oh...

jackson and i celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary last week...
nothing elaborate...just our annual trip to La Comedia dinner theater for some yummy food and a fantastic show ~ Miracle on 34th Street...
let me tell you that Santa was amazing...he had me believing!

luv zin ya!

refocus...

trying to direct my thoughts to other things...

this is how creative my 6 year-old can be when left to her own devices...{and when she's not ignoring me or tormenting her sister}:

yes...that's a quilt and a belt...
project runway...here she comes!


this is a luminary walk we took about 2 weeks ago with my mom-in-law and brother-in-law...
it was so pretty with the huge snowflakes and frozen waterfall...{nevermind that i had no hat and had to wear jackson's work hood which made me look like a ninja}:

and while we were there, the girls got to visit with santa...

and jackson took the girls to the park a few days ago...

i need...

to stop and take a breath...

i'm overwhelmed, exhausted, fed-up, and on the verge of a break down.
it's just too much...everything is too much.

i have too much to do and not enough time to do it.
i have a job that i'm not sure i can keep doing.
i have a daughter who i am hoping and praying will grow out of her defiant behavior...and she's only 6!
i have fears that i can't really voice to anyone because i don't know how to put them in words.
i have a husband i am trying not to drive away.
i am tired of having the same arguments.
i am constantly...and i mean 24-7...in pain.

i am ready to throw in the towel.


i wish with all my heart that i could focus on everything that is good right now...this time of year, this season.

but i just can't.

{f.y.i....just putting that in words helps some. i just need some time...}

hi brat!

better late than never...

this is my stunning sister, sarah {a.k.a. "brat"},
and my girlies at thanksgiving:

our christmas card...

another one of jaden's fantastic illustrations...

{when you get yours in the mail, just pretend you haven't seen this post}
heehee...

new goodies...

in my etsy shop...

happy turkey day!

{ashlyn - 3 years old}

i'm working on it...

i promise, brat!

something new soon...you'll see

i'm looking for...

vintage greeting cards. i've been crafting like crazy, and i can't get enough of these.

got any you want to part with???

looking for cards from the 40's, 50's, 60's. mainly christmas, but i will need all occasions/holidays eventually.

if you have some, let me know...

***oh, and here's a peek of my newest creation...soon to appear in my etsy shop :

did you know...

that my 6 year-old is a democrat?
when i walked in the door monday afternoon, i was ambushed by jaden...

her: "mommy! do you remember who you're going to vote for?"
me {pretending not to know}: "ummm..."
her: "Obama, mommy! you have to vote for Obama!" {pause...gasp}
"you didn't forget to vote did you?!?!?"
me: "no, dude. that's tomorrow."

***the rest of the evening was uneventful...no more political campaigning from my 1st grader. i'm telling you, she should have been his campaign advisor!***

tuesday morning, we were getting ready for school and work, and jackson was trying to motivate jaden to get up. he had planned to take her with him to the polls because she was so excited about all that was going on.

jackson: "dude! get up! we have to go vote!"
her: "yeah, daddy, for John McCain"
{...pause...}
"aaahh! just kidding!"

okay, seriously? how does my 6 year old know how to joke about a presidential candidate?
--
so, tuesday night, we were on our way to dinner. jackson and i were thinking we have this profoundly brilliant, beyond her age, gifted 6 year-old. the topic of Obama came up and i asked her why she liked him so much.

her answer?

"well mommy, some lady called and asked me to please vote for Barack Obama. i told her i would, but she just kept talking."

happy halloween...

from cinderella...

and her jellyfish...

our hayride...

at fulton farms...

where we get our pumpkins every year...

then, we have a campfire, which usually leads to a couple rounds of "chubby bunnies"...

{yeah...those are marshmallows}




and, just in case we didn't get enough pumpkins at the hayride (7!!!), our local fire station has a pumpkin giveaway...

this is...

absolutely incredible!
while doing a little blog-hopping, i happened across this site called Grosgrain...

anyway, this woman makes these fantastic children's dresses, costumes, and outfits, and GIVES THEM AWAY!

check out the Marie-Therese gown...

stunning, right?!??!

3 more things...

i never thought i'd hear...
1. "we just wiped a booger off my bed with a raisin"

or say...
2. "take your toe out of your sister's bowl"

or do...
3. "spit-shine" my daughter's face
{you know what i'm talking about...
and you know you've done it too!}

do they make...

baby carriers for 3 year-olds?

because...apparently, mine has to be with me at all times!

warning...

i've been scrapping...

look at all these layouts!
can you believe it???

some 12 x 12...




















some 8 1/2 x 11...








and a few 9 x 9...

perhaps...

when the laundry starts eating your children,
it's time to put it away...

and the homecoming queen is...

my cousin!

jackson and i took the girls to the game. jen, ("the queen"), had her own cheering section...my crew, her crew (my aunt, uncle, and cousins), my other aunt, and about a thousand rowdy teens screaming "we love you jen!"...

they announced the candidates, lined them up on the field, and we heard..."the 2008 homecoming queen is...Jennifer Schmitz"!

i was a flippin idiot...jumping and screaming and crying...
i probably would have been an embarassment if not for the fact that everyone else around me was doing the same! oh, and thank god for cell phones...how else could i have told EVERYONE i know in a matter of about 47 seconds??


isn't she gorgeous?!?!?

we went to the parade before the game...{nevermind the out-of-order sequence...it's backwards day - didn't you know?}
there's my stunning cousin and her escort...

and all the kiddos were "parachuting" off the curb with their candy bags {while their nervous nellie moms kept jerking them back since the traffic hadn't been stopped yet for the parade}...