January 24, 2011

boy oh boy

i have boys.

three of them.

four if you count hubby (and i do).

boys that pose like this when i want a sweet picture.
and make faces at me like this.
and are missing their teeth
and always have some sort of bruise or cut on their faces.
boys that play with millions of matchbox cars, transformers, and army men.

boys who watch movies about mighty machines and superheros.

boys who no matter how many times i say it in a day, still play football in my livingroom.

boys who make me dread their teenage years because of how much they currently eat.
boys who hide in dark corners and scare me all the time,
but still have to sleep with a nightlight.

boys who have holes in their jeans and mud on their shoes.

boys who have forced me to buy a nerf gun of my own for self defense.

boys who smell like stinky boys and leave handprints on everything!
boys who have a "special snuggle blanket" when it's quiet time.

boys who have sweet little faces when their tired.
boys who take care of eachother.

boys who are brothers because they have to,
but friends because they want to.

boys who are exactly like their daddy (and he's my favorite!)

boys who make me feel like the queen.
 
my protectors and my biggest fans.
my everything.

i have three boys.

and i wouldn't have it any other way.

a means to an end

the lid is sealed on tight (i promise)
i have officially retired my chalkpaint (for the time being anyways)
but not before i finished with these 2 little projects.

before, we had a big blue bowl that held our apples. it was beautiful, but just not the right fit for my kitchen.

ta-da...helloooo new apple bucket! (too cute!)


 (gasping) yes i did it. i painted the pantry door and i don't feel the least bit guilty about it. 

this door had a frosted glass in it with "pantry" etched in the center and a picture of wheat, flour, bread, fruit underneath it.  it was beautiful, don't get me wrong. 

however, with 3 small boys it was always dirty. fingerprints all over the glass, smudges of greasy little hands, it was a mess and very hard to keep clean.

also, the door frame isn't as big as it should be so i always felt like the glass wasn't getting the true "ahh" moment it deserved.

long story short, it's been bugging me since we got it.  we were going to have it replaced, but that ended up not making it very high on our budget list.

que the chalkpaint!

now i feel like it's perfect.
exactly how it was meant to be for my little family of mischief.
the boys love it.
it's functional.
it's fun.
and lets be honest, who doesn't love to write in chalk?
okay, i'm officially chalked out for a bit (until further notice).

January 19, 2011

what i wore wednesday

good wednesday morning!
i'm linking up with lindsey from
the pleated poppy, for what she likes to call
"what i wore wednesday."

the idea behind this is to get you out of your "sweat pant/pony tail" same-ol-same-ol and fancy it up a bit. such a great idea!

unfortunately, this will be my first, and probably last time that i participate in wiww, because in doing this little project i came to realize a few key items.

observe...

1. thankfully i am part of a carpool with my neighbor.  unfortunately, that means i only have to truly leave the house and venture into public 3 times a week to get the kids. not to mention, if it's not pouring rain
or freezing cold i try and walk down to the school to get some exercise in
 (who wants to sweat in a really nice looking outfit)
also, i don't do any grocery shopping anymore during the week. as part of getting our finances in order, hubby and i don't do any shopping without eachother. (we feel it keeps us on the same page about things)

all kidding aside, this is what i look like almost on a regular basis
(it's sad and pathetic, i am truly ashamed)
sweat pants: old navy
sweat shirt: old navy
tank top: old navy...which brings me to my number 2

2. i do a lot of shopping at old navy. i mean a lot.
(again, ashamed of myself) 
shirt: old navy
tank: old navy
jeans: anchor blue
slippers: gift from my mother-in-law many years ago (love)

this necklace is my fave, i wear it pretty much ever day.  it's a combination of an engagement ring charm i got after hubby proposed, a sparkley horseshoe for good luck, and a heart hubby got me the day before little bear went into surgery. love!


remember this from friday? i felt like i was rockin it!
which brings me to...

3. i don't have a floor length mirror in my house...anywhere!
seriously, what woman doesn't have a floor length mirror in her home? i immediately brought this to hubby's attention and he promised he would fix that issue for me.
done. and. done.
 pink shirt: old navy
white tank: body c
jeans: something from macy's (but not old navy so i'm pumped!)
jewelry: cookie lee

saturday we didn't go anywhere, but i still wanted to feel cute.
this horrible picture brings me to my...

4. i have a horribly cheap camera. again, brought this to hubby's attention, but he wasn't as receptive about fixing the issue as he was with a simple mirror. he simply smiled and reminded me that we were still in what we like to call "financial lockdown" and that a new camera (at least the one i want) was way down on the list of "what we will be getting when we have all this junk paid off."
(sad face, but he's right)

sweat shirt: old navy (okay, it's starting to hurt to say)
white shirt...you guessed it.
jeans: gap (but you can't see them because i don't have a full length mirror!)


i looked super cute yesterday taking little bear to therapy, but didn't get a chance to snap a picture as we were in a hurry. (bummer)

joining in on this project was fun and hopefully i can pull myself together and do it again. hubby was pleasantly pleased with me looking more like the wife he married, rather than the overly exhausted, hungry, mess of a mommy he leaves when he goes to work in the mornings. 
maybe i can actually figure out how to use my point and shoot better and my pictures won't look so
"wow shaunna, thanks for sharing,
(sarcasm,sarcasm,sarcasm)"-ish.

fingers crossed!

p.s. don't forget to pop over to linsey's blog and link up!

