spring break 2011

i never posted our spring break pictures--so here we go...
we spent most of the week in waco visiting family.

we started off at mama dee's & pawpaw's. dee had gotten mckinlee a calligraphy set & that kept her busy for a long time. she got really good & is writing my name on the inside of all my books!!

we had yummy meals--here's just one of them.
grilled ribs, chicken & potatoes. mom & les made them and they were wonderful!

we also played on danielle's new computer--primarily photo booth.
this picture of me just made us hysterical!
this little program also kept mckinlee busy for a long time.

and of course sadie kept us busy too!

mom (and sadie) played the piano & we sang.
flipping through danielle's songbook we found eternal flame by the bangles & had to sing that one. brought back a lot of 1980's memories!

one afternoon danielle was busy inside so sadie & i went outside to play for a while.
she found this bowl of shells on the table and played with them forever.

e

oh my goodness. love that face.

and these chubby hands.

she just loved lining up those shells & putting them in the bowl

oh how i love this child!

then we took her to visit mama jeanne (my grandma)
where she had fun playing with balls...

watching mckinlee play the viola...

and moving these little chairs around!

she worked forever moving them from place to place.

then she'd turn around and do it all again--this went on forever!
(she wasn't mad in this picture...just very intent.)

then we took a few pictures with mama jeanne.
this one cracked us up of sadie patting down mj's hair!

here we are with mj & my sweet cousin, jolie

when we stayed with my mom we spent some time playing their wii.
here she & mck are having fun.

me trying to row a boat--harder than in sounds!

right before we left to come home, we went with danielle to get sadie's pictures taken.
mckinlee kept her occupied while we decided on pictures.
they turned out SO cute!

me on the drive home--first picture of me in the new car.
back to an suv and i love it!

just a few highlights from our spring break--as usual, i get too busy having fun and forget to take enough pictures!

a new phone, a few anniversary presents & a fun visit from nana

well, we finally caved & got mckinlee a phone.
(i personally think a phone for an 11 year is ludicrous--but i have to remind myself this is not 1984. i think she was probably one of the last of her friends to get one!)

here she is opening it on the day it arrived

the excitement builds

she chose a blue one that is really pretty and perfect for what she wants to do--text!
(i've asked her over & over why she needs a phone since she hates talking on the phone. the answer, of course, is to text.)

making one of her first calls

mck has been dying to give us what she got us as part of our anniversary gift.
she had already made us the cutest ceramic things from practically pikasso.
me--a ring holder and chris--a key, ring, change holder.

here are our pretty gifts and the card she made us--so cute!

she got me the little pandora bird charm that i love!

and chris got aftershave and lip balm--he loves burt's bees!

here's her gift before she opened it
(we give her gifts on our anniversary too!)

the vera bradley large hobo in watercolor--this is one of the new summer prints and she has been wanting this to carry all her books for the meeting.
she was excited to get it!

since my mom has been sick for months, she hasn't felt like traveling so she hasn't been able to visit us. she finally felt better, sort of--right, mom? and came to spend a few days with us.
she got to be here for mckinlee's orchestra concert.

these kids, who have only been playing since september, did fabulous!

family picture after the concert

mom & i had so much fun--but i hardly took any pictures at all :(
we shopped a lot & had some yummy meals. these were about the only pictures i took--of us eating lunch at cheesecake factory.
(just starting to love instagram on my iphone)

tomorrow will be a boatload of spring break pictures! stay tuned...

what i wore wednesday

just a few pictures of some outfits we actually took a picture of lately.
linking up with the pleated poppy & jewelscapes.

pants: target? (from my sister, i think)
tank & scarf: old navy
sweater: macy's
shoes: dillards
darling niece: my sister

jeans: lauren conrad for kohls
shirt: banana republic
necklace: old navy
flower: made by me
shoes: target

mckinlee
skirt: goodwill
tank: justice
sweater: from clothes swap
shoes: dillards (thanks nana!)

skirt: target
tank: banana republic from thrift store
sweater & necklace: old navy
shoes: target-online

thanks for stopping by!

before & after

it was such a beautiful day yesterday--so warm & sunny that i decided i just had to be outside for a while.
so i went to our local nursery and loaded up on flowers to fill some of my sad, empty pots.
here are a few pictures...

i love this bicycle planter but it was looking pretty pitiful...

now, it's so pretty!
(pink ones are supertunias, yellow are gerbera daisies, purple are artist blue)

here's my big pot on the back porch looking sad and lonely...

now, doesn't it look like it's smiling?

(dracaenas in the back, orange hibiscus, blue daze on the left, scarlet verbenas in the middle, yellow melampodiums on the right, and lavender alyssum in the front)

i have the same pot on the front porch so i did the same thing to it.

this hibiscus was even bigger--i can't wait to see all those gorgeous orange blooms!

i also got a pretty yellow wreath for the front door.
doesn't that look springy?

after mckinlee & planted yesterday, we went for our first bike ride of the year and to play on the tire swing not far from our house.
i guess all the pollen in the air and the weather change that came through did something to her, because she is all congested and coughing this morning :(

now that i'm all ready for spring, it feels winter-y again.
(as my darling niece would say "yuckity!")

i will be posting more pictures soon of our flower beds that are getting a spring re-do
(and mckinlee just said to say that i will also be posting pictures of her & her new phone--when it comes in!)