Instant Art!

Quick note on the music...since summer is winding down (sniff, sniff), I decided I would put my top songs from this summer on my playlist for a while...so no relation to the post, in case you've enjoyed the usual relation I've had between my posts & tunes!  Some of the words may be a bit crazy, but these songs have made me want to jam out while driving...

Anyway, I've spent the last couple days going through the MOUNDS of stuff the kids and I've been piling up to save for their memory boxes & scrapbooks...and it is a good thing I'm into recycling, because all I'm truly doing is making up for all the trees my kids have been killing with their artwork and "books" they've made.  But in my opinion, so worth it!  Some of their drawings & stories are just too funny and they will be so fun to look back on when they get older.  I hate just putting stuff away for someday, so I decided to frame some of their special pieces for around the house.  I love having kid art EVERYWHERE!!   Annie took an art class after school on Tuesdays this past Spring, and her creations were beautiful, so I really wanted to make them special for her. 

 I got the idea from a friend to go to Michael's and get their "fundamental" framing frames...SUCH a bargain, 2 11x14 frames for $6,

(mats sold separately)just perfect for this kind of project!  

Jack didn't produce nearly the amount of art that Annie did in preschool...he was always too busy playing in the trains/cars/blocks center, typical boy, but he did do some.  This one, his teacher had taped a fish on paper, then he painted the stripes, so I simply cut it out.  

Then framed it with a white/red mat...voila!  Instant art!!  When he has a free moment, I want him to sign it, so his signature can be on his art...you never know!

This was a painting of "Shamu" that Annie did on canvas at her art class...

Poof!  I love the way the mat makes it really look so professional & museum quality...

Annie used chalk to make this portrait that she titled "Pretty Owl".  We were so impressed with it!  It was on 8 1/2 x11 paper, and I had a hard time finding a pre-cut mat & frame to fit it, so instead of going way over budget with doing a custom...

Wes came up with the idea to run over to Kinko's, and color copy it by shrinking it to an 8x10, so it could fit...

in this beautiful wood frame that I fell in love with and that was 40% off, also at Michael's.  So, now we have it on our entry way table & I think it looks great!

After Annie's dance recital, pictures still to come I promise, we went with our family to Market Square downtown.  There was a caricature booth there, so we decided to have the kid's sketches done.

Jack's turned out too cute!

Annie's was great too!

Sam wasn't at the dance recital, for reasons you can imagine a 3 year old boy not to be, but Maggie, our niece, had a picture of Sam on her phone, so the artist was able to do his from that.  I didn't want them to go to waste, so for $6 I bought a frame for each, then $6.99 for the black mat for each...here's how they turned out!  

This piece was chosen as Annie's signature piece by her instructor, and was actually made into notecards for us to have when the semester was finished, but I really wanted to frame the original too.  

My beautiful artwork ready to hang...now where to find the perfect spots!!  I definitely need more wall space to hang everything I wish I could.  "Honey, are you busy?  You may want to bring a hammer & nails..."

I can always use more ideas on how you sort & store all your kiddo's momentos from their childhoods...please share!!!

Our Hyatt Hiatus

Our Hyatt Hiatus

We went TOTALLY exotic this year for our vacation...it took us 20 MINUTES!!! to go about 4 or 5 exits down for our staycation, but man was it worth it!!  Our family enjoyed their first trip to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort right here in our own backyard of S.A.  With everything being so expensive this year and after taking a bigger excursion last summer, we decided to do things in our area.  We've never been, have heard NOTHING but wonderful things about it, and after arriving, we parked our SUV Sunday, and never left the premises till we checked out!  We truly felt like we were hours away...it was great!  There were activities at all hours of the day & night for the kids & our whole family to enjoy...face painting, pony rides, carriage rides, a beautiful playground, hair braiding, biking, movies on the lawn, smores EVERY NIGHT  by the pool, awesome food, and of course, a beach area and the man-made lazy river where you can tube till your hearts content!  Our kids were in heaven!!  And if you're needing a little getaway, you can make it over to the Windflower Spa for all kinds of beauty treatments...Wes encouraged me to try it out, so I spent a couple hours being pampered & pedicured!  231 pictures later & lots of wonderful memories, we can't wait to go again!  

