Hale Household

1. My new tennis shoes... love them they are so wonderful!
2. Cinnamon Hazelnut creamer
3. My hubby who works his (already little) tail off this time of year.
4. The walking trail and the horse who peeks over the fence to greet me every time I visit!
5. The first irises of the season... saw five purple ones today. They are my favorite!
6. My supper that is already cooking in the crock pot.
7. IT IS FRIDAY!
8. Grammy who took Miss Em with her to DQ after school... I have had a day all to myself.
9. Seventy degree weather on this Leap Year Day!
10. My Lord who blesses me beyond measure each day... all I have to do is slow down and realize it...
Happy Weekend!!!

I am really not sure what has happened to me over the last week or so, but I once again spent the day CLEANING OUT! Today Abbey's room was the victim. I dont have any pictures to show from the fruits of my labor today because once I finished and finally sat down... I just CANT get up! I moved a dresser and a bookcase out of her room which helped a lot with the "feeling" in the room... less clutter. I cleaned out the movies and books, and some of her clothes. I also had a little surprise for the girls when they got home from school. For the last three years, I have been saving school work and cute crafts in a drawer for each girl. Today I bought some tubs to put the work in, but first I had each girl clean out their drawer. They did great! I was really surprised at the things they got rid of. Now each child has a tub full of keepsakes with room for more sitting nicely under my bed. I need to do more cleaning out of the closet, but for now, it is MUCH improved. I put the mirror on her dresser, redid her drawers, took down some of the cowgirl stuff, hung all the TINK stuff she loves so much, and changed her curtains. The above picture is of the curtain that my MIL helped me with. It covers the TV, DVD player, and VTech Thingy in L and E's room. I really like it...(Not really a good picture.) Oh yes, and I also cleaned off the front porch! No more Winter decor... I am ready for Spring... and I planted my tulips from Valentine's day...
I got a haircut yesterday after I did the biweekly grocery shopping. It is one of the best haircuts I have gotten in a long time!!! I have been needing a cut and couldnt get in touch with my "regular" girl so I just walked-in in G'ville! I am so glad I did... I really like it and it is so easy to fix... I got ready, shower and all in 20 minutes this morning.
Miss Em helped me with the pictures today. She did great at taking the first picture, and then I asked her to take a picture of the back... I MEANT THE BACK OF MY HAIR! Not my back... funny girl :)
We tried again... and SUCCESS! I am really liking the new me... new hair... and new motivation (from somewhere) to get some organizing done.

Yes, you can call me Martha again... or Paige... I have pulled out some more of the leftover curtains and finally fixed my lampshades.
When Lainey was about two year old (she is now six!) she drew these lovely green dots on my lampshades...
I finally got crafty and covered them up. I cut the leftover curtain into strips and hot glued them onto the lampshade. So Simple... it took me about thirty minutes to do both!
It looks so much better, was so cheap to do, and took no time at all! Maybe you can find some leftover material and make it work for you!!

(Self-portrait one day while Emiley was playing with my camera!)
Now that Lainey and Emiley have a "cute" bedside table, Lainey has been insistent about setting the alarm on HER clock...

Emiley this morning: "Lainey, if you dont turn that ALARM CLOCK OFF... I am going to melt it like an ice cream cone!!!"

(Sorry, no pictures because my camera desperately needed batteries... and we were just too busy to STOP and get some!!!)

7:42 p.m Friday night--
That is the time we drive into the driveway of our BFF's Jon and Amy (after we gave them about four hour notice that we would be there for the night!) ... Soon after our other BFF's Jason and Amy (Why didnt my momma name me Amy??) arrived at Jon and Amy's (I think they gave Jon and Amy 24 hours notice before they showed up! Jon and Amy are awesome to take us all in at last notice with our 8 kids)

We then headed to the local pizzaria with 10 kids, 6 adults five minutes before closing time... Sorry CiCi's workers... They served us with a smile though and all the remaining guests got a good laugh out of our 10 kids ages nine and under... and one on the way. I thought at one point a table of five men were going to take our picture with their camera phones... Wish they would have then I could have posted one here. We had a good meal, we didnt have to clean up... then headed back to Jon and Amy's.

We stayed up WAY to late... after midnight!!! We had to be downtown FW for the Cowtown at 6:30.

I woke up... looked at my watch (which had somehow been messed up) and it said 5:50. We were suppose to leave the house at 6. I panicked!!! Started to run down the hall and wake everyone up, but Will stopped me and said it was only 4:40... WHEW... good thing, but I couldnt go back to sleep so four hours and 40 minutes of sleep later we were in the shower getting ready to watch Jason run his first 10K.

