i actually got it up in time!

i know, hard to believe for those that know me, because i procrastinate so much. but yes, the tree was up in time for christmas. i actually got it up with 2 days to spare lol. i have to admit that putting up the tree is one of my least favorite things to do (ranks right up there with taking it down)..but once we do get it up and decorated, its just beautiful. and i could sit there for hours and just look at it. which i usually do, becauase i'm a dork like that. :P

christmas was a blur, as always it came too fast, spent too much, ate too much and didnt sleep nearly enough. i swear, i went to work this morning as a zombie! and i even had the luxury (not!) of taking the girls with me, who were surprisingly well behaved. i am really blessed to have an employer that understands the life of a working mom! every friday maya gets to go with me into the office for a few hours while i get stuff done. but since both girls are out of school for xmas break they had to come in with me today, which is fine as long as they stay quiet or i can't concentrate. plus i dont like them to bother other people, otherwise they may not be as welcome next time, kwim?

so now i'm home for the afternoon and i can't decide if i should nap or eat some of the goodies leftover from xmas. i'm thinking nap..but the girls keep asking me to open up more of their presents so they can play with them. i have boxes everywhere..and those damn little grey twisty things. you know the dumb things they put on the EVERY toy ever made to keep it from shifting in the box. i hate those. they suck. but today i was feeling generous (ha!), so i opened 2 toys for the girls. here are some pics of the girls opening some gifts xmas morning::


maya got a new gameboy for xmas as they had been
sharing my old one...so they both also got gameboy games

the 'big' gift was this little 'city' for their LPS toys

olivia writing in her new journal that grammy lisa
sent. the girls and i cried as i read the letters that
she wrote to each of them. we missed her a lot this year.

and here is art with his new electric razor thingy.
gotta love that million dollar smile!



and i guess that about sums up the last couple of days! now i'm hoping for some relaxing time..and then maybe i'll feel like cleaning up my desk and getting to work on some projects
for crop addict!

hello december..

seriously, can we just rewind back to october? this year has just gone by terribly fast. especially the last 13 days. today i'm no longer the mama to a little girl and young lady. today, i'm the mama to 2 young ladies. yes. maya is 5 today! i can't believe it. something about her just always made me think that she would always be my baby. and i know she will be..but i dont know if i'm ready for her to grow up just yet. i could definitely settle for a slow down. so today she is having a cupcake party in her her pre-k class, while i tend to olivia having head lice. grr. but now thats all taken care of :)

after i pickup maya, we are coming home so that olivia can make her a special birthday card, then its off to toys R us. maya has been anxiously awaiting this day so that she can pick out a toy. then i think we might have a fun birthday lunch. we dont typically celebrate big on the actual birthday, since it usually lands during the week. so sunday will be the party day. lots of stuff to do today, fun stuff thankfully.

last night i made a few christmas cards..and i might actually get them sent out before xmas! here are a few::

7 years ago, yesterday

i said i do. and i meant it.

my boyfriend became my husband, my lover, my confidant, my best friend, the man i would have children with.

i wont say we havent had ups and downs. lots of downs actually. but i hope that most of the turbulent times are behind us. we deserve some good happy times. 7 years is a long time...and i hope we have 5x more ahead of us. he is a great daddy. and a fantastic husband (most of the time lol).

i have been blessed.

holiday trees

can you believe the boutique is here?! geez, this week just flew by!

here are two of the four 'holiday trees' i have made for the boutique..the blue one measures about 12inches high and the red one measures about 18inches. the other two that i have are also of the red/green color combo..and they are also 12inches. they were super fun to make, but seriously time consuming at first! but now i think i've got the hang of it! whats funny is i've been calling them topiaries, and no one knows what i'm talking about, and appearantly these arent really topiaries anyways :P so i have christened them 'holiday trees'. to get the supplies for the trees you can just head on over to out on a limb :D

anyways, there will also be lots of cards and picture frames as well, but i havent had time to take any pictures, so you definitely need to come check them out tonight!!

