{could i possibly be coming up for air???}

probably not - lol! but i can always hope, right?!?!

i am so tired of having all these photos just sitting on my hard drive, but it seems that ‘just uploading’ them is never ‘quite enough’ in my book…hence, they continue to just sit on my hd. so, i’m breaking ranks, dropped these recent photos of nate’s soccer game into a smilebox frame (thanks dani!) and with no editing, and no journaling (wth, i know!?!?) i’m posting…

for those on our little soccer team, enjoy…the rest of you, well, you can enjoy them too! lol i have to say, this little team could not be cuter! oh my!!!

go wolverines!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

and for all my other ‘friends’ - yep, lots have been going on, i really need to sit down and tell my story, the background to the final decision to close {wst}, what might be next for me and the brand…i promise i will…

take care,
deann

{the boy with a moon and star…}

i can not begin to tell you how many times i have sat down to blog and seriously, NOTHING happens. i think i have WAY over thought this whole thing…oh, what a shock to all of you that really know me - lol! i keep trying to decide ‘what’ i want this blog to be or to do or even why, and i just haven’t quite figured it out yet.

but i do know there are certain things that are important to me, messages i’d like to send, memories i want to keep, stories i have to tell…so maybe i shouldn’t think TOO MUCH about what it ’should’ be or even ‘why’ and just BE - wow, now that would really be a novelty for me!!!

so, it’s going to be about the journey, my journey, and we’ll just see where it takes me…and i’m going to enjoy the ride…

i am a huge music and lyrics fan…i have found so many one liners in songs that have resonated in my life, whether it be the exact words that captures a feeling or a time…so, i’m going to start a project where i partner some of my favorite lyrics w/my photos. i’m excited about the project, we’ll see how it goes.

The Boy With A Moon and & Star

The Boy With A Moon & Star On His Head
Cat Stevens

I got down on my knees and kissed the moon and star on his head.
As years went by the boy grew high and the village looked on in awe,
They’d never seen anything like the boy with the moon and star before.
And people would ride from far and wide just to seek the Word he spread…
“I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned, and love is all…” he said.

take care,
deann

cough, cough…

wow! the amount of dust around here is insane!!

{lion and tigers and organization, oh my!}

ok, this is soooo sad! (funny, i think alot of my posts start out that way - oh well - lol!)…so, i LOVE Aby Garvey - and honestly, maybe it’s not love, maybe it’s complete admiration and longing to be like her - not so much when i grow up, ’cause i’ve already set my sights on being Ali when i grow up (not gonna happen, but hey, a girl can dream - right!?!?) but right now, i could use a little Aby! and that’s just what i signed up for. let me explain…Aby has this amazing site - Simplify101 and i’ve been following it for a long time now, heck we spotlighted her blog on one our early episodes of Dishin the Digi on DSTR (which btw, we are so close to our re-organizing and cleaning up that we should have our new show up any day) ah…organization - once again, in a round about way, i return to the topic of this blog! LOLso, i heard that Aby was offering a on-line organizational online workshop  - Organizing 101. before i could type - “i need help” i was signed up and ready to go. feeling as though i have had just landed in the land of oz, ruby slippers and all, i was ready to go! no longer was i going to feel the weight of the disorganized world on these shoulders - not me, no sir-ree!  well, here we are…a few days later after signing up, i’ve read the check-list and i’ve managed to get to the forum to post my “i’m here” message and guess what…yep, i’ve done NOTHING! for some crazy reason, i guess it was gonna be like one of those “waste away pounds while you sleep” - i paid my $ and now magically i will be organized. sigh!! but never fail - i have no doubt that aby will swoop in and save the day (and maybe i should have just gotten her on a plane and flew her out there - hey, that’s an idea!!) in the meantime, i really think that her approach is right on and will definitely  help me move from clutter and wasting too much time looking for things to a place that i feel much more control. maybe starting this workshop before the kids went back to school wasn’t my best plan, but i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn from this wonderful expert. so, help me help myself - ask me every once in awhile how my journey to organization and transformation is going, and if i’ve seen any flying monkeys along the way (tying in to the title of this post - yeah, just wanted to bring ya full circle - lol!) - it always helps when one is held accountable by outside forces (uhmmm, em, that’s for the poke about storytelling last night - keep it up girl, one of these days you’re gonna see a layout, i’m sure of it!) well, i’m off - to, hummm…organize, yeah, that’s it, organize! wish me luck, a lot of luck!take care, deann.