We made it downtown, got awesome parking, checked out the expo, and saw Jason off! (Forgot to mention we only took two kids and left Jon and Amy with the other 8!... Did I mention they are AWESOME friends.) Will, Amy, and I and Abbey and Case stopped by Starbucks before heading to the finish line. Jason did great... ran a personal best. (This is were I should have a picture of him! Sorry!)

Then we headed back to Jon and Amy's, packed up, got the kids ready, and all (Yes, 10 kids and 6 adults) headed to Rosa's! We did try to choose restaurants that were kid friendly. Then a quick trip to Academy and we were off to S'ville for a teen youth gathering were Will was to speak.

I was doing pretty good with my four hours of sleep until the hour drive south to S'ville. I endured though, made it through the three hour youth rally, only because I had some caffeine! Will did a great job talking to the kids about our purpose in life... Living, breathing, and becoming like Christ!

We headed home... and arrived at 7:42 p.m., exactly 24 hours after we had arrived at Jon and Amy's. It was a great 24 hours!!!

OK... to get you through the weekend... here are a few funnies from the girls.
Emiely: "Momma, Can I have a Baby Booth?"... She meant, "Can I have a Baby Ruth?"

Lainey: "They should call Simon (from American Idol of course)-- Si MEAN!"

Abbey: (with small tears in her eyes) "Momma, did you have a crush on someone when you were in the second grade?"
Me: "Yes, Baby I think I did."
Abbey: "Well, I think the crush bug has hit me... "
This isnt really a funny... it makes me tear up to think of my baby growing up and having her first real crush... you know the "real" kind where they dont really speak to each other, but she definitely has noticed his existence.

Happy Weekend!!

What do you do when you get a cute table (pictures above) and shelf and bookends (pictured below) from your super sister-in-law?
You pull out the old comforters (because I literally have three sets in storage), rearrange the furniture, clean out the toys, hange new curtains, and redo your girls' room! This is Lainey's bed...
And Miss Em's... I think it is a good change. I still need to make a curtain to go with a bookcase... but I have already bought the fabric, just need to get it done so I can post some pics... I am feeling SUCCESS this week... One room is really clean and organized... I hope to tackle the mix of cowgirls and Tinkerbell in Abbey's room next week :)

Happy Birthday, Chad-o! You are quickly approaching the BIG 30!
We were pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself!! Have a wonderful day...

Yes, I am here and we are all well. I have finally have some energy back since the week long illness and have been redoing Lainey and Emiley's room. Pictures to come I promise...

Until then, I would like to share with you some of my children's public potty phobias. Ok... I am not a huge fan of public restrooms either because of the smell and the lack of cleanliness in most cases. Lainey and Emiley have other reasons for not enjoying public potties so much. First their is Lainey, her problem with public potties came super early. I think she was barely walking when she began screaming at the top of her lungs in the public restroom because she was scared to death of the "loud" potties. We would walk in the door and she would start the breakdown... which was not a good thing for a mommy with a potty-trained three year old, a frantic 14 month old, and a new born in a carseat who has to use the facilities herself. Somehow I managed to survive and Lainey still hates going to public restrooms... it doesnt make it any better that the automatic flusher goes off before she gets her little bottom off of the seat... scary... and loud!
Then there is Emiley. She is learning to read and knows that every sign with letters on it is trying to say something. Emiley has a phobia to SIGNS in public restrooms. The other day I sent her into the DQ potty by herself (I was standing outside the door with the other two.) She came back out crying that she could not go potty in there. I asked her why and she said because she did not know what the sign said. I went in with her and the sign said "Employees must wash hands before returning to work." Emiley is scared that the signs are giving rules about the bathroom like "Do not flush the paper" or something to that manner. So... until she knows what EVERYTHING says, she will not go! I have even started to have to read the words "Kohler" and "Automatic" or "Mayfield" off of the sink, toilet, and paper dispensor. Oh well...
So between the three girls and me, we are often a sight in the restrooms. Just dont ask when you see us coming out the handicap stalls... just know that mommas FEEL handicapped a lot of times when one is screaming and one is questioning everything...
Happy Wednesday...
(Since I missed out of WFMW today... maybe I should have asked for Public Potty Therapy Suggestions instead!)

