Manic and Muffin Monday.....lemon ricotta muffins

Manic Monday brought to us by the talented Fleur-de-Lisa

What is the sexiest part of the body? I do like a nice booty.

If you kissed a frog, who would you like it to turn into? already kissed my share of toads......I got my prince about 10 1/2 years ago.

What do you have stuck up on your refrigerator right now? I can only stick stuff on the side since it is stainless, but I have my calendar and two birthday invitations for the same freakin' weekend.




Muffin Monday.....lemon ricotta muffins, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

and a little Muffin Monday; Lemon ricotta biscuits.....they were yuumy-licious, as Livi would say!

Happy Monday!

Weekly Winners...March 23-29,2008

Thanks to Lotus at sarcastic mom for hosting this fun way to see all those extra pics that I didn't blog about this week.

More leaf pics. They had so much fun playing in them.

A leafless branch, since all the leaves are on the ground!

blue seam from an old timey car the kids drove at Six Flags

"paint my chair red and call me Elizabeth Arden"

"always the thinker"

"my favorite girl"

photohunt: high

photohunt: high, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

This is an eleven day old giraffe. He was probably at least seven feet tall. His mama could eat leaves HIGH off the tree.

I was torn between this shot and this one:

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Next week: glass

friday fill in

Friday fill in courtesy of the wonderful Janet

1. Some relationships are meant to stand the test of time.

2. Sesame steet Live is the last concert I saw; it was fun for the kids.

3. Spring should be longer.....I am dreading the heat of summer already!

4. Oh no! I forgot to pick up my dry cleaning!

5. I've recently started journaling what I eat.

6. Picking my kids up from preschool never fails to make me smile. They both run up to me, almost knocking me down, hollering, "Mommy" like it has been years rather than four hours since I left them.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging with the family, tomorrow my plans include making an apple pie with the kids and Sunday, I want to sleep in!

who knew leaves were so much fun?

who knew leaves were somuch fun?, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Yesterday when we got back from gymnastics, Husband had raked a bunch of leaves into a pile. Apparently the freak snow in early March 2008
storm we got a couple of weeks ago made our trees think it was fall, all the leaves started falling off!

Since we just listed the house, we can't be having a leafy yard. Also, the kids saw the leaf piles as mounds of fun! Who knew?

Happy Thursday, y'all!

Thursday 13.....#33....the letter M

In keeping with my ABC theme for Thursday 13 in 2008....the letter M

Ginger Pear muffin mosiac, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

1. muffin Monday: We make muffins pretty much every Monday. We share them with the neighbors.

2. menu: I make a menu before I go grocery shopping

3. mail: I love to walk out and get the mail everyday.

4. make-up: I wear Bobbi Brown make-up.

5. magnificent: I think I am a magnificent cook.

6. minutes: It takes me forty minutes to shower, shave and get ready.

7. mix and match: 90% of my clothes could mix and match....denim, khaki, black, with splashes of color.

8. mobile phone: I forgot my phone today....I felt naked!

9. mom's group: I have joined a mom's group every time we have moved. I think they are finally past that age....so I wonder how easy it will be to meet mom's at our next post?

10. morning: I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!

11. Mapquest: When we move to a new place, I keep a folder of Mapquest printouts to my favorite places in my car: Target, grocery store, etc. It helps me learn the new place quicker!

12. military wife : I have been a military wife these last eleven years....lived in OK, AK, OK, CA, KS, and TX. We will move again this summer to KY.

13. favorite M= Husband.....

Six Flags recap

Six Flags, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Last week during Spring Break, we took the kids to Six Flags. I went there many times as a child!

It was so much fun to see the kids ride little roller coasters, bumper cars, spinning things. For it being Spring Break, it really wasn't that busy in the kids' Looney Tunes section. Both kids surprised me how well they rode the rides. On the roller coasters, the kids had their arms in the air!

The weather was perfect! I can't imagine doing this in the summer when it is 100+ temps!

The kids lasted until almost 4 o'clock. After a short walk back to the hotel (the dang trolley was NOWHERE to be seen!) we got a quick bite to eat. You know the kids slept well that night!

Fort Worth Zoo

Fort Worth Zoo, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

I am kind of doing things out of order.....we did the zoo second, but these shots were so much more fun to edit!

We were on Spring Break last week, hence the hiatus. We did a little fun trip to the D/FW area, then to my mom's home.....otherwise known as the land of no internet....NOT even dial up.

We spent a gorgeous morning at the Fort Worth Zoo. We had a great time, had some balmy weather, and no crowds. It pays to have kids who get up at the a$$ crack of dawn. We were ready and waiting when they opened the turnstiles.

