Favorite Memory Captured Today

Celebrating Mom's 75th Birthday. Happy Birthday to a wonderful woman who I am privilaged to call my mother. Her example of goodness, grace, beauty, selfless service, and complete devotion to her family and faith is admired by all who know and love her. Here are some snapshots at our family gathering in her honor. I've added the music video of "MAMA" from IL DIVO. She enjoys this song and so do I because of course, I think of her. (Although the Mama in the video is at her funeral my mother is very much alive, thank goodness!) Click twice in the middle to view.

Favorite Memory Captured Today

A Visit from the Leprechaun. We love that naughty little guy! He's been coming to our house for years on the eve of St. Paddy's Day turning our milk green, hiding gold coins and leaving a path of mischieve...turned over chairs, opened kitchen cupboards and drawers draped with clothes and underwear (thank goodness they were clean ones!) . Although we don't have an ounce of Irish blood in us we look forward to St. Patrick's Day like anyother holiday. We had a traditional Irish meal last Sunday with corn beef brisket, potatoes and cabbage with emerald isle salad, mint brownies and green mint ice-cream. The girls enjoyed their little St. Patrick's Day treat bags and will no doubt watch the traditional viewing of Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Happy St. Patrick's Day and a Paddy Pinch to all of you not in green today.....

Favorite Memories Captured Today

FIRST GRADE CLOWN PROGRAM- Today was the infamous First Grade Clown Program at the the elementary school. All the first graders had to make a clown cut out. We tried to make the clown look like Hannah would in her clown costume, I think we came pretty darn close...even down to the pink polished fingernails! We had fun making the clown poster this week... I also got a snapshot of Hannah with her school teacher in their classroom. You couldn't ask for a better teacher than Mrs. A. Hannah happens to be in the same First Grade classroom that I was in YEARS ago. Talk about coming full circle! I also got a picture of Hannah before she left for school this morning in her St. Patrick's Day outfit. I'm so glad she's still young enough that she thinks it's fun to wear holiday garb and let me put bows in her hair!

Favorite Memory Captured Today

GOOD MAIL One of my favorite things about today was receiving St. Patrick's Day "Good Mail" from my thoughtful, treasured, shoe obsessed friend. Some of the goodies got eaten (yummy!) before I could get a picture of all that she sent so I threw in the pot of gold for presentation sake. I've always loved getting mail from her over the years. We both share a passion for stylish notecards and prefer getting a written note in the mail anyday over the modern convienance of email (as nice as it is). Thanks for the kind gesture and I will gladly pass that kindness on.

Favorite Memory Captured Today

Outside with Brie Olivia We had unseasonably warm weather today. It was beautiful! One of my favorite moments of the day was being outside with B. We took a walk and went to the park. She agreed to a photoshoot and hung out in a tree for awhile. Poor kid! She loved play'in in the dirt at home. I love the expression on her face when she realized she had mud all over her hands. I took a picture of her pink boots because I love those darn things! She has practically lived in them this winter. She is starting to outgrow them (sad) and with warmer weather on its way who knows how many more times she'll be able to wear them.

Favorite Memory Captured Today

James Bond We've been anxiously awaiting this marked day on the calendar for the release of the DVD Casino Royale. Needless to say we are big fans of James Bond... Lots of memories of Bond Week on TNT... my husband has seen every Bond show a million times I'm sure. I must say I quite enjoy the former Bond, Pierce Brosnan. Anyone that knows me well knows that Pierce is one of my favorite actors (loved him in Thomas Crown Affair) I was a little more than disappointed when I heard that Daniel Craig would be replacing him as Bond. I was saddened at the thought of not seeing Pierce on the big screen as 007. He fits that role so well! I went to see Casino Royale with low expectations but left the theatre more than pleasantly surprized, actually borderline shocked, at how much I enjoyed Daniel Craig. Loved the show and loved him! He may just be the ultimate bond! You gotta love his baby blue eyes, the same as my hubby's, (although my hubby wants me to add just not the cold, caculating kind like Bond's, and I agree.) Anyway, thanks to Grandma C. for getting the DVD for us today. Can't wait for our Bond party tomorrow so that we can watch it! We'll take any excuse to party around here.

Favorite Memory Captured Today

Creating this clipboard. I have a passion for scrapbook paper. Seriously, I love that stuff! My eyes bug out when I see the racks of it at the scrapbook stores; (especially at my favorites-the Magnolia and Bohemia patterns by Mind's Eye.) I love all the color coordinating prints and being able to design something with the paper...whether it's a scrapbook page, invitations, cards, decorating paints cans or a school spotlighting poster for one of my kid's. I got this latest idea at one of the local scrapbook stores to decorate a clipboard. I had to pass around a sign up sheet in Relief Society yesterday for the upcoming ward party and thought what a great excuse to have to make a clipboard. So I made one! It looked a lot cuter than passing around one of those old yucky church brown clipboards. Not only did I give a plain clipboard a face lift but I had a creative moment working with some of my favorite things...paper, ribbon and modge podge glue.

Favorite Memory Captured Today

Forwarding our clocks an hour ahead. Daylight Savings Time yesterday signaled that longer days are ahead. Yipee!! I love knowing that Springtime is coming but I hate the hour that we lose on Daylight Savings day. Time goes by so quickly as it is, I always wonder what could've been acomplished in that lost hour?.......plus it always seems to screw up my sleeping cycle. You wouldn't think that an hour would make such a difference but it did for me. It was close to 2:00 a.m. before I could finally fall asleep! Because of that, after I got the three older kids off to school, I found myself fighting the urge to crawl back in bed. Eventhough I feel a step behind today in my daily schedule because of the time change, it's worth it knowing that Spring is coming....