it's friday!

And despite the fact that this weekend is jam-packed with
things happening,
I'm still so ready for a weekend.

And I've got a whole lot of nothing to tell you.

This was me yesterday.



All day yesterday.
That's okay, right?

Whenever I wear my yoga pants all day
{which, i'll admit, is kind of often}
I think of this:

{oh hi there, ryan.  nice v-neck.}

I showed this to Gary once,

and now he'll come home to me in yoga pants

and say "hey girl....".

Hater.

We have another hummingbird mommy

sitting on a nest this year...

...which happens to be right next to the trampoline:



She's so used to the kids jumping that she doesn't even flinch when they're there.
And...her eggs hatched today.
Two teensy weensy hum babies are ready to take on the world.

I'm kind of obsessed with ak-mak crackers.
There's no junk in them
and they're very inexpensive.
I've always found them for less than $2 a box.



I mash up one avocado and added a little garlic salt.
That's been lunch recently.
{and do not think for one second i am above using my finger to get every last bit of that avocado.}

Avery and I headed into Goodwill this morning.



Don't let those awesome floral prints throw you off;
I'm only after the frames.
{i pretty much had to arm-wrestle a guy for the white one.}
They all have a date with the Rust-oleum soon.
Verrrryyyyy soon.

Here were two of my kids this afternoon
enjoying a little brain cell killing courtesy of Phinneas and Ferb.



I just had to laugh at my island in the background.
Please take note of Ken in the fruit basket.

Happy weekending, friends.
Can you believe it's the last one of April?
Crazy.

host a bingo group...paint a room...take a nap.

Yesterday afternoon I went upstairs to my room to grab some laundry.
The windows were open and the sun was shining
and the comforter on my bed looked so soft.
I thought I would lay down to rest for just a minute.

I guess I was tired, because I woke up an hour and a half later.
I can't remember the last time I took a nap.
It felt so good.

Monday night was my turn to host our little bingo group.
For those of you who don't currently have a monthly get-together with girlfriends,
I highly recommend it.
Getting together with girlfriends is good for the soul.

A friend suggested we start a bingo group a little over a year ago.
{and...for the record...bingo is not just for old ladies.}
Every month we take turns hosting.
The hostess chooses a theme
{mine was hunger games}
and each guest brings a $15 gift related to the theme.
For the HG theme I suggested something colorful from the capital...
or something related to the girl on fire...
or baked good a la Peeta.
{my gift was a colorful beaded necklace, a candle, and a cute aqua oven mitt.}

It is technically a bingo group,
so we have one of those cheap bingo sets that they sell at Target.
But usually we end up talking and gathering in the kitchen around the food
for so long that we play a speed version of bingo.
The winner of each round chooses a gift.
Last night we talked so much we didn't play at all
and just chose gifts.
And we were all okay with that.
:)

One added bonus about hosting girlfriends
is that it motivates me to finish those projects that I've been meaning to get to for months.
Hence...the painting our dining room.

This is it last June, at Avery's birthday party.



I think I've mentioned before that when we moved into this house
every room was painted in Kelly Moore's "Wise Owl".
It's a great color, don't get me wrong, but it was in every room.
So we've slowly been painting our way through the house.

Here it is after spending most of last week painting:



{you can see the wall by the stairs is still wise owl.}

I have plans for a plate wall there above the black cabinet
and eventually a new chandelier.

The builder intended the little nook in the back corner to hold a built-in wine cabinet.
Our nook was empty until the NapaStyle sale a few weeks ago.

I found this black tray at the sale for $10.
It was a little banged up,
so I just painted over the flat part of the tray with some chalk paint.
Now it's a memo board.



I also found this wine cabinet at the sale for a ridiculously great price.



Now I've got the painting bug big time.
Next up: craft room and then the boys' rooms.

Wise owl is about to leave the building.

saturday mornings...and evenings.

Slow Saturday mornings are my favorite.
Especially slow Saturday mornings where the weather is perfect,
every window in the house is open,
and we have a few hours of nothing to do ahead of us.

Yesterday was that morning.

I made pancakes with our new favorite recipe.



All whole wheat (except I ran out and had to use a few tablespoons of white),
and sweetened with honey.  No sugar.
Yum.
And...the kids are no longer complaining about real maple syrup.
Their mourning period over Aunt Jemima has officially ended.
Happy face.

While I was making pancakes the kids were hunting snails in the backyard.
I told them I'd pay them a quarter per snail they found.

I had no idea I'd end up having to shell out ten bucks per kid.
Per kid!
{do the math...that's a lot of snails.}
Our snail population was decimated in less than an hour.



