok if we deliver that right now cause we are on your front doorstep?!  and then the Christmas songs start playing…like “have yourself a merry little Christmas” and it is now officially time for me to get up cause now I'm late for work!

how blessed we are and how grateful i am for the warm house i have to live in and the job i have. the family whom i love so much and the friends i get to share this season with as well as all year long! really if you get a chance…you should listen…it will change your mood for everyday! :)

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Halloween

the night in pictures! Lindsey had us over for yummy mexican food, a race of ghost poop and some trick or treatin! it was a blast:) londy was sleeping beauty or aurora…i never got why she has two names? and carter boy ended up as prince phillip…how cute is that?!! we had 13 kiddos and 10 adults go out hunting for candy…thanks for a great night friends!

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