Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.  ~Catherine Douzel

We had the pleasure of spending time with our dear friends, Rayne and Sadie this morning.  Kasen and Sadie made it even more special by having a tea party together.  They were so cute, pouring tea for one another, clinking their cups together and saying "Cheers!" LOL, and pretending to eat deliciously looking tarts (not real of course).  All of this, while Rayne and I tried to snap pics left and right to get "the" perfect shot.  Well, Kasen and Sadie, the never-still-for-long-duo kept making a run for it and they would play in other rooms, only to return back to the tea party every time.  As soon as we saw them heading back to have another spot of tea, we grabbed our cameras and ran.  You have to keep up, or they'll just revel in the fact that you're eating their dust! LOL

Kasen had so much fun that she kept saying that she didn't want them to go, hanging on to Sadie, then hanging on to Mrs. Rayne and repeating emphatically, "I will miss you!"

Here are just some of the pics I took today.  I added a vintage touch to some of them and I really like how they turned out.

Sadie pouring tea for Kasen ~

What's tea-time without a little bit of gossip?! Kasen is shocked at what she just heard! LOL ~

Tea-time giggles - aren't they just precious?! ~

Here's the same picture as above without the vintage effect added. ~

See ya' later!!

My how they've grown!!

My nephew and three nieces - this was taken in April of 2000.

And this was taken in June of 2008.

They're all such great people, each and every one of them!!

See ya' later!!

Kasen LOVES to help cook, and it's sad really, since she doesn't get the chance to help all that often.  To say that I don't cook much is an understatement. LOL  Brad actually does most of the cooking.  Yay Brad!!  Or should I say "Yay ME!!" LOL  It's funny how we just melded into these rolls (oops, I think that was a Freudian slip LOL-, I meant "roles"), without really making a verbal plan.  I hate going to the grocery store, even though I will go occasionally.  However; Brad doesn't mind grocery shopping at.all.  On the other hand, he really doesn't like putting the groceries away, while I love putting everything in it's place!  It brings out the hidden organizer in me.  You know, cans must all face out and their labels must line up perfectly. ;)  Doesn't everybody do that?

Brad likes to cook while throwing in something here and there, while I have to follow a recipe to the T.  I.will.not.waiver. LOL And it's only fair since he cooks, that I do the clean up.  And I like that as well.  I love to see the kitchen sparkle when all is said and done.  Turning out the light on a clean kitchen makes my heart happy!  It may seem backwards to some, but it's definitely working for us.  Don't fix what isn't broken right?! LOL  Well, I've decided to mix up the game a little bit.  I thought I would help out this year by cooking a *little* more often.  I mean, I CAN cook, and I think I can cook pretty darn well, I'm just not that into it! LOL

Since Brad and I are back on the Weight Watchers' band wagon, we found some recipes that look pretty yummy if I do say so myself.  I guess we'll have to wait and see if they'll go in our "Yes, delicious, cook again!" pile or the "Terrible, why on earth did I waste my time?" pile.  I sure hope tonight's recipe goes in the former pile.  Only time will tell.  Kasen and I are 3/4 of our way through a Weight Watcher Chicken and Dumplings recipe.  As we speak, or as I type, the chicken part is cooking in the crock pot, then we'll have to add the dumpling part right before Brad gets home.

Kasen could not have been more delighted to help out this morning, and really, that's what makes me want to cook again - just sharing those moments of happiness between a mother and daughter.  Even if it isn't a great dish, watching her enthusiasm was worth it - all of it. :)  Absolutely.

Isn't she the cutest?!  She kept yelling, "I need my baker hat and my baker gloves, and my apron!"  We finally agreed that the "baker hat" was all she needed today.

See ya' later!!

I took dance classes when I was three and honestly, was not a fan. LOL  My Mom said that I cried before every single class and begged her to let me quit.  She said that I must finish the class (you know, 'cuz it was paid for), and then, after that, if I *still* wanted to quit, she would let me.  Wellll . . . . . that was my last attempt to become the next Barishnikov. haha

Now I have my own daughter and she is entranced with all things dance. 
Reminder to self: must.get.Kasen.in.dance.classes.  Because I KNOW she
would love them.  She asks me almost daily if she can go to dance
class, and every.single.day, she asks to dress up like a ballerina. 
Yep, I think this girl needs to dance.

