Breaking Up...

What is it with us girls and our hair???  Or is it just me?  When we have a bad hair day, it can TOTALLY ruin our moods & when it's a good hair day, we usually have NO WHERE  to go so we can actually show it off!  I'm a very no nonsense girl when it comes to my hair, makeup, the way I dress...the simpler the better!  I've never been one who used a curling iron(I always would fry the ends) or used any special products to get my hair to do what I wanted it to.  So I've always relied on my hair dressers to give me a good cut, then teach me how to fix it, because if I can't do it in 10-15 minutes or less, FORGET IT...especially these days with 3 kids!  My hair usually takes last place when it comes to our morning routine, so I need it to be simple.  

Ever since we moved here, and I found "the" stylist, who I trusted to cut & color my hair, 12 years ago, I followed her everywhere she went.  She moved around to 3 other places since I've known her, but I always trusted the way she did my hair.  12 years ago, I was still teaching, I was a newlywed, we lived in an apartment, and fast forward to 2008, and ALLLLL the changes that have come in my life...you can see we've been through a lot & I've gotten to know her & her family as well.  But the last few times I've gone to "my girl" it seems like she has done just the opposite of what I wanted.  My hair has still looked fine enough...I even have gotten compliments during those times, but it just hasn't been the look I wanted NOR what I asked for.  What to do???  What to do???  What would you do, or what have you done??  

Well, my sister and I have both gone to "my girl"for quite some time and after she was unhappy with her as well, she decided to branch out and go to Haley's hair stylist, whom she LOVES and has been bragging to us about for quite some time.  So I told Lindsey, you go first!  Both of us, deathly afraid that we'll somehow run into "our girl" and she'll be able to tell someone else has touched our hair:)

My sister has NEVER been afraid of exerting herself & for being bold, so she made the switch and LOVED her new hair and has even gone to her twice now!  I felt so envious that I made the call and had my first appointment with the "new" girl too and I love, love, love my hair!  I haven't walked out of a haircut feeling this great in a looooong time!  The last time I had a haircut was early July, and she cut it soooo short, that it has taken this long to grow out for me to even NEED a trim, and that was after I told her I did not want it short!  

Soooo...it looks like I've found a NEW hair stylist & I'm very excited!  No one here to take a picture of it for me to show you, so you'll have to just imagine me with a big smile!!

But, the sensitive part of me still wonders what I should do????  Do I call my old girl?  What do I say??  Has this ever happened to you??  Breaking up with a hair stylist after so many years sure is a hard thing to do!!!  

Hodgepodge

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!  Can I get an AMEN?!?  I'm so glad...the week just seemed to fly by.  Both kiddos decided they would eat from the cafeteria today(for the first time this year) so that meant I got to sleep in about 15 minutes longer...woohoo!  It's the little things, right??  

We have quite an interesting weekend ahead.  Annie and I will actually be heading to a local attraction(I'll reveal next week) for a Brownie troop sleepover this evening.  It should be fun, but I'm planning on not getting much sleep....strange place, strange people, being without my body pillow(I guess I could pack it, but that may seem a bit "diva-ish").  We do get to take air mattresses, so thank goodness for that!  Wasn't quite up to renting a $5 cot and not knowing how many before us have slept there, if you know what I mean:)  But, again...it should be fun & Annie is over the moon with excitement!  We're asked to start checking in at 6:30 and eat beforehand...they do not want us bringing any food.  Are they crazy??  I NEVER eat that early, and ALWAYS have a little before bedtime snack...we'll see!  But...it should be fun!  Did I say that already???

OOH...wanted to show some embellishing I did with candy corn!

BEFORE...

AFTER...

What do you think??  I LOVE decorating with cheap, seasonal-ish items.  Who can beat bags of candy corn for $1.98 each??  I thought it turned out great!  I'll show you other things as the holidays (and candy selections) change.

So, back to our hodgepodge weekend...after getting a WONDERFUL night's sleep at the Brownie troop sleepover, we'll come home, get cleaned up and switch gears to attend a more dressy affair with Wes at a firm dinner that we are attending tomorrow night.  Wes has been working with this firm for a few weeks now, and I have yet to meet everyone at the office, so it will be nice to finally put faces with names.  I was just planning to wear a black cocktail dress that I bought a couple years back at Nordstrom's for our anniversary until I came across this dress...

Is it not so cute??  When we went down to C-town for all the birthday celebrating, I popped into one of the local boutiques.  I NEVER, EVER find anything when I'm there, BUT this dress jumped out at me right away and it was $47!!!  How can you beat that???  It fit perfectly & I can't wait to wear it!  It's very loose & flowy, so I don't have to worry about hiding A THING!  

I'll try to get Stacy, whose watching the kids for us, to snap a quick pic to show it on!!

