Here's to Happiness

I saw this on another blog that my friend showed me (taza-and-husband.blogspot.com) and I just loved it. This has gotta me my favorite blog EVER!! So here's to happiness.

1. walking down a boardwalk at sunset with a light breeze

2. riding bikes along the ocean with baskets in front to carry 'discoveries'

3. rushing the court/field after a big game and having a HUGE dog pile

4. smelling the scent of my shampoo after showering

5. getting wedding invitations/graduation announcements

6. painting my toenails

7. singing (more like screaming) in the car with my best friends to our favorite bands or artists

8. getting woken up by my alarm on a Saturday at 5:00, only to turn it off and realize i can still sleep

9. rascal flatts

10. taking crazy pictures

11. the way it smells after it rains

12. rolling down grassy hills

13. smiley babies

14. eating ice cream after working out

15. sleeping on the floor with tons of blankets and pillows

16. old squeaky houses

17. remembering my amazing childhood

18. fresh cut flowers

19. good shopping days

20. knowing that my family is forever

What makes you happy?

Labor of Love

Every costume I've ever made for my children has been a labor of love, whether it be for Halloween (absolute best holiday), a school dress-up day or for a play. The year I made the three "50's" girl's skirts for my daughters was no exception. I planned to make each skirt with it's own design, so each one would be unique. Usually Brad helps me with my costumes when it comes to applying any kind of hardware or painting (like the Riddler costume we made Kevin...I made the green coat and Brad handpainted questions marks all over it). The year I made the skirts, Brad was living in Las Vegas studying for the Nevada Bar and I was left on my own to figure out how to apply the details to each skirt. The skirts turned out darling and the girls; ages 22 months, five and eight were a big hit at the school carnival. Fast forward through many ward 50's themed parties, and the skirts were not really being used very much anymore. Then when Meghan was in 2nd grade she didn't know what to wear for Halloween, so I pulled out the skirt that was originally Allison's and suggested she wear it. She did wear it and spent the entire afternoon trying to explain to her fellow second graders what a "50's" girl was. I don't think that she even knew. I was pretty sure we were done using the skirts, and even suggested last Halloween that we give them away as a set, so that another family with three cute little girls like mine would be able to use them together. The girls put up a collective whine, begging me to keep them for just one more year. Well, shortly after that day, Meghan had Spirit week at school and one of the spirit days was a "50's" day. I'm not even being prejudice when I say that she was the cutest, most authentic looking "50's" chick at the school. Looks like the labor of love paid off once again.

Mother Knows Best

With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday, I thought it was the perfect time to make a tribute to my mother. All my life, I have looked up to my mother in so many ways. She is strong, organized, smart, loving, NURTURING, skilled and so much more. To really tell you how great she is, here is a story:

Last year when Katy was going to her Senior Homecoming they were having a bit of trouble finding a dress. It was very last minute and they still hadn't found one. It is especially hard to find dresses with sleeves and that are long enough so that was one of the main issues. Finally they went to a normal department store and found a dress that fit Katy perfectly, was a really good deal and was perfect length. One problem: NO SLEEVES!! Being the skilled seamstress that my mother is, she had an idea. Buy the Medium size dress AND the Extra Small size dress. She used the extra small to make sleeves for Katy and a matching tie for her date, Matt. Of course it looked great and she did it in a matter of days.

So there we are. Even though we always make fun of my mom for her "When I was younger I walked to school everyday" blah blah blah stories, we love and respect her none the less. She always knows what to do, and like Grandma Reese always says, "Mother knows best" :)