Celebrity Day

Little boy has himself all styled, gleeked and ready to be PSY today at school. It's Spirit Week so he has to pay $1 to participate. His rolled up dollar bill was ready last night and tucked in his picket this morning.

Yesterday was Crazy Hair Day. I regret that I don't have a picture. Maura had about 6 hair bows in and Landon had a tall Mohawk.

Breton

A sweet little boy came into our lives in November. On Saturday he came to visit. We are crazy about him! See how he's changed since November.

Maura's Birthday (April)

Way back on a sunny day in April.......

Maura and I had a special lunch at the American Girl store near Boston. We made reservations months in advance. We had two special guests, Maura's own American Girl doll and someone who was once my own version of a doll...Ashley!! 

A birthday crown for the birthday girl and a special chair for the doll. 

The food was delicious and the portions were not skimpy like I had read about. 

Check out the doll, it's all decked out in birthday accoutrements and a tiny cup of lemonade. 

It was a very special way to celebrate Maura's 11th birthday. Her interest in dolls will probably not last much longer, so I'm glad we had the chance to celebrate this way. 

My sister Leanne wrote a funny post today about my Mom. You should go read it. I laughed because I have felt that way SO MANY TIMES. I'm going to add in....Mom had six kids! Enough said? NOPE. She always had a  house bursting at the seams. For example, our family pool was a community pool all summer- filled with other people's kids who were often unaccompanied by any form of parental supervision! What a woman! She should have been recognized as the Volunteer of the Year....every year! 

So, I know I rock because I posted a post on the posting thing. April, May, June, July, August....5 months....NOT BAD!!

Susannie, if you're out there, I took this for you. "Are ya Bessie?" Those were great days!!

Pre flight briefing

Landon and Maura flew with Gordie last weekend. They just flew 20 minutes but in a beautiful airplane on a gorgeous day. Of course, having Gordie as pilot is quite the privilege as well. As Gordie was preparing the airplane to leave, Landon was giving me his last wishes. You know, just to be safe. He told me if anything were to happen to "tell all the future ladies that I was a hero".

Performing Arts

Maura and Landon both took acting classes this year and they ended the program yesterday with a little show. It was so cute!!

Although Maura is the more animated performer, she is not appear as psyched as Landon to receive the coveted certificate of completion.

Pomegranates

Maura loves pomegranates and enjoyed deseeding one a few moments ago.

Christmas Spirit-ed

If you do not have a brilliant abundance of Christmas lights on your house, just know that Landon will judge you as having no Christmas spirit. None. The tackier your light display, the more Christmas spirit you will be judged to possess.

Here's a photo of Maura and Landon relaxing on the couch, playing a game on Maura's Kindle Fire.

Merry Christmas, Happy Everything

We celebrate Christmas today here at the Ramsay house. Ashley and Uriah came tonight, we wrapped up wrapping and I'm looking forward to opening presents and eating breakfast. Landon put his reindeer food out, we'll see if it's still there in the morning.

It is Friday and my kids are are making me......

With Gordo away for the past few days, I have been running.around.like.a.crazy.woman after i get home from work. Soccer for two kids, scouts for two kids, school open house (4 different dates), grocery shopping squeezed in there and it seems like I am never getting my house cleaned or tended to. So tonight, after getting home from work, I mustered my crew and gave them all a job.

I was expecting whining and insubordination for some reason but they all reported for duty with fervor, zeal and determination (ish) . And by all I mean everyone but Landon. I forgot to include him.

So happy was I about my kids that I wrote a text to my husband and dramatically staggered it so that it said:
"Your kids are being"
it's always bad when the wife refers to the kids "your kids" isn't it?
Next text: "extremely"
..pause..
Text: "over the top"
....Pause....

....Pause a little more...

....ready
Text: "Helpful to me "

Don't you know, he was in the shower and got them all at once. No waiting with bated breath to see just what his kids were up to. But he was still happy.

So it's Friday and my kids are making me happy and proud.

How was your Friday?

Spring Vacation

It's school vacation week! We made no plans to go away anywhere, just do some random projects at home like... make stuff, paint stuff, spread mulch, play Xbox, get the boys ready to go to Canada for the weekend. We made a list of things we'd like to do.