On another note: we listed our house last week. So let's begin the time of leaving the house in show-quality order! We had someone come by today (of couse it was during Livi's nap time) but Will and I just went out back. Fingers crossed that it sells before we leave in July/August time frame!

Happy Monday to y'all too!

Phothunt: metal

So glad to be back home after a little Spring break trip....more of that to follow this week.

This week: metal....next week: high

This was taken last fall during a VTC (video teleconference) on post(this was near the end of the deployment)........I loved the way the metal posts edged the parking lot.

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happy easter y'all

Manic Monday

three favorite things: kids, taking pics of flowers, and rain, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Hosted by the lovely Lisa , Manic Monday:

If you could have any music group or musician play at a party, who would you hire? I love Sarah Maclachlan. But she is my sleep music....so Sheryl Crow.

Name three things to be happy about today. taking pics of flowers, kids playing, rain clouds (I love to go to sleep listening to the rain. adding a fourth: Husband getting taxes done!


How do you release frustration? This is very hard. I don't like confrontation. I internalize frustration, hence the jaw problems and teeth griding I do!

Weekly winners, March 9-15, 2008

This week the kids had early release on Friday since next week is Spring Break. We took lunch to a park and had a picnic. A classmate had Easter bags that were in the kids' boxes. A perfect finale for the great day!

talk to the hand

Hang on, baby girl!

Wheeee!

Love the little chocolate lips

First of many chocolate eggs this week

The bird's nest cookie

Livi had a turn with the little camera this week. There are the best six (of about 7o) that she took. These are straight out of the camera! They both continue to surprise me with the things that they take pics of....seeing the world through their eyes has been interesting! Since Will had a turn the other day, she asked if she could have one as well.

Thanks to Lotus at sarcastic mom for hosting this fun way to see all those extra pics that I didn't blog about this week.

Year of the Monkey......call me Curious

I saw something at Jenni of Four Feet More, made me wonder what my Chinese year had to say about me:

You Were Born Under:

Full of spunk, you are the original party animal. You bring fun, activity, and stimulation to any event. Self-control is not one of your strong points; you have been known to over indulge. Cheerful and energetic, you can turn the most boring thing into something fun. You are most compatible with a Rat or Dragon.

What Year Were You Born Under?

I do have to agree with most of this. I would like to think I am intelligent, maybe not a genius, but close! I do think I can work out difficult problems.

I am cheerful and energetic by nature, I can make friends wherever we are sent. But I do not think I am a "party animal!" Self-control: makes me wonder!

I do think i am extremely curious and thirsty for knowledge. Heck, I keep a hard copy dictionary on hand just to mark new words.

I am very loyal and devoted to friends. I have many acquaintances, but a handful of good friends.

I spy a little bee

I spy a little bee, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Being that I am deathly allergic to these things, I was thankful for a zoom lens...

do you see a little bee?

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friday fill in

Friday fill in courtesy of the wonderful Janet

1. Contact may cause irritation and itching.

2. The parties hereto do mutually agree to quit whacking each other around (I should say this to the kids and see what they say.

3. Disney parks seem like a good idea in a couple of years.

4. A nice glass of wine sounds really good right about now!

5. I positively did not get caught up with laundry today.

6. It always makes me smile :-) when I pick the kids up from preschool (after only four hours). They run towards me with the biggest smiles and open arms, yelling, "Mommy!" If I didn't think they would knock me down, I would try to take a picture of it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Husband getting home, tomorrow my plans include sleeping in and Sunday, I want to make Husband any homemade dinner! I am sure hotel food and eating out is old after three weeks. Though I do want to try that new Mexican place that opened just down the road. It is a local family who has two others in town. If it is the third, they must be doing something right.

Since no post is dressed without a pic, here are the kids enjoying some chocolate eggs. They had early out at school today. So we took their lunches to the park and had a picnic. I threw down a blanket in the shade. Some kid had left little Easter bags in their box......woooahhh is me, the chocolate rush is on at least for the next couple of weeks!

Happy weekend y'all!

unattended laundry

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Husband has been gone for almost three weeks, you would think that would result in less laundry in this house. No, not necessarily. We wake up to needing to wear cooler weather clothes: pants, long sleeves, etc.

But then by the afternoon it is sun shiny and warm.....ding ding ding, outfit number two. Then of course if you are a princess or think you are a princess, you need to at least change one more time in a twenty four hour period.

