my new nails

i got my nails done!
oh girls out there...
seriously, i'm not a hands nail polish kind of girl.
i'm really not.
it chips.
it looks tacky when it's chipped.
and i get annoyed seeing the chips.
so i just flake it off.
gross, right?
so... i don't put it on my fingers.
(toes, that's another story.)
so... when i was first introduced to this new fandangled manicure last year, i was sold!
the first place i went to called it 'perfect polish'.
the girl i went to yesterday had what was called 'luxio'.
this stuff is the BOMB, people!
it actually STAYS put.
kind of like a gel nail, but not.
(i don't know... i've never had gel nails before, what am i saying?!)
but, for real, it does not come off.
it just grows out.
so your beautiful manicure will last...
through the dishwashing,
through the weed pulling (yes, i enjoy doing this),
through the diaper changes (no, i don't enjoy doing this),
through the high fiving (who doesn't like to give an aggressive high five, am i right?),
and through whatever your life throws at your precious digits.
IT. WILL. LAST.
i promise!
local gals, just ask me where i got it done.
it's close and cheap... two of my favorite things! ha!
now, who wants to see another picture of my pretty lady fingers?
yes, i'm still wearing my favorite lulu running shirt from this morning.
if you're making an assumption that i haven't showered yet, you'd be right.
yes, it's 4:00pm in the afternoon.
please don't judge!

while taking phone booth pics, i went a little crazy.
here are some shots of me and my nails.

i thought i looked kinda gansta in this pic.
yo, do they choose the color 'current' in the hood?

everybody was kung-fu fighting!!

karate... martial arts... asian influences... brings me to the next photo.
domo arigato, mr. roboto!
do you like my sweet robot moves?

a little bit of vogue, to cleverly cover up my no make-up face.

and a little fishy action to finish it up.

there you have it...
a little plug for the fancy manicure.
call your local spa/aesthetician today!

instafriday... ON friday!

i'll admit... some of these pics are from last week too.

but i haven't linked up in a while.  

here goes...

some of the fruits of our labours...

pizza sauce, salsa, tomato soup, beets, jalepenos, mustard, tomato jam.

mmmmmm... all so good!!!

and doesn't it all look so pretty and uniform?

i wish it was my basement storage room... but it's not.

this is my mother in law's fabulous space.

oh yes... it's started once again.

dance class.

big K is gone on wednesdays from 4:45-6:30!

crazy long!!

and little K has an hour long class, also on wednesdays, from 1-2.

they're both so cute in their gear.

zoo time!!
here are my monkeys... checking out the monkeys!

we saw some pretty monarchs at the new butterfly pavillion.

we met up with the youngest of my girls' cousins.
the lone boy with a bunch of gals this day!
they had so much fun running around and wreaking havoc.
(they weren't really bad that day... they were great!)
don't you love some of those fake smiles?!?

here's a real smile.
who doesn't like to cap a day at the zoo with some ice cream?!

on a date... in the lumina!

went our for supper with our good friends and we went cruising in their parent's lumina!

this car is nostalgic and special.

it's probably one of the few remaining vehicles with a BENCH seat in the front.

it screams good times.

and wine with some cake?

yes, please!

on my in law's side, there are 4 of us with bdays in september.

so we have a big joint bday party.

this cake... was... to... DIE for!!!

peaches, cream cheese icing.

need i say more?

no surprise who made it!  ;)

shopping spree

so i went on a shopping spree yesterday...

but don't get too excited.

it wasn't me that got to shop but a good friend of mine.

she has dealt with a lot of hard blows this past year (the big scary c-word)

and she felt like some retail therapy was needed.

who am i resist?

we had a great time!!!

her credit card is now burning.  ha ha!

do you know how awesome it is to pick out all sorts of items for a friend to try on and buy?

if you don't, go out and shop with one of your besties today.

and be sure it's with one that has some cash to burn!  ;)

you're guaranteed a fabulous time.

we were so hard-core shopping that we didn't even break for lunch.

now that's commitment.

us mamas were on a mission.

when you even have half a day without the kidlets, you gotta make it count.

here is one of the awesome items she purchased, this dress:

isn't it an adorable dress?!

i LOVE it!

and it looks amazing on her.

now she needs some fun shoes.

so i'm looking online for her which is almost as fun as regular mall shopping.

there's no impromptu hat pictures, of course.

or laughing in change rooms.

but online shopping can be dangerous too.

don't kid yourself!

i thought the dress would look fabulous with opaque dark tights and these shoes:

or possibly these ones:

who doesn't like a great pop of color with a neutral like grey, am i right?

she also wanted something to cover up with if she feels cold.

i thought a little sweater would work.

this black one could be ok:

or even this one is great if you want to go with a plumy/purple and more neutral shoes:

and i even like the look of going a bit more casual with a jean jacket like this:

course what i like to do best... is scour my own closet for recyclables.

you'd be amazed what you can find if you tend to hoard some of your clothes, like i do. ;)

and really, in my humble opinion, a women can never have too many cardigans.

they go with EVERYTHING... and work in any season.

so whenever i see a cute one on a sales rack, i tend to go weak and make a purchase.

anyhow... this is a random clothing post.

none of it actually mine... but fun, none the less.

as for my fall wardrobe... it's layers, layers and MORE layers.

plus boots.

i LOVE boots.

can't get enough of 'em.

oh yeah... and yesterday when we shopped we happened to purchase matching shirts.

not for us, silly.

for our eldest daughters that are best buds.

here they are sporting their new tops today at the bus stop.

big shoes

I've got big shoes to fill.