And...let's just agree that it's best we don't discuss what became of these guys.



Oh, and I'm going to add "the kids getting along" to my
list of favorite Saturday morning things.
I love it when they are laughing and having fun together.

Late Saturday morning I got to head to Target and Trader Joe's.
BY MYSELF.
Again...happy face.

And I didn't buy these,
but oh was I tempted.



Trader Joe's is a happy place, isn't it??

And Saturday evening we let the ole 8:30 bedtime slide a little,
and we stayed up and hung by the firepit until
the kids were just too cranky to hang any longer.


{i spy someone on their scooter a safe distance away from the fire.}

There are officially six weeks of school left.
I am so ready for more lazy mornings and late evenings.

Bring on the summer.

bad blogger + insta friday.

This poor blog.
Sorry it's so lame lately.
I've barely even picked up my camera this week.

But I did see Hunger Games today.
Loved it.
{but...um...why was peeta so short??}
And I may be hosting a Hunger Games themed Bingo on Monday night.
To do this weekend: find a HG-related bingo prize.

I blame my blog absence on a crazy week.
And on painting the dining room.



It's almost finished and I love it.
Painting is instant gratification.
{or, not really instant, i guess.  more like four days' gratification.}

Last Friday night we were kidless and went on a date.
And when we were crossing the street after dinner
he kind of saved my life.
We were walking and talking and I didn't see a car barreling toward us
and he grabbed me and pulled me out of the way.
{and gave the evil eye to the speeder.}



My hero.
:)

Saturday morning we were still kidless and stopped to admire the view downtown.
It was a beautiful day by the bay.



Saturday night the boys had some of their bff's over for a sleepover.



They are the happiest when spending time with these buddies.
Especially if ice cream's involved.
And Avery fits right in.
The benefit of having two big brothers is you can hang with the boys, no prob.

And then a few days later throw on your tutu, and you're in full ballerina mode.



She's versatile, this one.

Finally, the weather in the bay area is gorgeous.
I threw open every window today and breathed in the fresh air.
And gorgeous weather means happy afternoons with the hose.



It's amazing the fun they have with that hose attachment.

Happy Friday,
happy weekend,
happy sunny days to you.

hello, monday.

Hello, new paint color:
Martini Shaker, by Kelly Moore.
You're kind of gray, kind of khaki.
You're nice.



Hello, weird wrinkly wrist picture.
You are not cute.

Hello, crazy messy dining room.
Can't wait to get you all put back together.



Hello, wall?  Meet ceiling.
Hello, straight line with no mess-ups.
Hello, mad {if I do say so myself} cutting in skillz learned from my dad.



{and goodbye, hopefully soon, ugly vertical blinds.  i'm not your biggest fan.}

Hello, Monday late morning phone call from aforementioned dad offering to drive down
on Thursday to help me finish painting.

Hello, awesome dad whose skillz far surpass mine.

Hello, pretty new walls.  See you Thursday.

********************

linking up with lisa leonard.

insta friday - the 'so long, picnik' edition.

Well, Picnik is saying goodbye next week,
so I guess this is my last collage with them.
{sniff.  it's been a good run.}
Hey picmonkey ...get your collage function up and running soon!
I'm rooting for you....

Here are a few peeks of our oh-so-exciting weeks,
via instagram.



1. vintage pizza board from the napastyle warehouse sale.
2. my ranunculus love april showers.
3. new shoes...aerosoles...i'm a grandma.
4. lucy has the best "i'm so pitiful" face ever.
5. a rainy, polka-dotty kind of day.
6. nutella brownies, batch #2.
7. learning a new song.
8. family: home is where they are.
9. napoleon dynamite addicts.
10. photo bombers.
11. she hearts homework.
12. chilly days, hot tea.

I'm looking forward to tonight:
I have a date with my favorite guy.
Happy Friday to you all!

my best pin yet.

I am so happy to report I've come across a Pinterest winner.
You can never be sure, you know, with Pinterest.
Sometimes you get a Pinterest success story
and other times...notsomuch.

When Jess mentioned it was Pintertest Kitchen time again,
I knew what had to be done.
Nutella. brownies.
Let's do this.



{original recipe here.}

First gather your...ready for this?...three ingredients.
Nutella, two eggs, and flour.
And you know what?
I used whole wheat flour.
Yep.  These are WHOLE WHEAT Nutella brownies.
{i'll stop short of using the term 'healthy', but they're pretty darn close.}



Heat your oven to 350*.
Take 1 cup Nutella
and two eggs and mix until blended.
{you can microwave your nutella for a little bit to make it easier to mix.}

Then add 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
and mix until smooth.