xoxo

been gettin crafty..

for this! its been in the planning stages with some other local moms for the last month or so..and me, being the procrastinator i am, just barely got most of my stuff done today :D but so far so good. even had carolyn come over to help with a few things. so, if you're local, i'm hoping you'll be there!! there will be tons of stuff, plus you can grab a burger at hires! whats better than that? i will have almost all the cards that are on my etsy, plus quite a few christmas cards, and home decor items like picture frames, a mirror or two, and some topiaries.



in other news, we are in the process of buying a house, so thats super fun. NOT! it is super stressful though. but i'm really excited to have our own home again. and we just got a new car last month, and i love it. its so nice to not have to rely on carolyn to drag my butt everywhere lol. plus i think the last time i enjoyed this much was when i first got my license lol. the girls love the new car too..they are constantly asking if we can go somewhere fun..so last weekend we took a trip up Big Cottonwood. Too bad we missed the fall colors :( but it was fun to just spend an afternoon outdoors. the girls even got to play in some snow. i havent had a chance to edit them yet..but here are a few pics::

so hope eveyone is having a wonderful veterans day weekend..and i'm hoping to post some pics of the projects i've been working on for the boutique in the next couple of days :)
ciao!

i'm a cherry girl!!!

i met kate and lindsay about a month or so ago at the local scrapbook expo. i can't even explain how excited i was to find a lss that actually carried hambly, bam pop and love elsie. seriously. and then to see that they actually had *new* product at the expo was just icing on the cake. for reals. i so can't wait to get started!!

come check them out!

out on a limb scrapbooking

today

the girls got to dress up in their costumes for school. :) olivia is a witch, and maya is a bride. then after maya was done with school she came with me to work for a halloween potluck..and can i just say..sometimes other people's food just doesnt live up to your own expectations. :P

but the desserts were good :)

after olivia finished school we headed to the park and looked at ginormous leaves..climbed the monkey bars and rode a horse. not a real horse though..just a little bouncy one. it was nice. and cool. and just..nice.

mama said..

okay..so that would've totally been a cool photo..if the mirror was clean :P
been missing her alot lately..maybe its the hormones..maybe its just the time of year (being that its close to the holidays). or maybe its just that i'm so freakin busy lately that my emotions are finally catching up with me. anyways.. when we were talking the other day on the phone, my mom said she'd noticed the last few times we'd talked, that i sounded happy. and i said 'me?, happy?, really?' lol. made me feel a little....well, happy, to hear that. i felt happy. and it felt good.

once upon a time

it was licky's birthday

so we decided a surprise party was in order...

complete with cake and presents...

yes..i actually bought a cake and presents for the stuffed cat. and might i add, that it wasnt just maya's licky but also olivia's licky. isnt that kind of a strange name for a stuffed cat? and its weird that both the girls named their kittens that. but i'm a sucker. and it was so fun to have a little party for really no reason at all. the girls were so stinkin surprised and so happy..and it cost me less than 10 bucks!

i've been sick the last week or so..i have this cold that just won't let go. blah. so i've just been working and laying low, not really doing much of anything else. i do have a few lo's to share from LSS2 and top designer but i think i'll upload them in a day or so.

happy thursday!

need a laugh?

ok so i totally stole this from gigi's blog bc it made me giggle. it was way funny with her answers, and not so much with mine. hmm....

