My birthday shelves.....2010

Remember my birthday shoe shelves from last year? Well this year I decided to stick with the shelving theme again. Only I wanted shelves built for my food storage. Max was not happy.

Well, our friend Jason, who is very handy and extremely nice, offered to make me some. Plus, also, he already had most of the materials to build them. I love that guy.

My food storage shelving used to be a few of these metal shelves piled high with no organization what so ever. It was depressing to even go down there.


Here is an action shot of Jason and his mad skills. I made him pose for me since all my "real" action shots of him were blurry. He has super speedy mad skills.

Did I mention, his real actual job is his very own framing company? Yup, he builds churches and buildings and big stuff all over the place. I'm glad my measly food storage project wasn't to piddly for him.

And the finished product. Aren't they pretty? Aren't they the most wonderful shelves you've ever seen? I was GIDDY and probably a bit OCD about putting my food storage away. I wouldn't let Max even step in at all. Even though he tried REALLY hard to offer his "food placement expertise", I wasn't having it. THERE MINE, ALL MINE.

And since I am ALWAYS the one behind the camera there wasn't one picture of my smiley happy face to show you. So here is Max's. His face is happy cuz he didn't have to actually build them for me.

Me too, I'd still be waiting, I'm sure.

School daze....2009-2010

I sent my wee little Maddy (my favorite child) off to her LAST day of 4th grade this morning. It seems like she was born 13 seconds ago, and now she'll be starting 5th grade in the fall.


This is the first day of 4th grade. She started the year with pierced ears and ended without. Don't mention that information to her as she is a little sad about it still.

Here's the last day of school (today). Notice the jacket at the end of MAY. This spring has been the weirdest weather. We're still growing hair out, and her hair is long enough for 2 little piggie tails in the back.....

**That's pretty much all she's done with her hair since she discovered it. I've threatened to cut off the piggies in the night. It's my biggest hair peeve when all people do is scrape it up in a pony (or piggie) tail every dang day. I MEAN why have long hair in the first place?**

Back to Maddy. Maddy really is a great kid. She is on reading level "Z" with is the equivalent of end of year 6th grade. She has LOVED school, her teacher (Mrs Dickie) has been very strict, (remember "AP fourth grade"?) but it's been really great for Mads. She LOVES a quite classroom and order and calm. She loves any and everything "peace dude". She use to only just love art, but now she loves GEOMETRY and science and everything in between. Her best friend is still Bailey (which we are VERY GLAD of). We love that kid so much. Lately all her friends (boys and girls) play Horse jail at recess. Which, from what I gather, is basically dragging people across the grass while they make as big of a struggle as they can. Grass stains are a priority. I curse "Horse Jail".

This summer Maddy is going to take tennis and then soccer in the fall. She told me this spring that she "Just wants to do something". She really wants to play piano, Max won't let us get a piano, something about moving it? I don't know, he's a buzz kill.

Mads has turned out to be a great kid, except for she actually came that way. She loves clothes (still) and her MP3 player. Her room isn't so orderly anymore, it looks more like a teenagers room. She can clean it up speedy quick, when I ask her too. She loves for my Mom to tell her stories, but who doesn't? Maddy is going to play with Bailey after the half day of school today. They played last year and apparently it's tradition.


And now for RUBY. She's my favorite child. Here's Ruby on her first day of her new pre-school with Ms Andy (and Ms Bristy). What a cute little squirt she is. We're growing her hair out too and it has grown approximately 3 millimeters since September 2009. Ruby loved her school and her teachers. She made lots of new friends and had a few boys fighting over her during the year, until one was caught kissing another girl in class, then she was over him. :). They are still friends though. About half our wards 4-5 year olds were in Ms Andy's class so it was fun for Ruby to see them and make new friends. One of her good friends is Emmalee. She lives in town -SO far away- but they have played a little and are such cute friends.

The saddest thing about this year was that Ruby got the worst case of barfs the night before her graduation celebration. She was SOOOO sick and the first thing she said (in the middle of the night after her first of many barfs) was "I don't want to miss my graduation". But we did. She was the most pitifullest sight all that night and the next day.

We did meet up with Ms Andy for pictures that next week. Ms Andy is super. She loved all the kids so much and Ruby learned lots and lots all year. Ruby loves to play outside and dress just exactly how she wants, despite her mothers suggestions. You can't see in this picture, but she has on peachish velour pants with ruffles on the bum underneath her PINK dress... it was cold. In her yellow bag she's holding was a DVD of all the pictures from the whole year set to music, a binder of monthly info (height, weight etc) a graduation hat and a diploma from her teacher! I asked Andy how she made any money, she said "I don't make much".

Ruby is all set for kindergarten in the fall. She's going to take her first dance class starting fall too. Her dance class is up here in Summit Ridge so we drive by it a lot, Ruby always spots it and says "there's my dance class that I get to go to in the fall". She doesn't forget much. She's pretty cute.