TAG!

What a week...I started the week on vacation, actually got to spend a couple hours at the resort spa having an INCREDIBLE spa pedicure, and ended the week in bed w/the stomach bug!  YUCK!   Today, I'm actually feeling worthy to be among the living again, but yesterday was a different story...and to top it all off, I'm having one of these weekends...just me & Doc hangin' out for the whole weekend.  I had tons on my list to do, since it is my last HURRAH alone before school starts in a month, a GNO planned with my girlfriend, Annie for last night...we were planning "Mex & a Movie" with tickets to Mamamia already purchased, thanks to her, and I was in NO SHAPE to even walk from one room in the house to the other, so I had to cancel.  sniff sniff  

I kept laying there thinking #1... if I call 911, because I really did feel like I was dying, how would I get to the door to let them in; #2... what a wasted day!!  I'm home BY MYSELF, which rarely happens, so much I wanted to do & get done, and I'm spending the day in bed!  AAGH!  But then night settled in, the sun arose this morning, and I'm feeling alive once more, so far only surviving on Dr. Pepper and yogurt, but it's a start!  

The highlight for my weekend, so far, was finding Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo on one of the movie channels late last night...it use to be one of my favorites back in the day...that and Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun w/Sarah Jessica Parker...I've always loved dancing movies.  I was SHOCKED to see it only earned 1 star during its release in 1984 :)  I have to admit, as desperate as I was, I even had to turn it during a couple of the parts...really not an Oscar contender, but I do love the dancing scene at the end!

So what do you do when you've got energy to actually move your fingers on a keyboard, gotta check my blogs of course...and I was so tickled to have a tag from Miss Jill at 

One Wired Woman.  This was a perfect post to get me back in the groove...not a lot of thinking involved, and time for me to work on loading my vacation pictures for my next post.  

Anybody out there open to play??

A. attached or single? attached since 1989, but only married since 1995!!

B. best friend? my hubby & Mamamia

C. cake or pie? pie...Tollhouse pie is my absolute favorite, but hard to come by!

D. day of choice? Friday...love the anticipation of what's to come, and Fridays are usually pretty laid back

E. essential item? my contacts or glasses...blind as a bat without 'em

F. favorite color? red and chocolate brown

G. gummy bears or worms?  not a gummy fan

H. hometown? Cuero, TX  ever heard of it??  probably not...only a handful of traffic lights & 6000 population, but they LOVE their high school football...our mascot is a turkey!

I. favorite indulgence? time alone...i don't need long, just a bit to recharge!

J. january or july? january is so depressing because i HATE taking down Christmas, and July is my birthday, so DEFINITELY July!

K. kids? 3 babies growing up way too fast...one girl, two boys (8, 5, and 3 years old)

L. life isn't complete without? my faith & family

M. marriage date? December 30

N. number of brothers & sisters? one of each...i'm the oldest by 9 & 12 years

O. oranges or apples? oranges...i love citrus!

P. phobias? don't think i have any, but i'm not a daredevil...don't think you could ever get me to parachute, bungee jump, ride a big roller coaster...

Q. quotes?  i have several on my board in the kitchen, but i'll choose "Be one IN a million, not one of a million" and "A happy family is but an earlier heaven."

R. reasons to smile? i feel truly blessed, my family & i are alive & healthy!

S. season of choice?  i love each season for different reasons...i know, the safe answer, but true!  so many fun parts to each of them!

T. tag five peeps...if no one has tagged you yet, guess what?  you're it!

U. unknown fact about me? hmmm...that's a toughy!  well, those close to me know that i am EXTREMELY sensitive & take practically everything personal...fun, right?

V. vegetable? i really like a lot of vegetables, but growing up, whenever we went out to eat, i always ordered fried okra & mashed potatoes along with my fried chicken leg, of course!

W. worst habits? being too sensitive & wanting to please EVERYONE

X. x-ray or ultrasound?  i've had both, although i've never broken a bone!  knock on wood...

Y. your favorite food?  i could eat Mexican (Tex-Mex) every day of the week, well...with the exception of today:)

Z. zodiac sign? Cancer...I'm a crab!!  ha!

OK, your turn!