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
bubba lexus

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
new york superfudge chunk chips ahoy (hee hee)

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
m gon

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
black cat

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
suzanne orange (thats SO not soap opera-ish)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
gon mo

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put "The")
green the dr pepper

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
gordon martin

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy)
pink sugar snickers (thats actually a good one! ha!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names )
gail lopez

sometimes i cry for no reason

and if i were alone right now, thats what i'd be doing. i just got off the phone with my mom--and thats not the reason i want to cry, which is a good thing :) (and more on that later) but sometimes i just get this overwhelmingly sad feeling, and its hard to shake. i can never quite put my finger on what it is that can make me go from 'normal' to bawl baby. well, besides the BPD. :P

anyways.. maybe its just stress. lots of grown up crap going on and maybe its just my way of dealing. anyways it does seem to help a bit to write about it. i used to keep a journal..and when i say that i used to, i mean that i still do, just havent written in it since like june. for as long as i can remember i've always had something to write in--a spare notebook, a blank piece of paper. it really didnt matter as long as there was space to write. most of them i've kept, but last summer i threw one of them away. it held too many bad memories, so much sadness. i dont regret throwing it away at all..bc it was a bit of a release, just letting go of the past you know? but the thing i do regret, are the memories that were good that went along with the bad. but i guess if i still remember them, thats all that matters.

so anyways..speaking of the past, i've had a couple of my friends pop back into my life lately. its kinda weird, but in a good way i think. the one friend i've known since high school and she is exactly the same--a total blast, and always happy. i need more happy in my life, and she is perfect for that. its also fun remembering HS with someone..shes like a living breathing yearbook lol.

and for news about my mom..she is doing GREAT! she just had a scan of her brain the day before yesterday and its perfectly clear and looking good! i'm so proud of her..she has been having non stop chemo treatments, nupajin (i know spelled that wrong!) shots and countless poking by needles. but she has stayed strong and positive..and has hardly had any bad days at all--she is amazing and so strong. i know that if it were me in her shoes, i would be crumbling by now. but she is just taking it one day at a time and just plain being so damn happy about life. i admire that in her--i wonder if its heriditary bc i dont think i got that trait ;)

i think thats it for today.

ciao!

phew!

i was on a scrapping frenzy the other day. i think i did like 5 lo's in one day! which, for me is a lot, but then i add in the fact that i havent really been scrapping that much to begin with, and then add in that i was doing them all the day before they were due. craziness i tell ya. but i did get all my darejacks done, so i was happy :) that one up there is the amberjack and i really love it. i've never scrapped about that before and it felt pretty good--plus i put those pics to good use i think!

so yesterday we took the girls to the fair, it was opening day so it was only 2 bucks a person, and kids under 5 are free ::yay::
but i have to admit that i was feeling kinda bummed bc art couldnt get off work early and we didnt get there until like 7:30; so i figured we wouldnt be able to look at much stuff or have the kids go on many rides. turns out, we were able to do all that we wanted and we were home before 10! lol. i think thats a record, and i even got a carmel apple and some cotton candy, 2 must haves from the fair. the only bad thing that happened, is that, in typical monica fasion, i forgot my freakin camera. yeah. not so cool. but whatev. i took some pics on my cell, and they sucked lol.

today its lookin pretty nice outside--its been crazy windy, rainy the last few days, totally bringing on the fall weather, which i love. feels like heaven outside. and lucky for me, its arts 5 days off this weekend, so maybe we'll even head out to the greek festival..cross your fingers i can convince him ;)

so happy friday and weekend...and dont forget to check out the dares, (no link for them bc their site is down.) bc LSS starts today! and check out bad girls kits bc they have the top designer competition going too! busy weekend!

xoxo

yeah..we game.

this is how maya spends her morning while i work. she looks quite comfy, doesnt she? sometimes i feel guilty that she spends part of the morning playing with the gameboy so that i can work..but i figure an hour of games wont do her much harm. besides, we all game, right? i know my family does. art has his ps2--which i know he'd love a ps3--but at 599, that aint gonna happen for a while! and for my birthday last month, art bought me a pink DS. i love it. its fun to cozy up in bed, him playing god of war, and me playing cake mania lol.

today is orientation for maya's preschool..and then scenes like the one above won't be happening. she'll be spending 2.5 hours learning, singing and playing! she can't wait...and neither can i :)

the day drags..