Finally, for a little chuckle to send you off this Friday...can't believe it's already been 2 weeks since Ike caused so much heartache & trouble!!  My grandma, who lives close to the coast in an assisted living center, was evacuated up here...just 10 minutes away actually, so we got to go visit her the morning before she left to go back home.  After finding out which building she was in, we were driving around looking for Building 2...Jack in his "efforts" to help find it yelled out

"I see an old lady!!"  (meaning we MUST be in the right place)

Wes, in a not so happy voice, "Jack...we don't say that"

Immediately Jack replied..."She's pretty...she's pretty alright!"

We cracked up...amazed at how he's learning that flattery can help make up for a lot:)

Wanted to give a shout out to my hubby for making me the ULTRA cool widget for the BIG race coming up very, very soon!!  Yes, I'm still "training" so they call it...I know I won't be running the whole shebang, so I'm working on improving my time on my walk, as well as lengthening my distance for my run...but most of all, I'm really having a good time & enjoying it!!  I'll learn a lot from the whole experience, I'm sure!

Thanks, babe for taking the evening to get it up & going!  

You're too good!

Happy weekend everyone!!  Think of me tonight...I'm sure I'll have LOTS to share next week.

CALLING ALL MOMS!! PLEASE READ...

Love her or not, Republican, Democrat or Independent...you can't help but watch Oprah!  I record her daily, but usually don't get around to watching them till some evenings or weekends.  Yesterday afternoon, while Sam was napping, I finally watched the show she had on last week about Internet Predators on Children.  It was sickening...at times unbearable to listen to, but what I MOST APPRECIATED was information on SOMETHING we can do!!!  

There is a bill, called the Protect our Children act Senate Bill 1738 that a group of law enforcement agencies, parents, and those wanting a change are trying to get passed before Congress adjourns for vacation September 26...that is 3 days from now!!  

Please, please, PLEASE go to Oprah.com and read the information regarding what this bill is about & what the funding would go towards.  It has SUCH SIMPLE STEPS to take & links to take you immediately to YOUR personal Congressional leaders & their information to e-mail, call or write them to pass this bill!!  There is even a sample letter to "copy" if you don't have time to come up with a letter yourself...they made it so, so easy to do 

BUT YOU MUST ACT TODAY!!  CONGRESS ADJOURNS IN 3 DAYS & WE WANT TO GET THIS THROUGH NOW!!  It is a bipartisan bill...so it is not affiliated with any candidate or any party, just people who want to put a stop to this horrible exploitation of children.

PROTECT Our Children Act

Due to the lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.

Senate Bill 1738 The Protect Our Children Act will:

* Authorize over $320 million over the next 5 years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.

*Mandate that child rescues be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding

*Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down internet predators

We all know from blogging that the internet CAN be a wonderful thing, let's put an end to those who use it to harm others.  Go to Oprah.com & be taken to your Congressional leaders links NOW!!

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays!!

September has ALWAYS been a month full of birthdays for us!  None of my crew is actually in September, but boy do we have lots of our extended family in there.  

Today, my sister is turning the ripe ol' age of 27!  So hard to believe!  I still see her & think of her as a little girl...not a married woman!  November 17 will already mark her one year wedding anniversary...where does the time go?!?  She is a great 3rd grade teacher here in town and so still very heavily involved with Fiesta.  Remember this???  I don't know how she manages to do it all, but she LOVES it!  When people see Annie & Lindsey together, they are usually more apt to think they are mother/daughter than we are, because of their similar looks...definitely two peas in a pod!  

Happy Birthday, Sis!!  Hope all your wishes(especially those involved w/buying a house) come true!  

Haley, my brother's sweet girlfriend, also known as Laura Haley Photography, celebrated her birthday last Thursday!  She's also QUITE old...23!!  We can't imagine family functions without her around, and joke that if she and Brandon ever broke up(not gonna happen) but if they did, we would still invite her to all our events!!  Her business is incredible for her age & she does a FAB-u-LOUS job!  Check her out!!!

Then we've got two of our nieces...the Adams sisters!!!  Maggie, aka 

Saving the World Before Bedtime

turned 24 on Sunday and Emma, her sister turned 12, also last Thursday.  We got to celebrate with both of them at Emma's party at a new place down home called Magic Bounce.  Our kids had a great time!  Even with 12 years between them, these girls are very close!  And to show you HOW small town it all is, Maggie lives with Haley, my brother's girlfriend, up here while they are in college.  So our family is QUITE intertwined...but it's fun!  Hallmark definitely gets my business this time of year!

September 10th would have been my grandma's 92nd birthday, so it was a little sad coming to that day and not sending a card to her too!  I look at ALL these girls, Lindsey, Haley, Maggie, Emma, and even Annie with her August 29th birthday, and also being a Virgo and try to see if I can pick out similar personality traits related to their astrological signs.  They all are very spunky, sweet & independent individuals and I enjoy each of them & their company & fun times together so much!  