Top of the list was: Panera for lunch, 5 Guys for lunch, Chipotle for lunch. Whose kids are these anyway?! We did go to Panera for lunch, but out for lunch everyday- fuhggedaboutit!!! Ham and cheese at home kids! Actually sandwich making at 7 am is one of the things I love missing when the kids are on vacation. I make 3 different sandwiches (with love, mind you) and I don't mind it terribly but I love not having to do it. Here is what they take- no variation except bananas instead of freezer jam for Dave, occasionally.



Maura made this in Girl Scouts and I just love it. She has a great eye for design and unknowingly used the Rule of Thirds here, it always makes a design or photograph more interesting. Also, the fennel seeds remind me of picking Caraway seeds with my Grandma when I was a little pest.



Venom: He is one of Spiderman's archenemies so that makes him bad. He seems quiet and unassuming but the things I read about him are indicting and reprehensible. I can't believe it. One day as Landon was heading off to the school bus with Daddy, I kissed him goodbye and the just to be silly I also kissed Venom, who was being carried in Landon's fist. Then I heard a squeaky voice, "Aw, just what I always wanted, a family of my very own." Here he is, Venom, found in almost every seat you try to sit in.



Also on the list:


Not to be confused with the raw eggs.....






Finished products:




It can be hard to get the tip of the nose and the tip of the ears in the same picture.







After picking up apples with groceries, I tried to be strategic about how I stored them. I have a two tier stand that I thought would be perfect. The Macintosh can go on the bottom shelf so that a certain short person who eats apples indiscriminately, with careless abandon and foolhardiness will default to reaching for them on the bottom. (They are the smaller, cheaper apples). The Jazz apples go on the top where you would think he wouldn't see them or even notice that there is a top shelf. They are delicious, meant to be savored and appreciated. I'll be going back to the strategy drawing board because I found these labels he made and attached to each tray. Never underestimate the palate of a six year old.

The Macs:



The Jazz:



Yummy fresh pineapple:


Today we are going to visit Gordo at work. Before we leave the boys are helping Grandpa with some yardwork and I looked out the window to see Adam driving the Ranger with some stones in it. The stones in the bed of the Ranger, perfectly lined up is so 'Adam', he is very particular about aesthetics like that.



Before we take off.....
I've been enjoying this piece by Selah called "Beautiful, Terrible Cross"

More Snow and More Snow days

Lots of snow, lots of fun! There have been so many snow days and so many "opportunities" to shovel and clear walkways and even the roof! Uriah was the only person brave enough to get on the roof, then Adam got up there too and the two of them made quite a difference in the roof. Uriah left our house to go to Jim and Emily's to clear their roof as well. Oh to be so young, motivated and strong :)

Maura and Landon had fun with the crazy dog. Kona loves the snow, poor Saff doesn't.

Dad and Adam working hard;

Adam and Gord both have the same Mac, gord and I both have the same phone and case. I think I need to Bedazzle Gordie's so that he can pickk his stuff out easier.

Dave made his way through the waist deep snow to the back door, which had not been shoveled yet. Kona made quite the entrance:

One of David's favorite foods is "cheese stuck to the pan" and he makes it himself. Here is the sequence of events.

I've included some pics from around the house. It's been wonderful to be home on all these snow days, even if I have been working at home here for most of them. I love being here in my own space with my own people and really living here.

A christmas gift from Beth- what a special gift and a big surprise. Lots of great recipes in there too.

I'd like some more of this please.

How much do I LOVE my pink Bible? LOVE it a million as Landon would say. Isn't it pretty? I made the little bookmark in a meeting at the Saugus conference during a slow segment, shall we say. Maura taught me how. She opened up her little bag of tricks and had all the embroidery floss, scissors and Scotch tape to tape it down with. Seriously, so CUTE!

My dear old favorite dog. I heart this dog so much. I wish she wasn't turning 9.

From Etsy seller thewheatfield, we always need a reminder.

Sweet sunshine

49 shots of Uriah clearing the roof, Adam is some of them too. Thanks Uriah, you are awesome!

Quote of the week:

Landon to Maura: "You're treating me like people treated Chicken Little."