365:Day 303 ~ Check THAT Off My List...

Tonight I prepared the final book order of the year to send home with Macy's class tomorrow. So I'm crossing that off my to-do list. CHHHHECK!

365:Day 302 ~ Holiday Card Photo Shoot '09...

This morning we had a photo shoot in Central Park {Frisco, Texas style} to see if we could get an acceptable pic for our holiday card. We went with The Bryces {the Scheers were supposed to come, but Miss Gina wasn't feeling well} and played photog for each other! This park provided the perfect backdrop for some cool shots! We will most definitely be taking pictures there again in the future!

365:Day 301 ~ The Perfect Pair!

We had dinner over at Erin and Bobby's tonight because our friends, Chris and Kynda are in town with their cutie little boy, Bailey! We ate some yummies and drank a little sangria....which was the perfect pair for spending time with our good friends! :) I only wish we could see Team Olson more often!!!

365:Day 300 ~ Black Friday Deal of the Day!

You are looking at a $80 tripod that I scored for $30 today at Wolf Camera. Bill and I had been wanting one for quite some time now, but it just wasn't at the top the the priority list.

So, when we were looking through the ads last night, he suggested I go by and check it out. Erin {my Black Friday cohort} and I started our day at Kohls at 5:30am, had a quick breakfast at Corner Bakery, and got to Wolf just before 8am. Wanna know the best part of this bargain {aside from being $50 off, of course}?

I got the very.last.one.

Love it! It makes the bargain that much sweeter! I so love Black Friday shopping with my BFF, Erin and I so love a good bargain!

365:Day 299 ~ So Much to be Thankful for...

...like these two little mamas playing Strawberry Shortcake at my parent's house with the boys in front of the Cowboy game while I looked through the Black Friday ads and chatted with my mama. I am so thankful for my family and I love having a day to celebrate just that!

Happy Turkey Day to all of you! :)

365:Day 298 ~ Our Italian Thanksgiving!

We always go over to Bill's mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner the night before Thanksgiving. It's a tradition. And last year we started a new tradition for Thanksgiving dinner at his mom's house....we have a pasta bar with a few kinds of sauce, salad, bread, and pumpkin pie for dessert. In addition to the pumpkin pie, I was in charge of making a marinara sauce. So I used Gina's crazy delicious recipe {her family is Italian} and it seems to get better each time I make it! :) Not only is it yummy, there is no dairy in it, so Carly can enjoy it right along with us! AND...I totally love this new Thanksgiving tradition!

365:Day 297 ~ A Slight Casuality.

Well, folks...Barbie took a hit in our house today. Macy was trying to make her do the splits and things just went horribly wrong. Both legs just snapped right off. We tried to have Daddy repair them when he got home from work, but alas, it was not meant to be. So Barbie to a little trip to the trash can. RIP Barbie that Paps got Macy in China a few years ago...RIP.

365:Day 296 ~ Turkey Day Prep!

Today I headed to the store to get all of the necessities for the items that I bring to Thanksgiving dinner on both sides of the family. And the one dish that goes to both sides each and every year is my pumpkin pie. It's a legendary recipe that I received from a mom in my first ever class way back in 1998. I've made it every year since then and it is hands-down the most yummy pumpkin pie I have ever tasted.

Really. Best.recipe.EVER.

I look forward to it every Thanksgiving! YUMMO!

365:Day 295 ~ Girly Girls!

Today we went to our second birthday party at Sweet and Sassy in the last 5 weeks and of course, Macy had a complete ball! She loves to dress up...loves to get her hair done...love to get make-up on...and loves to walk the runway in a fashion show. She is all girl from head to toe. So, when we hopped in the car and she discovered that the goodie bag was filled with glitter, lip gloss, and bath fizzies, she was completely tickled! And she even agreed to share with her sister. Now that is one successful goodie bag!!! :)

365:Day 294 ~ Close Personal Relationship...

Every feel like you have a close personal relationship with your washer and dryer? I do. Like today...I did so many loads of laundry that I felt like our relationship was a little too close. A little too one-on-one. Why oh why isn't there a Laundry Fairy?

365:Day 293 ~ Family Fun Edition!

Another addition of movie night in the Leonard house. Up on the big screen tonight was Anastasia {the "family fun edition"...not sure what that means, but it has to be good, right?!}. Macy got it for her birthday and the girls have already watched it a few times, but they chose it again tonight. These girls LOVE them some movie night...even if they've seen it before!!! :)

365:Day 292 ~ Pure Genius!

