strictly for the sake of cuteness

<--------------------------My Charlotte sure doesn't look like this anymore.
Need to change sidebar photos.

{more photos by Vicki Lynn Photography}

it's a good day when:

1)  It's a good day when you discover a housekeeping twofer.

When transferring towels to the dryer, I found a few plastic dishes in the washing machine amongst some towels that I'd just scooped up off the floor and thrown into the washer. 

The dishes sure were clean [enough]. 

How, I ask you, HOW, have I overlooked the dishes/laundry chore combo?

(And who on earth wouldn't love to come over, plop right down, and have a little snack served on dishes that had just been washed with my kids' chonies?)


2)  It's a good day when you learn how to make a new healthy dessert for the kids on Paula Deen {with that SNL Delta Delta Delta sorority twit}:

I was helping my friend, Kim, at The Tomkat Studio, find a new personal assistant (she hired one of our old babysitters), as her business is skyrocketing.  She happened to mention that she needed four-year olds for an upcoming photoshoot that will be appearing on HGTV.com.  Would my Charlotte be interested in decorating some cupcakes for the shoot?

Gee, I don't know...YES.  We will be there, I told her, just so long as it's not before 9:00am.  (The last photoshoot we did with Kim was at 5:00am.)

{{I am allergic to early mornings}}.

Luckily it happened to be at 9:00am.  Charlotte was shy around the other girls at first but then buddied right up.

I'm so happy for Kim's exploding business--but not as nearly as happy as I was to get to keep Charlotte's apron and black/white flower, plus half a dozen cupcakes plus three new punches so I can actually punch out some cupcake toppers from Kim's website!  

Which should indeed advance my craftiness.

I did happen to mention that if someone actually marketed most of the things involved in this party (black/white polka dot favor boxes, cupcake liners, toppers, a basic pennant banner, maybe some aprons, and some cute cupcake decorating supplies) in one single package, I would be A LOT more likely to host a party like this for my kiddos.  Kim said she's working on it... 

Although, [should I say this?]:   Kids really don't care about the fluff and stuff, it's mostly for the moms. 

{yes, I was just struck by lightning}.

OH, and don't forget to enter to win the giveaway on Kim's blog--it ends Thursday...

{all photos by Vicki Lynn Photography}

lovely pinetop

I spent many summer days in my youth at my Grandma and Grandpa Hoopes' cabin. 
 How I miss them.
I feel blessed that my children get to spend time here with their beloved grandparents as well.

Charlotte's best dith.guth.ted look

breaking the law



Barreling out of the truck.



dad building a swing

Gavin pretending that he's any help whatsoever.

Ellison testing the swing.  It worked.



It doesn't look like they are having any fun here.



Deven, Anne Marie, and Sis Megan

Sister Sus and baby Noelle

Walking to the clubhouse.  Five times a day.
Ellison did not let baby Noelle out of her sight (or arms).

The last time my dad, Susan and I hiked to the Mogollon Rim (around 1993)  we got utterly lost.  Dad prayed for help to find our way home, as it was getting dark. 

I'll never forget how my dad opened that prayer in 1993:  "Heavenly Father, it looks like we are going to need some help here..."

Shortly thereafter we stumbled upon a house on the reservation and they let us use their phone.

Grandma Hoopes and my mom (who were very worried) picked us up on the Indian reservation near Hondah. 

This time dad brought a compass on our hike.

OH the drama that ensued after this "injury".
My nephew Sam 

My mom and dad overlooking the Mogollon Rim.
You can see the smoky haze from remnants of the devastating Wallow Wildfires, which were only a few miles away. 

The neighbor's dog would come over and get into our food.  She ate an entire flat of strawberries that were in a cooler that was left open, plus a Costco-sized bag of snap peas.  And then went back to the neighbor's house and yakked it all up on someone's bed. 

We didn't see the dog off the leash too much after that.