Happy Birthday, girls!!  May all your wishes come true...

Do you have a crazy birthday month in your family??

Wordless Wednesday-Fall Touches

Happy Monday!!

It's Monday!!  

Laundry day...

The start of 4 straight weeks until the next holiday day...

And HOPEFULLY the beginning of a much better week than last with all the craziness of Hurricane Ike...

To our family & friends & friend's families & friends of friends affected...we're thinking of you!!  

Stay strong, take good care, and know we're here for you!

Sending you prayers, strength & resilience...

JUST TO MAKE YOU SMILE!!!!

Sam a little over a year old...got into the hot pink paint Annie was "creating" with by sucking on the foam paint brush!  Apparently, it didn't taste TOO bad!  Of course, I had to run & get the camera...he was a poser even at this early age:)

This picture is ALWAYS good for a quick mood lifter!

Happy Monday, everyone!!

The gift of blogging

I've only been an official "blogger" for about 7 months, but a blogger "stalker" for almost a year! ;) It has been such a gift to network with other moms from ALL over the world and share pictures, stories, traditions, and recipes, but MOST of all, sharing our roles as women & mothers and the ins & outs those bring to our lives every day!  There are times I'm sure my husband and even my family and friends, who DON'T blog by the way, wonder why I take the time to do it and connect with my blog friends on a regular basis...but if there was EVER a reason to continue blogging, read about this story...I heard it on the Today show yesterday & it truly shows the good & the power that networking in this fashion can bring to even a HORRIBLE situation!  Please pray for our fellow mommy blogger & her hubby, and the four children at home they are fighting to live and come home to!

Read on...

Tuesday's Today show "Readers Rally to Injured Blogger Mom"

To Everything... There Is A Season

An INCREDIBLE weekend was had at our home...we had absolutely NO obligations, no birthday parties, no workdays at either of the kid's schools...just quality family time doing things that needed to be done, but getting to do them on our own schedule!!  It was great!  We mowed, weeded the flower beds, cleaned out the garage, went to the grocery store for the week, attended Mass, feasted on some wonderful food---grilled steaks Saturday night & homemade meatballs & pasta Sunday(courtesy of Daddy) packed up the summer decor, and pulled out the Fall/Halloween storage box.  It is always so sad to say goodbye to one season & all the memories that it brought, but I love gearing up for the next by transforming the house with all the fun decorations that hold their own special times for our family.  I think I've mentioned once or twice, (ok, probably a few more than that) that I'm a theme girl...I do ALMOST everything by theme...I love planning parties around themes, decorating around themes,  I even have a "Summer" purse and a "Fall/Winter" purse, which I also switched out this weekend.  The kids were OH SO EXCITED to see a box of pumpkins outside in front of HEB, and I have to admit, I was too!  I know some people get bothered or upset by seeing stores have their holiday items out so early, but for me, it gets me all giddy knowing that another special time of year is coming & gives us great memories to look forward to...makes saying goodbye to summer all the more easier for me!  

The first thing I change out when the seasons turn...my front door wreath!  I love greeting visitors with a little special somethin' somethin'...

An aerial view of our Fall/Halloween storage box...when you open it up, it almost seems like just yesterday when you packed it away...Wow!  All the things that have happened in our lives since Halloween...INCREDIBLE!  

Ok, seriously...if we get one more plastic Jack-o-lantern, someone will need to hit me!!

The boys had a ball trying on WHATEVER they could find...pieces to old Halloween costumes, witch hats...they are very excited!!

And one of my FAVORITE pieces...this Department 56 Haunted Barn that we bought when Annie was just 1 year old...It has eerie screeching sounds & lights up and the kid's love it & hate it all at the same time...all 3 of them, when younger, would cry & cry when we put it on & walk ALLLLLL the way around it to get to the kitchen...but every year, it is the first thing that want to put out!  I'll have to snap a couple pics when we get it all set up!

Here's to Fall...and all the fun, special times it aims to bring us!  

Does your house show a change with the seasons??

And Then There Were None...

at least for 6 hours a week anyway.

Sam started preschool yesterday...he could not WAIT for this day to come!  We have been a family there for 6 years now, so this place is in his blood!!  We love, love, love it and he knows the ins, outs, and teachers like the back of his hand.  Isn't it so great when you feel such a connection with a place like that??  Especially one that has such an important role in your life to play!  He only goes Tues./Thurs. mornings, and was already SOOOO disappointed not to be going this morning.  He kept telling me, after seeing Annie and Jack off to school, "But mama, I'm big now!"  

And don't I know it!!

It is going to be pretty strange to be alone in the suburban for those little jaunts, but there were NO TEARS yesterday...from either of us!!  

The school year seems to be off to a successful start for ALL the Holland Five!!

Our BIG boy now being Mr. Independent!