Her room looks like a teenagers room too, and she still has troubles with it. Ruby says she doesn't want to learn how to read in kindergarten because she doesn't want to read "Maddy books" she says she just likes her books still. Ruby NEVER stops talking, especially when we're in the car. She's got lots to say, usually about everything she sees. She sees stuff I never do see (since I'm driving) but tell her I do so she'll not explain about it for 20 minutes. (is that wrong) She is a great rememberer and loves to play "I spy" in the car. She still loves her Ruff Ruff (or Ruffy) and her Tinkerbell blanket. She doesn't like to sleep with her closet doors open and mostly remembers to say her "pears" prayers at night. She's most always is a good kid and super good for a chuckle. She's my buddy and I'll miss her (some) while she's at big people school.

I'm so proud of my girls and I love both of them the very most.

The end.

A cake with girls jumping out of it....

We were at our neighbor Jason's house one night, and he mentioned it was his birthday the next day. (Remember him, he's the one with the horses. On a side note, both my girls think he's the bee's knees) Well, he's a single dad so who, I ask you, was going to make him a birthday cake?

His daughter and I schemed to meet after school the next day to make him one, complete with my old neighbor Natalie's home made butter cream frosting. (Not that it has any butter in it) It's the very best.

So, the night before, I had asked him what kind of cake he liked. He said "one with girls jumping out of it". You have to know this boy, he is DEATHLY SHY of the ladies. His daughter had this brainy idea. ^ Polly Pockets were just the right size. You can see, we gave him a full selection of girls. Blond, brunette, red head, How's a boy to choose?

Then, because he's so nice, he invited us over to sing and have a piece of his cake. He's so great.

PS he's 35! That means I'm a whole year, minus one week, older than him. Is there anyone that I'm NOT older than? DON'T ANSWER THAT.

THE end.

ITS MAY.......

Max woke me up (who am I kidding, I was already awake) at 5:30 this morning to show me this....

NOT only is it May, but it's MAY 24th, it's the last week of school until summer break!

For cryin' out loud. It's enough to hark a dog.

I feel this tree's pain.



Maddy was pretty irate about the whole situation. I tried to lighten her mood by telling her she could make a snow man today at recess, I don't think she was thrilled.

Merry Christmas? Memorial day is next week.

The END

Birthday's in Jackson Hole. . .

I celebrated my *cough* 36th birthday in Jackson Hole. I was a bummer in the morning. I don't know exactly why but apparently you are suppose to cry on your birthday when you are in your 30's. I've done it for a few years now. This year I didn't wanna break tradition, I guess. Max was a sweety and made me french toast breakfast in bed. Then he took the girls to the grocery store and brought back this!

Maybe I cried because MY CAKE WAS ON FIRE. YUP they put 36 candles on it. How Rude is that?

Mads and Ru gave me a card that said "We both think you're pretty great on your Birthday" on the front. And on the inside it said "and one of us is always right". That's when Maddy tapped my on the shoulder and pulled this face. I'm pretty sure that means she thinks she's always right. Silly girl. She won't be 100 percent right until she's a teenager.

They also brought me these lovelies. We didn't bring home the left over cake (despite the wailing and pouting from 2 certain girls) but I did managed to bring my flowers home.

This was before the cake toss.

I managed to perk up and later we went to the shops at town square in Jackson. We bought a super cute glass serving bowl (yes people I DO need another bowl) with nubbs around the rim. That night for dinner, we went to (NOT Bubba's) "Q" a barbecue place that serves fried pickles (I still haven't decided if I like them) and tells you to throw peanut shells on the floor. I couldn't bring my self to do it so I just made a nice pile on the table and put them on my plate later. My heathen family didn't have a problem with peanutty floors. Especially Maddy.

And also, the lovely vase for my lovely fleurs.

THE END. . . . Til next year.

Jackson ACTION.....

Max's parents are nice. They have a timeshare in Jackson Hole that they don't use every year. This year they invited us to use it. So we went. They're extremely nice.

On Sunday we drove around to see what we could see.

Here is as close as a truck would take us to the GRAND TETONS.

Even from far far away, aren't they pretty?

The Max and Ruby.

Maddy traipsing through the snow.......

then realizing that . SNOW . IS . COLD.


Poor Poor Mads.

We found an abandoned cabin that was out in the boonies. I just kept saying "people used to live here." It was right out of a Little House on the Prairie book, I tell you. This is also the Squirrel Mecca of Wyoming, but we'll visit that subject later.

Cute faces - not out of a Little House on the Prairie book.

This is mostly what we saw on our adventures. There was not many open roads to explore on or trip. We explored the shops and the river instead.

It wasn't warm and usually always breezy,

but we managed to entertain ourselves with whatever was available.

We stumbled on a few little neat churches that were perched in the middle of nowhere. This one had a super cool stained glass window in it. FYI....the bathrooms weren't open.

See the pretty window?

More pretty mountains.

TREE HUGGER!

More super interesting pine cones.

Some random bug eyed hoodlums.

Another tree hugger. Those guys are EVERYWHERE.

And lastly, this one's for you, MOM.

Although the weather was mostly pretty crummy, we didn't have hot water in our condo for a day and the beds were OOMPA LOOMPA sized, we still managed to have lots of fun. We ate out and in, watched movies, played games of the regular and video kind. We took loads of wildlife pictures and missed our DVR (only during GLEE). Mostly we didn't worry about school, work, house cleaning, laundry, and bedtimes. We just enjoyed being gone. And were GLAD when we came home too.

To be continued......

Next up, The Animal splendor, Squirrel attacks and my Birthday.