{days of wine and roses}

ok, so maybe NOT wine and roses, how bout water parks and meatballs! LOL we had one of those “perfect days” yesterday (and honestly, i don’t think one argument…could that really be true!?!?! i have to think, but i’m pretty sure the answer is YES!) now that in itself should rank it as one of those great days, but that wasn’t it. yesterday was our annual pilgrimage to our local water part, wild rivers, with the boys sailing group. we actually ALL went this year, sans my mom - she recently had eye surgery and didn’t think a day out in the sun and water would be approved activity from her doctor, i had to agree this time. we missed her thought, but luckily there’s always next year - LOL!

what made it so fun…well, obviously, the day without family conflict, but it was also a day that we were all together and everyone was having a really great time. we got there w/in 30 mins. of the time that i had hoped (which is really GOOD for us), we packed just the right about of food and goodies so that no one complained with their “just one” treat, the weather was wonderful; cool compared to how it usually can get there, there were NO crowds; again, very unusual and mighty dang pleasant.

though it is a trip organized by the sailing group, we make it our summer trip to the water park and plan on staying as long as we want, rather than joining in on the whole car pool, and being dependent on other people’s timeliines. to our surprise, we didn’t leave until almost 7pm!! (the majority of the kids left at 3:30…yep, we were having fun!) we left so late that we even managed to miss all the friday night traffic (yet, another reason it was such a good day!)

we were driving home, hoping to get the boys feed before one or two of them fell asleep in the car, and thinking about what we should have for dinner. too long of a day, too tired to think of cooking, no time before the sleep fairy descended…and then it hit us - IKEA! usually i throw out these ‘crazy ideas’ and patrick just looks at me, but i was SHOCKED when he said, “hey, that’s a great idea!” we mentioned it to the boys, and again, to my amazement , EVERYONE SAID YES!!

so this motley group of sun-kissed, ragamuffins (and don’t let me fool ya, we look like that even if we haven’t spent the day at a water park - lol!) roll into the ikea, walked past the mocked living rooms and kitchens, bellied up to the counter in the restaurant, ordered meatballs and pasta, mac and cheese and garlic bread, drinks and of course, the famous chocolate bar and had the nicest dinner! it was perfect…the perfect way to end a great day, and we could have never planned it. our tummies were stuff, our hearts were full, the sleep fairy did arrive before we reached our front door…these are the days that we’ll remember always. (with a little help from me writing it down!)

{more love}

take care,
deann

{sunday mornings just aren’t going to be the same}

we are so sadden by the passing of Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press. it’s funny, isn’t it…that you can be so affected and feel such a loss for someone that you never actually met - strange. we create these ‘relationships’ with the media, those that we let into our dining, living and bed rooms - they become ‘part of your circle’ in an odd but real way. each sunday morning, patrick and i would turn on “tim” to find out what we needed to know. in a sea of untrustworthy sources, disinformation and ‘entertain-news’ it’s harder and harder to find a source that you can believe in - tim russert was that voice for us. though today, tributes and replays of his show were airing; it’s just not the same, you know he’s gone. his citizenship, the way he served our country, his dedication to his family - wonderful examples for all of us. he will be missed…

{thank you}

oh - i just love this…my friend julie sent it over and i have to pass it along.

The Gratitude Campaign

saying thank you really is easier than we think…THANK YOU!

{more love}
xoxo,d

{adult ed & night school}

what the heck!?!? i am WAY too young to be having a child going to {night school} - LOL! let me explain, and trust me, bureaucracy at it’s finest…

last year, the high schools were mandated to re-introduce health education into the grad. requirements. now, don’t get me wrong, i think it’s a fine idea, no opposition here. actually, quite the contrary, more health ed requirements implemented, the better chance i might have if i ever want to finish my teaching credential and get a job in the field in which i rec’d an advance education - community and school health education. so, it’s certainly not that i don’t feel the need for the class, it’s the WAY it’s been implemented. Instead of taking something out, or making adjustments SOME where in the grad. requirements (like maybe adding another year to high school - heck, we’ve done it to college…who get’s out in 4 these days!?!? or looking into placing in the middle schools - if any of you have, know or own a middle schooler, you all know that “middle school” IS the new “high school” so maybe this kind of education SHOULD start younger!?!?) ok, vent temporary diverted, and i’m trying really hard to stay on topic here…really hard! LOL