Erin and Bobby recently discovered these awesome steamer bags by Ziplock. The minute Erin told me about them, I just knew we had to give them a try. I LOVE veggies, especially steamed, but really stink at doing it myself on the stove. These little babies make it SO easy! You just sprinkle on some seasoning, stick the veg of your choice in the bag, zip it up, and pop it in your microwave for a few minutes. And the veggies come out perfectly cooked and totally delicious!

See...I told you it was pure genius.

365:Day 291 ~ SURPRISE!

So, I know that I've mentioned that I have a bunco group that meets once a month. And that we haven't actually played bunco for years! It's always a fun night out, and this month we got to surprise Susan {top right} with a little 40th birthday celebration! It was in a fun little pizza place in old downtown Plano. The pizza was good, but the sangria was better!!! :) Happy Birthday, Susan! I'm so glad I got to help you celebrate!!!

365:Day 290 ~ Under the Weather...

No school tomorrow for our Bixie Loo. She's got a little fever and a bit of a cold. Yuk. I hate when my kiddos feel bad. Hopefully this will be short-lived!

365:Day 289 ~ We're NUTS!

Bill and I are a little nutty about these Planters almonds. Get it? We're a little nutty about almonds! HA...I crack myself up! :)

But seriously...they're a healthy snack, high in protein, and fill you up. AND their sea salty goodness just cannot be denied. It's one of our favorite bedtime snacks! You really must try them! :)

365:Day 288 ~ Mosaic Mama!

Macy's friend, Emerson, had her birthday party at a place called "Smashing Times" today. It's a cool mosaic place...the kids get to choose their piece and decorate with tiles any way they want to! Macy was SUPER excited! She made an adorable little keepsake box! I love that serious face and I love those little hands hard at work being crafty! :)

365:Day 287 ~ Spontaneous!

To wrap up our sleepover fun, Erin and I took the kids to get bagels for breakfast at Einstein's this morning, which is always a treat. BUT...then we decided to take advantage of the insanely beautiful day and headed to a nearby park! You would have those those four girls won the jackpot! Bagels AND the park!!! WHOO-HOO! They were tickled to run around in the fresh fall air! I love being spur-of-the-moment!

365:Day 286 ~ vino.

We had a little sleepover at the Bryce's casa tonight. Myself included. Bill and Bobby went to Bastrop to support Chris, a coach in a high school playoff game tonight, so we thought it was the perfect time for a sleepover! Gina and the kids couldn't stay because Grayson has a super early soccer game tomorrow morning, but we sure had fun before they left. And when Erin and I got the kids in bed, we enjoyed some vino, a little blog surfing, Grey's Anatomy, AND a ton of chatting. Bliss.

365:Day 285 ~ Blurbariffic!

So. For the past week, I have been deep in the throws of turning my 2007-2008 blog posts into a Blurb book! I'm trying to complete the entire thing by the 24th and I just started it on the 4th. Yep...I'm attempting to get all 14 months of posts done in 20 days. It's consuming every single moment of my life...I'm staying up to the wee hours each night...I'm squeezing it in wherever I can. I'm loving working on it and can't wait to see the final product. I'll never understand why I insist on torturing myself with insane deadlines, but I do like a challenge! :)

365:Day 284 ~ Easy Peezy!

So, Easy Mac has become one of Macy’s new faves. It’s been around for awhile, but I never really thought that it tasted that great {or anything like the real Kraft Mac-n-Cheese for that matter}, so I hadn’t ever given it to her. For some reason when I was at Target a couple weeks ago, it caught my eye and I thought I’d give it another try. And to my surprise it’s pretty tasty {still not exactly like the original, but MUCH better than it was years ago…good even} and Macy LOVES it! Well, as much as you can love something after having had it twice.

Macy LOVES macaroni and cheese, but I don’t make it often since Carly can’t eat it. But with this little individual serving, then I don’t have the leftovers hanging around for an eternity! And this one tub even feeds her twice! Needless to say, MG was delighted when I made it for her for dinner tonight! :)

Wanna know what delighted me? That it only took me 3.5 minutes AND there was no pot to wash. Now that's what I call a win-win situation, people!

365:Day 283 ~ Little Bit's Lunch...

Carly is on a hummus and pita chip eating roll these days. For the last week actually. I mean she's always loved it, but everyday for the past week, she has requested it with lunch. Every day {except for Friday because we went out to eat}! She is a funny, funny little garbanzo bean.