Will did it again... ran his fourth marathon! He beat his time, yet again running it in three hours and thirty-six minutes. Amazing! I am so proud of him, but agree that he needs to give his body a rest :)
We had a great weekend with six other friends. These are the weekend runners... Kim, Gina, Will, Dena, and Miles... I didnt get a picture of Lee Ann, Gina S., and I... the ever so important spectators! We spent Saturday hanging out at the Expo and the bike shops. I was ready to get home, get well, get to running, and get on my bike!
Here are Dena and Gina after the race. They did great!
While we were in Austin, Poppy and Dee were busy with the girls. The girls had a great time doing sticker books, crafts, and even a bowling party and pizza! I know the girls had lots of fun because they havent stopped talking about it yet!
Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

I know ... this is probably the 100th post you have read that has the title "Happy Valentine's Day"... but I guarantee you that all the other blogs did not include 70 Kindergarteners, China tea sets, a beautiful steak house, and dancing. Today was the first annual Kindergarten Tea Party!
The kids all arrived to school in the their Texas Best. Lainey and Abby were so excited that Betsy and I had bought them matching outfits!
Each of the K students made their own placemats and we decorated with all the Valentine Topiaries (see below post), tea cups, pitchers, and lots of food!
Dad even took a break from taxes to be Lainey's date.
The kids had been learning "manners" and DANCING. That is right... they did the 2 step and the waltz to George Strait of course. The boys even pulled out the chairs for the girls as they dipped their tea bags and added sugar cubes.

Check out these super cute Valentine Topiaries... Lainey has a Kindergarten tea party tomorrow for Valentine's Day and these are the center pieces for each of the fifteen tables. Betsy is the GENIOUS behind these I am just her "sidekick!" I am the "sidekick" who was sick all last week and couldnt help and now has a sick first born which has limited my freedom this week... (Notice the thermometer by the topiaries... that is so my week!) Anyway, these topiaries are a great idea for any special occasion...This one is a large stryofoam heart with a small one hot glued to it with lots of glitter and a big bow.
One of my favorites... a styrofoam heart with lots of wired ribbon. All the topiaries were just put into clay pots and topped with spanish moss!
A cone piece of styrofoam stuff with fake flowers!
A round styrofoam ball with tissue paper squares fluffed all around it!
These are super cute for any occasion. Cant wait to post about the actual party tomorrow. Hint: To make the topiaries find a SUPER DUPER FRIEND... Betsy... and get going!

Abbey Grace is still home with the fever. Not much has gone on around here, so with lack of "material" her is some great "food" for thought...

Following in David Letterman's footsteps... I will update you on the good, bad, and maybe some ugly of the weekend. Here are the Top Ten...
1. Beautiful weather in Texas this February was a great host for lots of outside time for the girls. They played with the animals, in the hammocks, in the mud, in the water, with the basketball and goal, on their bikes... you name, they did it.
2. Will and I were able to get away on Saturday and enjoy the weather while riding our bikes on a 10 mile loop.
3. A great nap on Sunday
4. More cleaning on the sunroom. I didnt get as much done on the clean out as I had hoped... the weather was too beautiful and we just wanted to sit in the sunshine, so I dont have more HGTV to share with you!
5. Dinner with some of my girlfriends on Saturday evening.
6. Eating out after church on Sunday... Love not having to cook Sunday lunch :)
7. Watching the girls play baseball together in the yard. They even came up with a great "High School Musical" type song to sing as they played. Super Cute!
8. Abbey got the fever (102.8) late last night so her perfect attendance streak is over. She was really upset about it.
9. Emiley got into something while playing outside... she now has a little rash on her face.
10. The windows were opened and the house has been "aired" out! Hopefully the virus is on its way OUT!
Hope you all had a great, relaxing weekend as well!

You know, Paige Davis, from Trading Spaces... by the way, I am really glad she is returning... maybe I will start watching the show again. Anyway, I got a REALLY WILD HAIR to do some quick home make-over. My antique wicker furniture was the victim today. It is hard to tell in the pictures, but the fabric on the furniture had holes and the stuffing was showing.
The large black floral pattern didnt really go with my green walls... so...
The girls and I got BUSY... We used some curtains that I had bought for $.99 from the JC Penney outlet last summer and recovered the couch and rocker. I am quite impressed with myself. Notice the edging around the chair... no more stuffing hanging out!
The finished product...not too bad if I do say so myself. Lainey wanted to add these throw pillows that she gathered from the couches inside the house...
Her is sweet Lainey and our favorite kitty, Rose. I think I am now ready to tackle all the other little projects around the house. I have lots of painting of old worn out furniture in mind and maybe some small purchases like baskets, etc... just to spruce the place up!!! Maybe I will have lots more fun things to show come Monday...