i'm not sure yet if its bc olivia is in school until 2..or if its my lack of really doing anything. i mean, i get up. feed maya. talk with maya. work a little. then i surf the web. and then the day is gone. just.like.that. but whats weird about that, is that come 4pm..i'm like man, this day is going by slow. i dont know how it can be both, but in my world, appearantly its possible.

so yesterday i scrapped. it wasnt painful or anything either! and i actually like how it turned out. bonus :)
today i dont know if that is going to happen again..bc well, i'll just be totally honest. art is off today, so i slept in. let him take olivia to school and tend to maya. so yeah. here i am with a sleep hangover, and i dont want to work, i just want to bang on my keyboard all day :P
ok that was lame. but for reals, i just dont feel like working. i want to shower and just hang with maya. i can always work later, right?

and this time i didnt cry..

and neither did maya! olivia looked so cute on her first day of school--1st grade!! i can't believe how fast this summer went by, it sort of feels like it hadnt even really begun. ::sigh::
anyways, she had a great first day and made some new friends. i couldnt ask for more :)

maya will be starting next week and she can't wait. its been absolute torture just dropping off/picking up olivia. she just doesnt understand why she can't stay there too. but in time, i tell her..just a little while longer. i think its so great that both of them love school so much, and i really hope it stays that way for a long time!

not much else going on right now..planning a little vegas trip with carolyn for next month, so i seriously can't wait for that! been working lots and not doing too much scrapping. still trying to find that balance. again.
happy hump day =)

ever have one of those days?

so last night i had one of the most horrible dreams, i think i've ever had. i dreamt that maya died. i dont know how or why..but she did. soon afterward, in the dream, i had another baby girl. and she looked just like maya. but it wasnt her. i was devastated. i was crying so hard, i actually woke myself up. it was horrible. i kind of have a feeling i know why i dreamt this--last night, before bed, i punished maya for playing with their dvd's and losing one of the cases. and inside--i felt bad for it. i mean, it seemed so trivial--yet its important for her to know that dvd's are not toys. anyways, i must've felt much worse than i thought i did. so today, i feel outta whack...blah. but i'm so happy that my dream is over and i can kiss and hug maya and olivia today--doesnt that sound silly? anyways, thank goodness that children are naturally forgiving =)

yesterday was kind of a blah day too. i'm slowly trying to get myself back to normal, so i tried to scrap. can i just say ICK! i mean, i was enjoying myself, but i really hate what i created and that was not cool. i need to get out of this funk, i'm so tired of it! i've tried stepping away, i've tried looking at magazines..lots of magazines--domino, allure, in style, lucky, simple scrapbooks..you name it. and nothing. i mean, i see lots of pretty things..but nothing that makes me want to scrapbook. ::sigh:: i miss enjoying scrapbooking. anyways, enough of that--today i'm going to scrap and not putting any pressure on myself for it to be perfect. i think thats the problem. so today..its about fun :)

xoxo

missing her..

today she is doing the relay for life in paso robles..
i wish i was there with her, to laugh with her, encourage her, and see her finish it. she's been talking about this relay all summer..she was so happy to be apart of it, and to be able to join in the survivors breakfast. she said it was very emotional, and i can only imagine.
so mommy..here's to you, always being strong, always being happy..and SURVIVING.
i love you.

seriously??

wow. i almost totally disappeared there. totally sucked into real life for a bit. been working..working and did i mention working?? bc thats what i've been doing. here's a recap of the last month

• turned 29
• got a new tile floor in the kitchen
• olivia lost 2 new teeth
• both girls registered for school
• got a new fridge
• got new flat screen monitor

and not much else :P i guess we did lots of shopping..but nothing really fun besides the new monitor lol. i havent even really scrapped except for this lame ass crop me and a friend went to--can i just say that owners dropping the f-bomb just kills the mojo? yeah. not so fun. i did get some lo's done but i've been so damn lazy that i havent even scanned them. maybe that can be my goal this week hehehe.

