Punch

The Adventure's of Pinocchio is over, done with...no more. I am relieved, but Punch a.k.a. Kade is rather sad about it. He made so many great friends and loved every second of it. He did a great job, it was super fun and I'm so proud of him for making it through another play without even so much as a complaint. He's a champ!

Hardest Working Guy I Know...

Happy Father's Day Kimball

The kids got up and made him a breakfast of rainbow pancakes, eggs, sausage and OJ.

I found this cake online...wish I could remember the blog. So sorry! It's just a angel food cake from the bakery cut into thirds horizontally, then I took softened frozen yorgurt and added two layers, then let it sit in the freezer for a few hours.

Last, Cool Whip for the topping and back in the freezer for about a half hour. I just made the banner w/ diamond shape scrap book paper (folded over a decorative string), and tied to skewer sticks. It was a good summer time treat.

We gave Kimball several shirts and some new NFL gear...he loves getting new clothes. :)

xoxo,
 

Summer Plans 2011 & A Guest Post

As I was making another one of my 'lists' the other day (about what we would do this summer), I happen to come upon a great idea. I then went over here (a favorite easy and free site) to make one of my own. This definitely makes it a little more fun, and probably more likely we'll tackle them all. Wish me luck, sometimes I talk big...but you know how it goes. :)

BTW, today I'm guest posting for my dear friend Ruth over at Living Well Spending Less, go on over and say hello.
Happy Monday!!

xoxo,

The Glass Castle {book review}

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down. It had been on my 'to read' for a long time but I finally got around to it and I'm so glad I did. Although it was sad to read about someone having such a hard childhood, I just couldn't stop reading. Even still, there were many moments of love and happiness sprinkled throughout a life with a truly dysfunctional family.

It really got me thinking about what kind of parent I am, how my actions effect my children, that we shouldn't judge someone until we've walked in their shoes, to always remember not everyone had a good upbringing, there are reasons people have struggles such as alcoholism. To be more empathetic and most importantly to forgive your family. For those of you who had a tough childhood...this will blow yours out of the water.

Jeannette Walls later wrote a novel called Half Broke Horses, based on her grandmother who lived here in Phoenix. She claims her life was even more interesting (which seems hard to believe). The one thing that I couldn't help but wonder throughout the entire read of The Glass Castle, was how did the author remember things so vividly at age three? Also, how did she remember so many details of her childhood? Maybe she has an amazing memory, or maybe she filled in blank spots with a little fiction, but either way it's a GREAT read!

It does have some language because of her alcoholic father, but if you can look past that you'll love it.

Now I'm off to read The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, and I'm really loving The Hiding Place but we go pretty slow since my silly boys think summer is for fun and not just reading. :)

*Added later...Well, since I posted this morning, I've decided to quit reding The Girl That Kicked The Hornet's Nest until I first read the two books that go before them. I forgot it's kind of a series. Oh well, now I'm onto Skinny Italian and Amusing Ourselves To Death.

View all my reviews

xoxo,

ABC's of Me.

The ABC's of me!

I've seen a few of these around Blogland recently, I thought it would be a fun summer activity to do with the boys. Give it a try and then come back and let me know. :)

A. ADD: Why yes, I am thank you. Or as my husband and kids put it, "Gee, do you think!?!?"
B. Bake: Love to bake, hate to cook.
C. Chore I dislike: Mopping the floor
D. Dog: I have a 5 lb. malteepoohuahua named Abby
E. Essential start to my day: Make bed & write my 'to do' list.
F. Favorite color: turquoise, orange, black and white (all together)
G. Goals: Too many to count. I love setting goals and once in a while achieving them, hence the ADD comes in and whisks me away to something else. :) My biggest goal right now is to run a half.
H. Homeschool: It was challenging but SO rewarding, I'll always be fond of those 2 years, I also squeeze some into our summers.
I. Indulgences: Laying out & Bravo T.V.
J. Julie Ann: My favorite fitness instructor. Her Mixx class is the best dance/aerobic class EVER!!
K. Kimball's Custom Masonry: Our business since 2002
L. Lake Powell: One of the most fabulous places on earth!
M. Motto: My 2011 motto is 'Keep Calm and Carry On'.
N. Nicknames: Jess, JAP, six pack (obviously in my younger years) & often call my husband Big Papa.
O. October: Favorite month & my birthday month = Halloween
P. Pet peeves: Tardiness, bad breath and dishonesty
Q. Quote from a movie: "Hey Mrs Rumsfield...no tan lines this morning, looks nice!" (The Burbs)
R. Random: I once ran over a cat on my bike...oops! Laughed so hard I crashed!
S. Siblings: Youngest of 4 brothers & 2 sisters
T. Travels: My favorite trip was to New York last fall and a ten day cruise to the Caribbean years ago. My honeymoon in Mazatlan was pretty sweet too!
U. Utah: Where I call home.
V. Vegetarian: For about 7 years I didn't eat meat of any kind, fish or eggs.
W. What makes you run late: Having to get all the kids ready for church.
X. Xanax: Keeping one on hand for when Jaxon goes to summer camp for 3 1/2 weeks, LOL.
Y. Yummy food you make: Soups 
Z. Zebra print: I love zebra print...have a purse, chair, lamp and pj's in it. 

xoxo,

Drama Mama & Tween Talk

Don't let Little Mama's Sunday dress and smile fool you, she's all drama. She had ballet a few weeks back when we were moving. Between my trips back and forth I didn't have time to go back to the old house for her ballet clothes, so I thought she'd be fine in her cotton tank and shorts. Oh geez was I wrong! Seriously, she cried and cried about it. Who knew she was such a diva!?!? I've created a monster. :)

Then on this particular day, I pulled out her new ballet clothes thinking she'd be all smiles,

and she was until I told her she couldn't wear it with the straps in the front!! This having a daughter thing is kickin' my butt I tell ya! I've changed her nickname to 'Little Drama Mama'.

As for my tween, he had a blast throwing a surprise party for his best friend Thomas. Such a great group of kids...so sad Thomas has to move. :(

That brings us to Kade, he's about half way through his rehearsals for The Adventures of Pinocchio. It will be fun to see him on stage again, he absolutely loves doing plays. He's having a great time dancing, singing and making friends. Today he told me he should just get permanent make-up so he didn't have to bother with it every night. LOL. He has me laughing on a regular basis!

Other summer happenings: The boys and I are reading aloud The Hiding Place, hopefully it will be a good read. I'm also making a list of goals and things we can do to stay busy this summer.

What are you reading this summer?

xoxo,