We're BAAAAAACK!

Well, our va-ca is O-V-E-R!!  We're back tacklin' laundry, payin' bills, answerin' e-mails, & loadin' the 231 pictures I took in 3 1/2 days!  Don't worry, I won't post them ALL!!  We timed our little getaway just perfectly, because today we've had Hurricane Dolly showers all day long, so it's been great to stay in jammies & catch up on reality!

I did receive one special thing when I was gone...this Brillante Award from my blog buddy Angelica over at Angelica Grace Designs.  Thanks, girlfriend!  You were so sweet to think of me on your month long hiatus in Florida!!  I had gotten a couple awards from Mamamia & 

Well Behaved Krissy not long ago, and never had the time to really do anything w/them, but thanks to you two girls too!!  So nice when you FEEL THE LOVE!!!

Everyone I "know" out in blogland, has already been acknowledged several times, so I hate to bombard you again, but a couple that I would like to bring attention to, may not be as familiar to some of you.

Our niece Maggie "Saving the World Before Bedtime" receives the award 

because she is off working at a camp way up in New York for special needs

children & missed her whole summer here in South Texas to be there

for those kids.  It's been great to keep up w/her this summer through her

blog & to learn about what she's been doing.  Way to go, Mag!

I also honor Meg and her blog, "Whatever" because everything she does

& touches seems to turn to gold.  You have to go check out her bathroom

remodel pics....AMAZING!!!  She is a mom to 5 kids!!!  5 kids I tell you,

and her house, photography skills, and talents of cooking & kid's activities

I covet every time I click on her page!  I want to be you when I grow up!!

Finally, my friend, Jennifer "Price Party of Five" way out in CALIFORNIA, is a  

   South Texas girl who moved out west with her family because of her 

hubby's job this last year.  She jumped on the Blog Wagon after Mamamia

& I told her how great it was, and I'm so glad she did!  Now we get to 

stay in touch & see each other's kiddos more than ever!!  We miss you, Jen!

Go out & make it a BRILLANTE day!!  Share the love!

Vacation pictures to come...

Closed for Vacation

The Holland Five is CLOSED for VACATION from July 20-24th...

We're off catchin' some rays & floatin' down a lazy river...

Check back again soon!

I Think I May Be CRAZY!!!

Well, I did it...not exactly sure what my motivation was or what is going to keep me going over these next 4 months, especially once school begins & craziness returns, but I did it anyway.  

What did I do??  

I just completed my online registration for this...the Rock 'n Roll Half-Marathon that is making its debut here in our beloved city of San Antonio November 16th.  I've never, NEVER, EVER been in any kind of running competition IN MY LIFE, but I have a few girlfriends, WHO ARE RUNNERS BY THE WAY, doing it/training for it, so in my warped thinking, I thought I could give it a shot.  I've been hearing about it for weeks now, and since I've had the summer mornings to get up & get out to run/walk a bit, it gave me the confidence to just go for it!!!  So I did, and now I'm feeling a little panicky.  All the "training schedules" I have read on where I need to be at this point in MY training, I am NO WHERE NEAR close to being, but I'm just going in with the mind set of doing whatever I can to cross that finish line either by running, walking, or a combination of both...just HOPEFULLY not crawling or carried over on a stretcher:)

I'm 36 years old, and I'm feeling more alive than ever and I'm ready to just lay it all on the line & do something a little crazy!!

Have you ever competed in a race or done something you wouldn't have DREAMED of doing at an earlier age??

Must See TV!

It is 10:00 p.m. and I just got through watching my DVR recording of The View...with reruns consuming all of nighttime TV, I am saving my daytime shows for my evening wind down.  Their last segment featured a new show, called Rock the Reception.  If you watched & couldn't get enough of this You Tube clip, then you need to set your DVR, Tivo, or just watch Rock the Reception tomorrow night (Tues.) on TLC at 7:30 central time.  It looks too fun!!  Wes had the pleasure of sitting on the couch next to me while I was seeing/hearing of this show for the first time, and I told him it is a good thing that we were ALREADY married, or we would be learning a routine for our reception!!  Sad thing is, he replied, "I already thought that."  What can I say...I don't call myself Dancing Queen for nothin'!   My DVR is already set to record the series!!