Once it's all mixed fill your cupcake liners about half full.
And I can't confirm or deny, but these brownies might taste better if you have
the super cute Katie Daisy cupcake liners
from Target last year.



Bake at 350* for 12 minutes,
remove from oven,
and marvel at their beauty.



Trust me when I say that these are deeeee-lish.
Seriously.
Not too Nutella-ey (if there is such a thing), but just perfect.



Oh my gosh.
I'm going to make another batch tomorrow.
Because there haven't been enough sweets in our house lately.
{i can't even type that with a straight face.}

Make them.
You're welcome.

Linking up with Jess.

"your mom goes to college."

Name that movie!!
I'm in a goofy mood...I blame it on the Cadbury egg hangover I have.
But really, you know the movie, right??
"I like your sleeves...they're real big."
"But my LIPS hurt real BAD!"
"Just make yourself a dang quesa-dilla!"

I love Napoleon so much.
We somehow managed to watch it three times in the last five days.
It makes me want to say "GOSH!" and "IDIOT!" after everything I say.
:)
Okay...moving on....

We had a great Easter.
Over the course of the weekend,
the kids had five egg hunts.
I probably have enough plastic eggs  in my Easter bin
to supply the White House egg hunt next year.

And of course I boiled eggs,
and we dyed them,
even though none of us will eat them.



But did I mention Cadbury eggs?
Awwww yeaaaah.
They're really the only Easter candy that tempts me.
Oh, and Sweet Tarts.
Peeps...jelly beans...anything with marshmallow...blech.

This is the best picture I could get of all three kids on Easter:



The sugar high was in full effect already.

And...speaking of a sugar high...
come back tomorrow to see what I made for Jess' Pintertest Kitchen.

It could be THE best thing that has ever happened to you.
GOSH!
IDIOT!


{and i realize if you've never seen napoleon dynamite this will make no sense to you at all.  sorry.}

a few good things.

Four year olds are pretty awesome.
I love that they have no problem with bunny ears
and painted-on whiskers
and mommies that follow them around and document their every move on camera.



Preschool egg hunts are pretty great, too.



Our elementary school hosts an art day.  That makes me happy.
Gary went in and talked to the kids about computer animation.
I love hands in the air waving wildly to answer a question.



Young artists drawing Dory.  The cutest.



I love love love a school quad covered in chalk drawings.



{don't you think everyone loves a good chalk sunshine?}



Weird optical illusion:
it looks like my feet are kind of/not really standing on the chalk,
doesn't it?

And...need a fab recipe? Coconut key lime pie.
The perfect Easter dessert.
I'm making it for Sunday.

Finally...awesome is finishing up your kid's class auction project
with a couple of weeks to spare.
Do your kids' elementary schools hold auctions?
If they do, you probably know what big business they are.
And being responsible for a class project = STRESS.

But I'm done, baby.
My big stress now is figuring out what I'm going to wear to the auction.
I may jokingly (but-not-really-jokingly) refer to the auction as
The Mom Prom.
Seriously.
Some folks go ALL out.
Maybe I'll ask Gary to buy me a corsage this year.
Ha.

:)

insta news and other stuff.

Did you hear?
Android users...welcome to Instagram!
Instagram now has an app for the Android.
Come join the party!
{i'm 'foreverfoldinglaundry' if you want to find me.}
Definitely my favorite app.

Anyway...
crazy, crazy busy times around these parts.
March and April are now officially the craziest of months.


{i love alyssum.  the boys made these in sunday school.}

I love this time of year, though, despite the amount of crazy going on.
It's a season of hope and renewal and life.
This season, especially, God has been so faithful to me.
I asked for prayers a few weeks ago - and thanks to those of you who prayed.
He's answering them.

I love Psalm 34:4-5 (The Message):
"God met me more than halfway,
He freed me from my anxious fears.
Look at Him; give Him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from Him."

Uh, yeah.  I have not been hiding my feelings from Him lately.
He may be getting a bit sick of me.
:)

I have a little heart issue
that may require surgery.
It has made me very anxious and scared.
Beyond anxious, actually.
{the words 'catheter' + 'vein' + 'groin' can do that to you.}
BUT - I made the choice to stop being anxious
and to give it all over to God in prayer.
What a freedom.
I'm not sure yet what will become of it all,
but I do know that He has a plan for me,
and that plan is good.

Amen to that.

So tomorrow...the craziness continues.
Preschool parties and classroom volunteering and major class auction project-making.
But...my favorite guy will be around for lunch,
so we have a date.
Can't wait.

Love to you, friends.
Hope you have a great Wednesday planned.