i was tagged by my chica jocelynne so that is::

5 Things in my refrigerator:

1. milk

2. a-1

3. herdez green salsa

4. cream cheese

5.capri suns

5 Things in my car:

1. sunglasses

2.crucifix

3.napkins

4.denim jacket

5.empty cups

5 Things in my purse or backpack:

1.my wallet

2.my nano

3.2 mac lipglosses, 1 in pinkarat, 1 in viva glam

4.mac compact

5.pen

5 Things in my closet:

1.last years xmas presents

2.wrapping paper and gift bags

3.bedding

4.carseats

5.tablecloths

5 Things in the world I want to see before I die:

1.the met in nyc

2.nyc

3.new england in fall

4.my children grown and happy

5.me grown and happy =)

ok so i think thats about it for now..i'm so boring!

has it really only been a week?

i've been so super busy the last week, i can't believe its almost over! first let me start by saying that i've been absent due to me getting a new job! yay! and after one more week of training i'll be working from home--double YAY! training is going really well, and its been nice to get out of the house and spend some time around adults =) and the girls have gotten their very first taste of daycare, and they are doing good too. i think i had the hardest time on monday when i got back in my car after dropping them off--its like i suddenly realized that this was the first time that they'd be spending their day with someone that wasn't me, or even part of our family. so weird. but i pressed on =)

in scrappy news..i've been working on this ATC swap thing. at least i think thats what its called its over at SIStv , and well i've got about 10 of 30 done lol. i need to get to work on those this weekend..and maybe i'll even post a peek of what i've done with them so far. havent really had any time or energy to scrap much since last week, so maybe i can get some of that squeezed in too since there are so many challenges and online crops going on bc of CHA. can't wait for all the new goodies to come out.

so, i've been so busy with adjusting to me working again, and then our refridgerator broke :( so i've been out and about most evenings trying to find a new one. anyways, the good news is, my new fridge is being delivered tomorrow afternoon and then we can have ice cream again lol.

xoxo

its been a while since I updated! geesh. I don't think I even realized how long it'd been lol. I think I got thrown off with the mid-week holiday, and then Art had a 5 day holiday after that! Can you imagine having 5 days off in a row? I thought I was going to pull my hair out at one point. Anyways, he's back to work today, and so now I'm working on getting back on schedule =)

I posted some new work over at Crop Addict using the July mid-month kit. It was totally fun and I got lots of stuff done; definitely go check it out! Besides doing those little projects, I haven't really scrapped..I hate feeling like blah! I even went and picked up the new funky vintage line by Making Memories..and its cute and all, just not really inspiring me to bust anything out.

Anyways, I was tagged by Jocelynne like ages ago..so I'm gonna do that now =) My 7 randoms::

1. I usually count down my birthday..like starting in March. some ppl find that annoying, but whatev! its my birthday and it makes me happy. so 13 days and counting!
2. my girls usually take baths everyday..but not to get clean lol. they take baths to play. for hours. ahhh. i love my free time!
3. its pretty rare that i do a layout without my computer on. usually thats because i'm listening to itunes and chatting with kelly.
4. speaking of kelly..she and i talk almost everyday. we've never met in person, but we've been talking for over a year and half online =)
5. I never watch tv during the day. even tho its usually on for the girls. they like pbs kids. but when it comes to night time, i'm on it like blue bonnet.
6. we dont have cable, sad i know. so to get my reality tv fix, i usually watch mtv or vh1 online.
7. since we dont have cable, you can imagine the amount of infomercials i watch on the weekend. so last week i saw the one for the "Weight Loss Cure" by Kevin Trudeau. He had me sold. Seriously. And then, I went to Amazon to check it out, and read the reviews. yeah. I'm glad I read those. I dont like ppl who lie..but i know that a lot of ppl do to sell their product.

so anyways..those are my randoms. and if you're reading this...consider yourself tagged =)

xoxo