Check it out...

My Summer Favorites

Ok, who out in Blogland doesn't LOVE watching Oprah and her Christmas & Summer Favorites show...maybe you don't like it in that you are the one not in the actual audience, trust me, I would give anything to be there too, but it did inspire me to do a post about MY summer favorites thus far this summer!  I think all my blog buddies should do a post of their favs...I love to see & get ideas from my friends on items they just can't LIVE without!  So here they are...in no particular order, the items I have purchased or have been given that are just making my summer OH SO MUCH better or that just bring a smile to my face whenever I see it or use it!

Summer Fav #1...Now this one, is at the top of my list because I absolutely love it!  You all know by now, Mamamia, my bestest buddy, and that last week I turned the big 3-6!  As you see from all my posts, I am a picture fanatic...may not be that great, but I take pictures of EVERYTHING!!!  So she surprised me with a beautiful, floral camera strap!  Isn't it too cool??  I love, love, love it!   Check 'em out at this ultra fun etsy site...lots of patterns to choose from.  Thank you, Mon...you always pick out the ABSOLUTE perfect gifts for me!!  I put it on immediately, & they are a pain to take on & off, so here's my not so great shot of mine.

Summer Fav #2 is this cute, collapsible basket from Container Store .  My family gave me this one, but it also comes in 2 other colors.  I have so many ideas for what to do with it and can't wait to put it to use!

Summer Fav #3 are these cd's that look like the old 45 vinyl records...man, did I use to buy my share of those in my younger years.  We are constantly buying music off iTunes, and making cd's, and these were just too cute to pass up at Best Buy.  

Summer Fav #4...Philosophy body washes!  I love just about every scent they make, but this summer I am really lovin' their lime & margarita scents!  They smell soooo good & fresh!  

Summer Fav #5...Ben & Jerry's "everything but the..." flavor ice cream.  I have gone through pints & pints of this already...too yummy!  It has everything you can think of in it...chunks of white chocolate, chocolate almonds, peanut butter cups,  Heath pieces, sooo good.  

Summer Fav #6...Smashbox "Fusion Soft Lights" highlight powder.  I am not a big makeup wearer, especially in the summer & I am quite fair, so this gives me color & hides my "imperfections" with one fell swoop of the makeup brush.  

Summer Fav #7...Pottery Barn fishing net table runner.  I am a seasonal decorator, and love making my house look festive with some "beachy" inspired things.  I thought it really made my bowl of sand & shells that we collected on our trip to Gulf Shores last summer, stand out & pulls it together.

Summer Fav #8...CROCS!!!  Can't live without 'em...our family has multiple pairs and this pair is on its way to my house as we speak!  Even though I haven't tried THIS pair on yet, I have the other flip flops and they are on my feet constantly, so with the way cute pattern, I know they will become a fav for sure!!  Who says Crocs are ugly??

Summer Fav #9...Nintendo wii & sport accessory pack!  Our family has played many a game and conducted quite a few family tournaments with this thing, so when we saw the sport handles to add to it at Best Buy, we couldn't resist.  Makes it all the more realistic when you beat your opponents!

And last but not least Summer Fav #10...Wild at Heart tees!  Who is Wild at Heart, you might ask, well, actually they are 2 of our nieces, who are sisters & IN COLLEGE, who started their own little business designing t-shirts.  Aren't they adorable??  They sell them at various craft shows, Canton Market Days, etc., but I just can't get over the fact that they are in college & doing this...I wasn't that with it yet!  They are so soft & I love the vintage colors.

Honorable Mentions go to...Sonic happy hour from 2-4pm, where you can get drinks & slushes 1/2 price everyday!!!

Also, The Next Food Network Star is the show I am attached to watching every week...of course, it doesn't hurt that there is really nothing else on but reruns, but I am a Food Network Junkie!!!