My Mom, the sentimentalist that she is, decided to save all my dance gear, and therefore, she lovingly passed them on to me.  Those outfits and ballet shoes have been moved from house to house, from closet to closet and after all that moving, I could not remember where they decided to finally take residence.  Well, it convincingly came to my tired, frazzled, brain where they might possibly be.  After a small exploration, I discovered them, and dug them out to see if they would fit Kasen.  And what do ya' know, they DID!! Perfectly.  Even though the elastic was totally stretched out and the feathers were rapidly losing their fluff, the sequins still sparkled and the colors were vibrant, and that was enough to make Kasen's eyes light up like no tomorrow.  She was elated to wear "Mommy's dance clothes."  I even had her pose the same way I did for my dance portrait those mannnnyyyyy years ago.  Now, if I can just find that old, fading, dance portrait of mine, I can compare them side by side.  And I gotta' tell ya', I think Kasen rocked that costume more than I ever did.

See ya' later!!

Cinnamon buns!!  These were taken a while back, but I totally forgot about them, until now!  This was an extra special treat on Thanksgiving morning while we were watching the Macy's Christmas Day Parade.  See, I told you they were taken a while back!! LOL

Our funny girl, she would eat something sweet every single morning, IF we would let her.  This is the child, when asked what she wants to eat for breakfast, invariably says, "CANDY!"  Ummmm, not happening.  She really is a fantastic eater, loves her vegetables, but boy does she have a sweet tooth . . . ahem, not unlike her Mommy! LOL

Here's Kasen, and after much persistence on our part, decided to take a BITE of the bun, instead of just eating the frosting. LOL

Have a Happy Friday and a Fantastic Weekend!!!!!!!!

See ya' later!!

We received a phone call from Costco today telling us that there was a CLIF bar recall.  We try to buy organic for Kasen as much as we can, and these CLIF Bars are some of her favorites.  Soooo, I just thought I would help out in case you buy these for your children, or any of the other CLIF bars/other products that have been recalled.  Here's the link to the other recalled items -

See ya' later!!

Need I say more?!

See ya' later!!

If you have no idea what that title means, then you are obviously NOT a Battlestar Galactica fan! LOL  I have to admit, I'm normally not the Sci-Fi type, even though I do like to watch Star Wars occasionally.  However; this is the last season of Battlestar and I'm really bummed.  Brad and I got a chance to watch a new episode last night (thank goodness for DVRs), and I just keep wondering how they're going to wrap all this up by the end of the season.  I know one thing for sure, I'll really miss watching all the great characters and seeing how the cool storyline was continuing to unfold.  Guess I'll be on the watchout for a new Sci-Fi show that will catch my interest.  Hey, I even liked Firefly. LOL

See ya' later!!

from Sadie's party, well  . . . . luau.  Rayne outdid herself once again, and had her whole home decorated like a Hawaiian beach.  It provided much brightness and warmth in the middle of a pretty cold January (for us Texans anyway).  The kids had fun playing together, eating cake, making cool sunglasses, and dressing up (okay, that last one was definitely for Kasen! LOL).  Kasen was REALLY excited to eat cake, even though she ate mostly frosting. *rolling eyes here*  And she reallllyyy wanted to open Sadie's present as well. LOL  She still has a hard time understanding that the party isn't always in her honor.

Oh yeah, Sadie's uncle was there and he was on crutches.  He just had knee surgery and I had no idea how intrigued Kasen was with this until we got home.  I turned around and saw her, using two golf clubs upside down, with one under each arm.  I asked her what she was doing and she said she wanted to be like the guy with "the sticks." LOL  Funny thing is, well not so funny to him, was that she was using golf clubs as crutches, especially since his injury was golf related.  W, we hope you're feeling better soon!!

Thanks again Ron, Rayne, and Sadie.  We had a great time celebrating Sadie's third birthday!!  My how time flies, before you know it, our sweeties will be four!!  Can we make time stand still for a while???!!!

Here are a few more pics from Sadie's 3rd Birthday Party.

Sweet Sadie once again.  I think this is her new "cheese" face. LOL

Sadie with hew new cool sunglasses ~

Sadie and her Daddy - I think Sadie got's him right where she wants him. LOL ~

Sadie's cousin - Brayden ~

And one of Sadie's dear friends - Alyssa ~

I really don't have many more pics than this.  The children really were having a great time and it was hard to capture such fast moving objects. LOL

Thanks again for the wonderful time.

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I hope you're all having a great start to the week!!  Happy Monday!!

See ya' later!!

We helped celebrate sweet Sadie's third birthday this morning.  I'll just share a couple of photos for now and I'll come back later to share more pics, and tell more about the whole shindig.  I don't really have a ton of pics.  For some reason, the children weren't too willing to have their pics taken, they really wanted to play and eat cake instead.  Imagine that! LOL

For now, here's Sweet Sadie.  Happy Third Birthday!!

Blowing out the candles ~

See ya' later!!