grrrrrr....

For those of you who may have been wondering if I fell off a bridge {or jumped}...I have not! Sadly, my computer has. It has been insane torture. Torture.
Back in the end of April, my computer picked up a really cool virus {thanks for the protection antivirus software!} so my girl was completely wiped out. Which meant I went without the ol' laptop for two weeks while she was hospitalized and brought back to life. Then I was allowed to see her again...it was like bringing your newborn home from hospital! So exciting- I held her in my lap in the passenger seat of the car {okay-not quite like when I brought my kids home from the hospital- but you get it!}
Now you think everything is back to the way it was- surfing the net, buying from my preferred sites, checking in on my daily favs....wrong! Ever since I got my girl back she has been acting strange- kicking me off the internet, freezing up, not allowing accessing to certain sites. I am sure you feel my frustration.
I am hoping to clear this matter up this week.

Keep your fingers crossed!

it's raining, it's pouring

...wish I was snoring! Yes, it was my first day back to work after my lovely- well deserved break. It was a rough one too- it was rainy and gloomy- making it that much harder to start the day. Better believe I got my double shot of espresso today! And to top the day off I accumulated a killer headache...
wishing for a brighter tomorrow!

{image/pocket memories}

weekend wishes

Here's to a fabulous weekend! It is gorgeous out- so if you must partake in some serious shopping- I suggest doing it outside...you never know, it may snow next week!

{thanks/sarah kaye}

chicken + chips = yummm

{White Chicken Tortilla Soup}

I made this super easy- even more delicious than it looks number tonight- courtesy of Miss Erica. She posted this recipe a few days ago and I have been salivating ever since. It was seriously so good- there are no leftovers {I recommend doubling the recipe now that I know!} The best thing about this soup besides the fact that it is scrumptious...you can find most ingredients right in your kitchen.

sole searching...

Yes...I am on a mission to place some of my most prized possessions on display in a neatly, organized matter. My shoes are in desperate need of a new home. I am afraid to even show {or tell} you their current living quarters. Someone should take my shoes away from me.

How do you store and organize your pretties? How many shoes do you have to work with?

Help a girl out...
Here are my guidelines for organizing:
1. needs to be in my closet
2. would like easily accessible {open} storage...so I can see all of them!
3. needs to be on the floor

{eye candy/vogue}

happy easter

to all you chicks...

easter wishes for peeps, reese's eggs, and chocolate bunnies

oh happy day

What could possibly make the day before the beloved giant bunny brings baskets full of sugar to your house that much better????
drum roll please...

That is right. I am certain I am the last person on earth to do it- but it happened today...I caved and got Directv-DVR- the whole package. I have never in my life seen my children so happy. You would have thought we won the lottery. Or bought a whole pet store. Hannah actually hugged me and told me she loved me! For the first time in our lives- we have cable. Pathetic {I am aware of this}.
We finished this joyous day {or holiday to my children} with some egg dying fun.

Lil Jackson was so impressed with this concept {he must not have remembered from last year!} He had to dunk his egg in every color- by himself of course!

{Hannah and Jackson were so proud of their eggs!}

And speaking of that cute giant bunny...

I hope yours does not look like this!

breakin into spring

Yesterday was my offical last day of students...yippee! Which can only mean one thing- it is time for spring break! That is right- it is time for me to relax, sleep past 6 a.m., and not do anything work related. Ahhhhh.

I will be engaging in some-
: much needed spring cleaning
: pampering myself {hair, mani, pedi}
: crafting
: visiting some of my favorite people

I wish you all could see me smiling....

{image/paul costello}

egg-stra sweet

It is always a treat to pull out my decorations for the holidays...I can never remember exactly what I have from year to year- so it feels a bit like my birthday when I pull them out from storage! I love that feeling! I also love adding to my holiday decor each year...making the old new, embelishing those "could-be-cuter" items with my touch, or finding those perfect ideas from martha.

This year...the newest addition to my easter decor are these super sweet eggs that I made awhile back with my favorite friend.

Not only are these eggs dressed to impress- you never have to worry about them spoiling or fret that the dye is going to rub off.

{Each egg is wrapped up in yummy layers of yarn & ribbon}

{Then adorned with some of my favorite baubles}

Hope the Easter Bunny approves.

note: these darling eggs were not inspired by martha...but someone similiar- ashley's momma! she's pretty clever like that too.

speaking of pranks....

Have you seen this??

Hilarious!

{I looove Ellen}

searching for spring

With a dusting of snow covering my car this morning- I was hoping spring would try just a tad harder to make my life a bit more brighter. Pretty, pretty please!

{image/irene suchocki}

be aware...

World Autism Awareness Day is officially April 2. This is a day to raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for those affected by autism...something very near and dear to my heart. For those of you that do not know- I see the impact autism has on a daily basis because I have the privilege of being a teacher at a private school for children with autism.