January 14, 2011

diary of a friday

i have been a very busy bee. 
this dynamic duo is exactly what i needed to kick start my friday.
i had some ideas up my sleeve....
what started as inspiration from some of my fellow blog ladies
(and a can of chalkboard paint from hubby for christmas)
has now turned into a full. blown. obsession.
(seriously, intervention needed and accepted)
while this one followed me around (such a sweet helper)
and this one rocked a killer soundtrack.
i know every mother wants to say that her kid is the best.
but honestly, this one can rock like no other on these drums. (seriously)
i was recently reading one of my newest blog crushes (found here) and saw in her pictures how adorable the top of her fridge was.
so ta-da. now i feel like mine is just as cute!
p.s. isn't genn a-dorable!
"cook with passion" above the stove (as if there was any other way to cook)
a small reminder on my side of the bed to have "sweet dreams" and a little romance with some pictures of paris (cut out from an old calendar)
tell me you're not all in l.o.v.e. with that blanket. my sweet momma made it for me (just because) and it screams "snuggle me" every time i walk by it.
i have no idea how i get out of bed sometimes.
and all whilst looking like this! i gussied up for hubby, and he decided to take the office out to lunch today. figures. (however this look will not go wasted!)

i will be enjoying some of this a little later.
in my adorable "domestic diva" glass courtesy of my sweet momma for christmas. (l.o.v.e. it!)

i have a couple more chalk obsessions (er...i mean crafts) to show you.
but they weren't quite dry yet for writing on.

so....
how did your friday turn out?

happy weekend!

January 12, 2011

moments in time

this is a rare moment. 

here is a picture of all 5 of us....together.

none of us are looking at the camera.

but we're all accounted for!


this is the way monkey likes to watch t.v.

propped up on the top of the couch.

blanket. bear. and baby by his side.

(he was watching the oregon football game, gasping like we all were)

Happy Wednesday!

January 09, 2011

blogging to a theme

continuing on the path of inspiration..my girlfriend Elizabeth (found here) was recently inspired by a speaker she heard at her local MOPS group. the speaker talked about living in the moment. capturing the small details of life that we so often take for granted. she is inviting anyone (and everyone) to join in on what she calls "blogging to a theme"

our first assignment is
"color in a dreary winter month."


this is my interpretation.

january is always such a hard month for everyone. the holiday's are over. it's cold and in my case very foggy and cloudy for most of the month. we live in sort of a bowl that gets blanketed with fog that lasts for days.
(it gets very depressing.)

we were going on about day 5 of fog and clouds when all of a sudden the sun broke through. hubby, monkey, and i ran outside. pulled out our pretty blue lawnchairs. and settled in to do some much needed basking.

monkey ran around playing with trucks and soccer balls while we sat and rejuvinated our souls in the warm sunshine. mother nature gave us 4 beautiful hours of it. in the middle of one of the most depressing months of the year.

it was perfect.

i loved the way monkey's trucks and coat looked against the green grass. it's not the most colorful picture. but it was pure bliss to me!

note: if you have a theme idea feel free to drop elizabeth or i a line and let us know. we are always open to new ideas.

January 06, 2011

what's your word?

Breathe

to inhale and exhale; naturally and freely; to be alive; live.

my new years resolution is to simply be in the moment that is this life hubby and i created. i want to breathe in every season. laugh so hard it hurts. feel each tear in my soul. let go of the negative. enjoy each person in my life for their special gifts. make new friends. be open to new ideas. do something that challenges me. conquer a fear. be inspired. take time to rest. savor every flavor. relax and let go of things i cannot control. i want to take time to enjoy life through my boys eyes. see how happy the little things make them. i want to document as much as possible, so when our boys decide to fly the coop, we can be reminded of how great we raised them and what amazing men they turned out to be. i want to stress less and enjoy more. take some time for myself. feel comfortable in my own skin. spend more time with hubby. work hard and play harder. celebrate everything in standard Allen Family Fashion (we're great celebrators). say yes when i want to and no when i need to. and embrace every lesson learned.

I am going to enjoy each and every opportunity that 2011 is presenting to me. at the end of this year i am going to rejoice in all we have accomplished together. i am going to raise a glass and exclaim "2011 was the best year yet!" and truly mean it. i'm setting my standards high and accepting nothing less than pure bliss from this year.

can i do it? (sure, why not)

will i fail? (probably in some areas)

will i let my failure consume me? (hells-to-the no!)

Hubby always reminds me, "Honey, these are the best years of our lives."

and just between you and me....

I think he's right.


So what is your word?

side note: i have added a couple new tabs to the top of the blog.  a "365 project" that a fellow blogger has challenged her followers to. and a new tab to try and document all of hubby's projects, because to be honest, after 11 years together i still can't creatively explain what a civil/structural engineer does. enjoy!

January 04, 2011

Another Christmas Memory

  Eating.

  Baking.

  Santa Cookie Making.


   Exploring new textures.
 
  and getting away with it.

  
  Every year Daddy reads "Twas' The Night Before Christmas..."

   Then we set out the milk, cookies, and carrots for the reindeer.

   And it's off to bed.

  
   And while we were sleeping....   

   And then it was over.

Christmas On The Coast


 Hubby has a few big jobs on the coast and had a very important meeting during the boys Christmas break from school...
so we decided to tag along for a little "pre-Christmas" vacation.

It was a Christmas miracle!  It was the most beautiful weather we had ever seen on the coast. 

No fog.

No rain.

Hardly any clouds in the sky.

It was the perfect night away, just the 5 of us.


A new item on our bucket list...To see every lighthouse in Oregon.