anyway…for any student that has more than one elective (which is almost any higher achieving, involved student) they can not fit the health req. into their schedule…ever! so, guess what they get to do…yep - go to summer school! WTH!?! you take these really great kids, that are involved in all sorts of activities, classes, extra stuff and you tell them…”you’re such a good student, you get to go to summer school!” i think not…

so, i rebelled…for as long as i could, until “the man” brought me down and told us that if zack didn’t meet the health req. this summer, it would automatically be put on his schedule for the fall - either bumping him from his music (band) or foreign language - he suggested omitted english, but i told him i didn’t think he had a snowballs chance in hell of getting that to happen. (though, i did appreciate his ‘problem solving’ capabilities) or have him take 8 classes…which would KILL HIM! as it is, during marching season, we don’t see him until 9pm a few days a week. so…the only option (and let me tell you, it was like we were trying to get into fort knox) was enrolling him in adult school during the summer. (oh, sorry, i forgot - he could go to summer school at the high school 6 weeks 2 hours a day…nice! (and he has a conflict each day anyway - so that just wasn’t a real option)

we go to sign him up, and because he’s got the daytime conflict, he has to go to NIGHT SCHOOL - which is ADULTS ONLY. (i guess the day time is for the continuation high school students, and others like him - taking health and what not) so, my really young 15 year old, is going to be spending a couple of nights a week hangin’ out at adult nigh school. i swear to god, if he starts smoking and drinking coffee he’s a dead man!

i’ve been seriously considering signing up to take the class with him…would that qualify as “helicopter mom”?!?! LOL!

let me tell ya, it’s a strange feeling (even under these circumstances) to sign your kid up for ‘night school’ or ‘adult ed’ whatever you want to call it…i know that our time is running out quickly; technically, he could be off to college in 3 more years (though, again, it’s kinda the snowball chance in hell thing again…he’ll be with us for YEARS, i’m sure - the 10 year jr. college plan i think is in his future - certainly not for lack of brains, but motivation - ah yes, those of you readers that live with teenage boys are nodding your heads in agreement.) it’s just another reminder of how quickly the years go…and how screw up the system is sometimes! LOL

{take care of each other}

xoxo,d

{what more do you need to know how to do}

it’s the time of year, the end of yet another school year (yes, i’ll go into the “i can’t believe how fast time is flying” lecture later) right now, i really wanted to share some very profound words that came home from nate’s wonderful preschool teacher. it really got me thinking, (and yes, i know there is a whole book out there about all we learned in kinder), just how amazing and simple life can be.

let me share an excerpt:

Dear Parents:

What a wonderful school year this has been! Your children have grown so much…they can pour their own juice, cut their own paper, create wonderful artwork, communicate and negotiate with new friends and make their teacher very proud! They are all so brave and endearing.

i mean, seriously, it’s this amazing and so simple!??! we forget that it’s the basic things that we should celebrate. I’m so stress out about work and finances, about making sure zack doesn’t end up with at 69.4% in biology, that the house gets cleaned and the laundry done and 100 other things of varying importance (or non-importance, depending on how one looks at it)…and then i think about what accomplishments by little 3 year old has made - things i’ve been too busy to really notice. these are no small tasks - learning to pour your own juice and cut your own paper! and heck, is there anything more important then being able to communicate and negotiate with new friends!??! (this idea would serve many adults wellto learn - again!) And really, wouldn’t we all like to be ‘brave’ AND ‘endearing’ - not too many possess both those qualities.

so, life does go fast, and these are the everyday moments that we must hold tight to - i am so proud of him and all that he’s accomplished this year. i bet if we all stop and think, there is a list of things that our little ones can do now that they couldn’t do a year ago when school began…actually, that is just what i’m gonna do. i’m gonna have nate pour me a nice glass of juice and we’re gonna sit down and talk all about HIM and his wonderful accomplishments - i think it’s gonna be long list!

{take care of each other - it’s important}

xoxo,d

{i’m a doll!}

well, i know that for most of you, you’re saying to yourself right now…”well, of course she is!” LMAO! ok, let me show you what i mean…(and for my buddies at {wst} you’ve already seen the proof - lol)

i was looking through the American Girl catalog that came in the mail today (do not ask me what random mailing list i must be on, because as a mother of all boys, we don’t do a ton of doll shopping ) i opened it up and there i was!

and here i am with my best friend

for some reason they keep calling me “julie” and my best friend “ivy chen” but clearly it is me in 1974 (10 years old) w/my best friend (and some times evil foe) - karen kobayashi!!

i am gonna go call my mom right now, and ask if she can find that adorable purple crochet cap - i could really use that!

{more love}
deann