So, that's my list...and after I started thinking, there were actually a lot more that I could have added.  It's funny how you can become attached to certain items & brands, even after a short amount of time.  Soooo, go ahead...start making your lists!!  I'd love to see what things are making your summer all the more better!

What are YOUR Summer Favorites??

What a Week!!

It's July!!  Hard to believe summer is just cruising by.  I know next time I check out Target, I'll be bombarded by the back-to-school aisles already up & filled with supplies.  (I shudder at the thought right now)  so back to fun thoughts, like this past week.  We celebrated 2 birthdays & the 4th of July, so 3 birthdays "officially" I guess, but it was good times, good food & LOTS of good pictures, so brace yourself!!  

We started the week with Sam's 3rd birthday, with...you guessed it, a Batman theme!  Sam dressed like Batman for Halloween last year, then had his eye on a couple Batman toys that he talked about CONSTANTLY, so with the new movie coming out in a couple weeks, we went a little  bat crazy!!  The kindergarten teacher in me, from my former life before children, still lives in that I carry themes out to the fullest extent.  A new Party City just opened up here in town, and I found sooooo much to make the party fun & festive!!  And low & behold, Gap is carrying a line of Junk Food tees, with the PERFECT Batman t-shirt for Sam to wear on his big day, & coordinating Batman emblem tees, for Annie & Jack.  Don't you love it when things come together without having to try too hard???

Greeting guests at the door...

My Super Sam...aka Batman!  Is this t-shirt too cute for him to wear on his birthday??

Annie & Jack's came in the PERFECT colors for them too!

Couldn't resist getting the masks after envisioning this group shot...of course, in my mind Sam would have been wearing his mask too, but he was showing off his Terrible 3's independence/attitude ALREADY!!  Oh well...it's his party & he'll pout if he wants to.

Yeah!!!  A Smile...and I didn't even have to beg too much for this pose.

And the gift he had been waiting WEEKS to get after spying it in a Fisher Price catalog...he's played hours & hours with it!

Moving on to birthday #2...

I turned 36 Tuesday, and we had a wonderful family day of being together & eating out for lunch & dinner...what a treat!!  I told the kids I thought I needed a huge cake with roses all over, and this is what I was surprised with!!  Even better than the edible version...so sweet & so creative,( I thought) of them to visualize & make it for me!  

I was spoiled with many great gifts...a couple new outfits, some fun new bath scents from my favorite brand Philosophy, and a gift certificate for a pedicure just to name a few.  A wonderful day topped off with a delicious dinner...Mexican food at Mamacita's!  Yum!

A strawberry margarita toast to birthdays!!

I knew Annie had something up her sleeve with all the whispering she & Daddy were doing...

Ole!!  37, here I come!!

What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than to watch a parade!  We decided to do something different & looked around for events in the area, then surprised the kids with a trip to Comfort, Texas and their great, all American 4th of July parade & festivities.  The weather was so nice & it was fun to go on a new adventure.  XM radio had a special station for the day called "Uncle Sam" which played any patriotic, American song you can think of.  It was so cool & we kept it on the whole trip.  

Hopefully we didn't stick out like a sore thumb not being "locals"...but my picture & video taking, probably gave us away!

Can't do 4th of July, in our house anyway, without those $5 Old Navy t-shirts!  This year, we waited until 2 weeks before to go looking, and the stores were practically sold out...so we had to get what we could online & pay for shipping, but still worth it!  Did I mention I like carrying out themes???  

Let's have a parade!!!   

The kids were in heaven...

Motorcycles, police cars, and a street load full of fire trucks & horses...

This gave me chills...so glad our family, and our children especially, had a chance to see and honor what this day was all about!

Norman Rockwell couldn't have made a more perfect parade...so awesome!

We grabbed lunch at Rudy's BBQ on the way home, because we had to have some good 'ol American food, let Sam nap while we played the kids on the Wii, then packed up a picnic for some mall parking lot tailgating while we waited for the fireworks at Six Flags.  The kids really got into it with handmade flags & face painting and sat and waited...

Have snacks, will travel...

And finally...what we'd been waiting for!

A great way to end a wonderful week!  

I'd love to hear how your family celebrates the 4th of July!