365:Day 282 ~ Mean Ole Daddy...

Messy bedrooms

+

not cleaning up fast enough because there's still some playing going on

=

Daddy taking away everything that didn't get put away and putting it all up on the refrigerator until further notice.

which also =

an extremely upset 3.5 year old.

ex

trem

ely.

Poor Carly Anne was beside herself with this consequence. She kept saying through her tears, "why daddy do dis?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry for her. Bless her little non-direction followin, consequence havin' heart {and her big sis too}.

bill told the girls that they can have their stuff back when they show us that they know how to clean up WHEN we ask them to. return date TBA. :)

365:Day 281 ~ Reality Check!

This morning after breakfast Macy and Carly hopped up on the couch to snuggle while Bill and I cleaned up the dishes. As we were doing just that, Macy blurted out, "Caaaan someone take a picture of this?"

Yep. My kids are so used to me taking pictures all.the.time that now they are requesting it. How's that for a reality check?!?! :) HA!

And. I couldn't agree with my big girl more. This was definitely an adorable photo opportunity!

365:Day 280 ~ Deeelish!

If you haven't tried any of the Jack Daniels ez marinade bags, you REALLY must! Not only are they totally yummy {I think that we've tried and liked every flavor}, but they make marinating chicken CRAZY EASY! The marinade comes in a heavy-duty ziplock bag that you just dump your chicken...or steak...or veggies...or whatever in for fast, easy, mess-free deliciousness! We put our chicken in this garlic and herb one tonight so Bill can grill it tomorrow night for dinner! YUMMO! We eat A LOT of chicken in our house and get tired of the same old "flavors". So, we're always looking for new things to try! Soooo, you definitely need to try it too, if you haven't already! :)

365:Day 279 ~ Snow Already?

Did you know it snowed today in Dallas?

Well it did. At the mall. In the parking lot of the mall to be exact.

Macy was in the "Welcome, Santa" parade at Willowbend Mall this afternoon with her Daisies Troop...complete with giant lollipops, train whistles, the Polar Express Conductor, the Big Guy himself, and snow. Lots of snow. Lots of fun. :)

365:Day 278 ~ Obsessed.

This is where I've been sitting for the past two nights. For hours. HOURS! I started working on making our family blog into a keepsake book for the girls through blurb.com. Started at the very beginning of our blog ... November 2007. I'm making progress - slowly but surely. I'm trying to do one book per year and would love to finish 2008 by November 24th. Blurb has a coupon until the 24th for 20% off and free shipping.

Wonder if I can pull this off? Wonder how many hour total my buns will be glued to this chair?

365:Day 277 ~ HiHum!

Every Wednesday, Macy's class has Camp HiHum ... kind of a social studies "camp" where they learn all about diversity in lots of different situations. They have bandanas, buttons, a song, etc.

And now ... they have tshirts! Two other mamas and I went up to school this morning to help the kiddos paint their shirts! And believe it or not, all the kids were there today and somehow we managed to get every single shirt painted! It was quite the task, but I have to say...the kids had fun, and so did us mamas! :)

So, the whole class can wear their shirts each Wednesday and be decked out for Camp HiHum!

365:Day 276 ~ Itty Bitty Sissies...

Today during the last 15 minutes of Ashton and Macy’s jazz class, the itty bitty sissies decided to chase each other around the extra studio. They were giggling, squealing, and having a complete ball! And they were using this mat as base {you know, if they actually know what “base” is … which I don’t think they do}, but they kept running and plopping down on it! So I just had to snap a pic or two.

Well … it turned out to be just one picture because my battery died just as the camera was taking this picture. The flash didn’t even go off. Hence the seriously terrible quality. So, I tried to edit it to look a little bit "vintage". It pretty much still looks like a cruddy quality picture to me, but the itty bitty sissies sure are cute!

365:Day 275 ~ 100 Bucks.

So this is what $100 looks like. 100 bucks. Right there. Well, I mean including all the stuff in the fruit and veggie drawers below AND the stuff in the pantry. You know...all together.

I went to Target this afternoon to get our groceries. I can't seem to get out of that dern store without spending $75 - $100. Anyone else have that problem or is it just me?

365:Day 274 ~ Turkey Time!

Macy and I worked on this creative homework assignment today ... a Thanksgiving turkey using no crayons or markers! We both had a lot of fun and Macy thinks it turns out absolutely gobblicious! :)