Sis Megan and nephew Jeffrey

Deven and Raquel engaged in the mysterious plots of Nancy Drew.

An impromptu golf lesson from my dad.
 Who doesn't golf.

Gavin grilled food for all 25 of us almost every night.

SIL Ashley and niece Shelby

Charlotte and Grandpa

surely you're kidding



My sister Susan's new nursery.

{With the decorating prowess of Cami Wright.}

Can you even BELIEVE she wallpapered her ceiling?

Pure boldness.



Darling baby girl loves it.

Can you see her little self on her changing pad?

Let's be honest.

This little pixie could give a rip about her nursery.

All she cares about is sitting around looking cute all day long.



 I can't get over this fun graphic wallpaper.

Or this lampshade from Anthro.We found the base at some secondhand store in Phoenix.

Oh, and my sister Sus?

She's a Shel Silverstein aficionada.

This is a mural of Shel Silverstein poems in her landing upstairs.

Sus would like to be a collector of cuckoo clocks.

This is her big girls' room.  Not done yet, but almost!

I adore the blues palette with raspberry accents.

Let's talk about this balloon dog sculpture for a momentito.

I had to talk Sus into it at Home Goods but now she's a fan.

It's already been broken and glued back together.



something is missing around here...



...like everyone's teeth!
[Melanie, Emma, Ellison]

 

A delightful last-minute summer party



[Kailyn, Melanie, Emma, Ellison]

[Charlotte]

Caroline and her friend Sydney set up a game that they appropriately named "What I'm Eating" (I suppose it was actually called "What I'm I eating" ?).  They put random stuff in cups and had the girls taste it and see if they could guess what it was.

 {There was the minor gag issue with the things they didn't like}.

midnight craft project #2

We're well aware of my craftification gifts.  

My superhumanly-motivated cousin Delia, (actually my cousin Jared's wife), posted this and I thought it would be a cute gift for a niece or nephew.   Glaring lack of common sense prevailed as I sacrificed precious sleep to paint rocks.

Sister Sus in Yuma: you won't be receiving this "gift".  I am afraid my darling nephew Randall could potentially use these alphabetical missiles as ammunition against you, or Savannah, or your newborn, or that disturbing needs-to-be-deported-ice-cream-truck, or some other poor sap, or your new glass shower door in your recently-remodeled bathroom. 

Just know  that I'm seething mad at you if you ever receive a box from FedEx that sounds like it has rocks in it.

Randall is my favorite lil' guy.  [That's what I call him--Lil' Guy]. 

As in I seriously have a weakness for this kid.

Does this face look like it could do any wrong?  [Rhetorical.]

With chocolate pudding seeping from his clenched fist?

For the sake of fairness, it was MY idea for the cousins to "fingerpaint" themselves and others with chocolate pudding.  On my sister's patio.  

{Stupidest idea in PARENTING Magazine E.V.E.R.} 

Now I can't go to my deathbed with that "NO REGRETS" bumper sticker because this was a decision I deeply regret and my BIL Howard regretted even more as he was cleaning up glops of dried chocolate pudding off the window sunshades and scrubbing the concrete on his hands and knees with his metal BBQ brush.

[Sorry Howard.] 

Back to the rocks--I used basic acrylic paints from Michaels, and cheapo paintbrushes.  Yes I had to do a couple of coats.  I didn't paint the lower-case alphabet on the back, but that would have been a good idea.  I outlined them with a Sharpie, and sprayed them with an acrylic top-coat. 

If I would do it over again, I would try to find colored paint PENS.  I had a white paint pen and that's what I used for the white letters. It was infinitely easier than painting with a brush.  My colored paint pens weren't vibrant enough colors to have any coverage--maybe they're out there but I haven't looked.  Or maybe a few coats? 

You can get the bag of rocks at the Dollar Store [fake floral aisle].


Or heck, go have your kids forage for some rocks outside, for heaven's sake.