So, I am encouraging you to mark your calendars and check out World Autism Awareness Day for more information on how you can get involved, increase awareness, and even see a list of events in your area.
Chances are, someone you love {or know} is affected by autism.
Another fantastic resource to check out is Autism Speaks.

thanks, martha

I look forward to decorating...especially for holidays! So, now that St. Patty's Day is behind us, I can officially begin filling my house with the next holiday decor. Hey, if Martha puts the ideas up on the main page of her site, it must be time. I mean, I am not going to argue.

Check out all the motivation...

{eggcups make the perfect budvase}

{glitter makes everything lovely- as you can see}

{crepe paper adds a delicate touch to these sweet eggs}

{this bunny looks good enough to eat...yum!}

{dishes for sweets all dressed up as fuzzy nests}

When do YOU put up your Spring/Easter Decor?

{inspiration/martha}

charmed

In. Love. Yup, I am loving these charms. These my pretties are custom silhouette pendants. The fact alone that they are silhouettes makes them good enough to eat- but imagine the silhouette of your lil one around your neck. Just lovely. They have a vintage flair to them that makes me drool a bit but yet seem so stylish.

These scrumptious delights can even be double sided- all you do is send them your profile pictures, pick the ring style and sizes- and the talentedd people over at lucky me beads will make your heart stop and melt. I mean, what's not to love here?

{eye candy/ lucky me beads}

playing catch up

At work, at home {le blog}- life in general- I am playing catch up. This week just seems like a complete blur to me. Here are some highlights from my week that my brain could conjure up at the moment...

{been helping this friend out who is immobile and wheel chair bound now for quite some time}

{got these little lovelies from the super cool Erica- loooove them}

AND this is what happened to several of the cars in the parking lot where I park earlier this week. Lovely, right? Fortunately, this is not my car, but about 15 of my co-workers cars looked like this or much worse with all of their belongings inside stolen. Just horrible.

thank goodness for Miss Erica...you made my week!

{eye candy/little lovelies}

sad eyes

You may remember when I was in desperate need of some eye tips...well I back again for more. I thought I had met my match- I followed the advice of my deary Miss B. And it proved deccent on the eyes but not love at first sight. So- I moved on and purchased this over the weekend and the lady at the counter swore by it {of course she did, right}. One of my friends also uses it. So, I was pumped. No more racoon eyes for me! WRONG. And it's supposed to be waterproof! Seriously, what is wrong with me?
Okay- the issue is at the end of the day I have black smudge on my eyelids {I'm assuming it is because my eyelashes are long and are rubbing against my eyelid}.

Some suggestions- pretty, pretty pleeeeease!

take me away

It is now March. But the weather here is still cold. I am done. The temps here are in the single digits...and if you ladies are enjoying sun and warm weather beaming down on you- do not tell me about it. I am jealous. I cannot stop dreaming of sunshine and double-digit temps. Someone please share!
I really need to move...

{image/flickr}

hold my gold

This is the conversation that took place between me and my eight-year-old today:

M{Me} /H {Hannah}

Lil Jackson told his sister that he did not want to wear a necklace. And the rest of the conversation is gold...
M: Well, that's okay Jackson, boys don't wear necklaces.
H: Umm, yeah they do Mommy. It's not called a necklace though. It's called bling bling.
M: Oh. Bling Bling? Okay. What's that?
H: Geez Mommy {Imagine lots of sighing and eye rolling with this} It's like real sparkly and shiny and big. And boys wear it.
M: Oh I see. Does Daddy wear bling bling?
H: No. He is too old. Only young boys wear bling bling. Your not understanding. You're too old.
M: Oh. Well how about my ring {holding up my wedding ring} is this bling bling?
H: Uh, no. It's too small.

{image/flickr}

on the menu

I am a bit under the weather today...so I stayed home to rest up and hopefully get my body back on track.

I was hoping that Miss Martha- my pseudo mother- would be over to whip up her famous garlic bread soup. I am certain that would cure all my ailments. Mmmmmmmm.

I will keep my fingers crossed, but in case she has other plans, I am all over this tempting recipe today!

{image/martha}

another one bites the dust

While out running some errands today, I discovered that one of my favorite home stores is going out of business!! That is right, you can now add Z Gallerie to the delete list.

How sad...however, this fabulous store may be leaving its current home here in Ohio {along with 25 other stores nationwide} but I am informed you can still shop for their luxe pillows, glittery sprays, and shiny frames online.
Unfortunately, by the time I heard of this {I guess this is what happens when you never watch the news!} all the good stuff was snatched up. Darn it. But I was able to buy a few of these clever books...

They are full of 36 rejection letters {postcard style}...quite perfect for my humor. Who doesn't love a little dis here and there? Plus it was a great on the spot pick-me-up!