This is my chance to do something.

I have to seize the moment.

quote by Andrew Jackson

first days of school

it's always a momentous time, right?
the first day of school.
all idyllic and serene.
a special time of reflection from where you've come from...
and a time to ponder where you'll go.
happy and well behaved kids, eager to have a new beginning.
and standing over it all... a calm and patient mother.
ready to shepherd her children to their first morning of classes.

well, not in our house.
it's crazy town in our home.
clothes flying everywhere,
a frazzled mom (that'd be me) trying to scramble together some semblance of a lunch,
toothpaste smeared all over the bathroom,
half eaten breakfasts,
a baby with a bottom that needs changing (and yes, i'm still calling her a baby even though she's now 2!),
a 7 and a half year old crying because this particular morning she wasn't able to carpool.
i mean, what kind of a mother doesn't let her daughter have her way?
i can't believe she made her go along with her own little sister on her first day of kindergarten.
for shame!
(of course i'm being a bit sarcastic here)
ahem... it was one day.  she can go without her friends in carpool for one morning, right?
or am i a bad mom?
nope.
don't answer that.

anywaysola... back to the scene.
it was chaos.
every morning since school has started has been kinda psychotic.
but, it's what i've expected.
really, it's what i've been anticipating all summer long.
those lazy dazy days are now gone...
welcome to routine.
nothing like a rude awakening, am i right?
but once i'm in the swing of things, it'll all be good.
this much i know is true.

so... here's some 'set-up' pictures to make it look like i was that awesome, calm and attentive mother.
don't you love how you know what the background scene was now?!?!
hahahahahaha!

i now have a daughter in grade 2.
sigh... she looks so darn sweet in these pictures.

those are genuine smiles.
they are.

she really is a beauty.

and she does love school... so what's not to like about that, right?

don't be fooled into thinking she's working.
she's sitting beside one of her little buddies...
and when those two get together, trouble is a brewing!  ;)

first day of KINDERGARTEN!!!!

well, she could learn a lesson or two in the posing department from her big sister.

this one she nailed... with her infamous scrunchie smile.

proud momma and daddy!
sniff... sniff...

awww... sisters together at the same school.
(don't look too closely at big k's puffy and red eyes... remember, i do not say 'no' to my daughters)

my little love bug!
she is so affectionate... i LOVE it!

seeing some neighbor buddies in the school yard.
she was super pumped!!!
(D... do you like how little k's arm is around your daughter?!?!  look familiar?!)

she found her name on her cubbie!
hooray... she did learn something in preschool!

ok this was when mommy was lingering too long...
i wasn't ready to leave.
she was, however, SO ready for me to go.

"c'mon baby girl... just ONE more picture!!"

and just like that...

i have two girls officially in school.

oy... now i feel old (and not b/c it was my birthday yesterday)!

two!

it's hard to believe it's been two years ago that we welcomed this sweet baby girl into our family.

september 8, 2009 was the day our third daughter was born.

and our lives haven't been the same since.

she brings so much joy and happiness into our lives.

she's busy and stubborn ("self... SELF!!"), 

goofy and sweet, 

persistent and loveable, 

and very affectionate.

she is a blessing!

she is who she is... and i LOVE that about a two year old!

she teaches me each and every day of how it means to live life with fervour and vivaciousness. 

she is a precious gift from our Father in heaven!

happy second birthday to my sweet little bitty!

you've completed our family like only YOU can!!

we love you!!!

pictures from the week

can i blame it on the long weekend that i didn't get my instafriday up on time?

yes?

why, thank you!

our week in pictures... plus a few extra submitted!

two of my good friends hosted a 90's prom party last weekend.

you better believe we all had a good chuckle when girls would arrive in their prom attire.

D took the cake as a trashy pregnant prom queen!!  ;)

(yes, i made myself have bangs for the event!!)

took some family pictures, here's a candid i got with my camera before the session began.

ohh, i love these little girls!!

after we took pictures we indulged in some of the yummiest poutine EVER!
seriously... this place take their poutine to a whole new level.
i ordered the double pork... chipotle pulled pork and bacon.  plus a yummy mushroom gravy.  mmmm!
check 'em out -- smoke's poutinerie.

thunderstorms during the night?
this was the perfect spot for one of my daughter's to cuddle up on... and they did!

 apparently i need to put my youngest in gymnastics?!

ok, this is from a couple of weeks ago but i had to add.
our oldest two girls and the neighbor kids had an iced tea stand!
aren't they the cutest?!

my husband is a little obsessed with fantasy football.
the draft is like christmas to him.  HIS words... not mine.
this week was his 2nd draft... and it was at our house.
so... out the house we went.
over to a pal's place.
the kiddies had no problem watching a movie all together!

crafting with my big girl.
something about painting... it's very relaxing.
i spent over an hour working on my butterfly. ;)

i wore me some HEELS this week too!

it's funny... because i rarely wear them.

sometimes to church because i know i won't be walking lots.

we had a ladies night out and i knew i had to prettify my feet... on went the heels.

luckily, we sat and ate... and sat and enjoyed coffee.

not much walking for my tootsies!

here's som of the awesome tapas we ate.
mmmmmm.... spanish tapas!
it was so fun.
we just asked the waitress to bring what the house deemed best.
we ate and shared and passed plates.
it was delish!
my favorite?
the zucchini blossoms!

that was my week!