Oh yeah, it is dinner time, oops, you spill ketchup on one teeny tiny speck on your shirt. Most would think "Oh, no problem, it is almost bath time. Just keep it on." But someone who shall remain nameless is clearly not thinking like that. She goes in her room, tugs at an outfit that she can't quite reach and pulls hard enough for it to pop off the hanger.

Ding ding ding , outfit number three or possibly even four by this time!

I don't know if my 'one load a day' can keep up with one certain four-outfit-per-day princess!

Happy Friday, I have laundry to go do!

Thursday 13.....#32....the letter L

In keeping with my ABC theme for Thursday 13 in 2008....the letter L

1. lady bug: I have a lady bug made out of a training helmet.


2. lights: I love to sit under these lights on the porch.


3. Lone Star: I have a Lone star glass window on our front door. It wasn't on the house when we looked at it. But others in the neighborhood had it....I asked the builder for one, and he changed it out!


4. Livi- My favorite L of all time.
5. Look what I won: Melody of Pennies in my Pocket hosted a $25 give away from Jennifer of Little Piddles. I got Livi some hair bling bling. Very cute! I would totally shop there again.


6. List: I am a list maker by nature.


7. Lived: I have lived in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alaska, Kansas, California, and Texas.


8. Listen: Some of the best advice a seasoned military wife told me when I first got married: Learn to listen when meeting new people. Listen quietly, intently, and kindly. You will make friends every time. It has honestly worked. I have made at least one lifelong friend at every duty station.


9. lamp: I have lamp made by the same prisoners that made the scrolly iron work: Tuesday Update: Thursday 13.....#29....the letter I


10. lotion: I have to use an unscented lotion or I sneeze all day!


11. long: I got the cutest long knee length shorts at Gap today.


12. lucky: I was lucky to find Husband as I swore I would NEVER marry a soldier!


13. label: I will label any and everything!

ladybug, Lone Star door, lights, and Livi

Taken by a four year old

Note to self: Do NOT volunteer at the kids' preschool the week after Daylight Savings time! We had to leave the house at 7:40 AM. It was not pretty.

But it did make for a very productive day. I had an appointment to get my toes done. We have had several days of 80+ degree weather. Flip flops are a staple from now on until well all summer.

I had time to get some new scoots. Whew hoo! aren't these the cutest things ever? They are Keds! Totally brought back memories of those canvas ones I wore as a child.

Taken by a four year old, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Finally, this afternoon Will picked up the little Sony Powershot (while I was outside taking pics of my feet)! I was quite shocked at what great shots he took. Seeing his world through a lens is amazing. These are straight out of the camera shots he took.

Peek a boo, I see you!

Happy Tuesday!

rain rain go away and a manic Monday

rain rain go away, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

The time change really threw the kids for a loop. First, they wanted to go to bed about thirty minutes early. (meaning an hour and a half early). That alone should have been my sign. But no, I think I was just exhausted from the long day, that I gave in to their wishes.

Next, they did go to sleep rather easily. Though I did have to ghetto up Livi's window with a princess blanket. She said "uuhh, there is sunshine!"...No problem. I seem to recall doing this last year.

Finally the clincher came at 2:30AM when BOTH kids were awake. I even walked in once on Will playing his Leapster! About 6AM, both kids got back to sleep. There is no way in my right mind I would wake them up at 7:30 to get them ready for school. It's just preschool! They finally got up at 9, well rested and not crabby.

So we dug out some of our Easter decorations....this little chick and bunny, some springy placemats, some pastel dishes.



Just a little bit of something to perk things up since it is a rainy day!



Hosted by the lovely Lisa , Manic Monday:

What's your favorite thing to spend money on? the kids, house, clothes

If you could retire tomorrow what would you do? Can you retire from being a stay at home mom? I would go to a spa do the mongo package.

Should anything be censored and if so, what and why? I was just thinking about this this afternoon. Some weird freak keeps 'favoriting' pics of the kids on my Flickr. Seems like there should be some boundary on that. I already mark the ones of them in bathing suits and stuff as private. I guess I will have to be a tad more diligent in what I put on there. Seems sad but I guess pervs are going to look anyway.

Happy Monday, y'all.

Weekly winners March 1-8, 2008

Crazy week of weather in the high seventies, torrential rain, then snow! Here are a few favorites:
I don't know that the kids knew what to do with the snow.

Will wanted nothing to do with it.

Got to wear my cool boot again.

the mongo play structure

during the rainy part of the week, we had movies and popcorn (of course if you are a princess you have to be wearing a tutu.

Of course there are lots of art projects when the weather is crazy!

She is trying to decide if there is enough paint on the brush.

go see Lotus at sarcastic mom if you want to play.