{12.31.08}

winston meets george

Winston meets George! from Mel on Vimeo.


hamster update: i'm sad to report that george passed away in his sleep new year's eve. he lived a happy and long life and will be greatly missed.

roll on little one...roll on!

{12.30.08}

2008

in review, this was a bittersweet year for me.

bitter: saying goodbye to my two babies, they will forever be in my heart. i will never fully understand why they were taken from me; i can only find peace in god's timing.

sweet: knowing that everything happens for reason, allowing my heart to soften, to give and receive forgiveness, and grace to erase the walls of hurtful pasts.

so cheers to a new year, a new mind-set.

2009

• i will accept & embrace my writing style.


• i will not over commit.


• i will obsess less & live more.


• i will consider paying someone to clean my house.


• i will use my words wisely.


• i will seek council.


• i will stop making to-do lists that will never get done.


• i will enjoy every day as the gift it is.


• i will paint something.


• i will finish reading eat, pray, love.


• i will push myself harder at the gym.


• i will not freak out about turning 35.


• i will say yes to more snuggle time with brenner.


• i will read less during family visits.


• i will find a healthy balance between work, home & facebook.

{12.25.08}

christmas one and two

christmas #1

last weekend, back home with the mooney clan - all eight of them (11 if you count their puppy dogs)

christmas #2

home with friends

{12.22.08}

introducing

"sir winston keepin' it real ridlon"

breed: bichon frise

now before y'all go google bichon images, let me just state for the record that winston will never under any circumstances ever look like this.

ever.

q & a:

• who's dog? mine (and adam reminds me every five minutes)


• how did he get his name? i named him after winston churchill.


• his favorite toy? our dining room rug. bad winston. bad. 


• does he shed? nope. 


• how much? let's just say my birthdays are taken care for the next 10 years.

{12.15.08}

a few of my favorite things

our sparse but cherished christmas tree this year

always the first ornament I hang

brenner's first christmas ornament - this brings me joy and tears every year

the ornament my brother gave me yeeeeeeears ago!

 

and these too:

• going back to church. it warms my heart with joy and peace.


• my loving and always supporting husband.


• lemon drops & cheesecake dates.


• a new season - I'm ready and willing - bring it!


• the way brenner says lean cuisine - "weekawee"
  


• the givers for the "giving tree" - amazing peeps!!!


• crumbling walls.
  


• sparkly-red fingernail tips.


• thoughtful flower deliveries.


• julie's perfectly round pregnant belly.


• double date nights.


• brenner's witty responses. HAIR!!! (this still kills me)


• going home for christmas this weekend.


• my health, my family, my friends...my life.

{12.9.08}

dearest santa

i don't want much this year, just the following, if possible:

• a healthy uterus.


• world peace.


• if money is no object, a new camera and laptop would be neat.

p.s. thanks for the memories...

click on the upper right corner of the slideshow to shhhhhh!!!!

{12.3.08}

the truth about men

from two married women. in central park. let's count how many times i blinked during the interview, shall we?! and this, my lovelies, is why I refuse to be a guest on good morning central oregon.

amy vs. john

{11.27.08}

11.10

november 10th would have been our first baby's due date. november 10th we discovered we were pregnant again. what a happy twist to what would have been a solemn day for us.

unfortunately, yesterday god called our second baby home. as brenner so perfectly stated: "maybe god didn't want our first baby to be alone in heaven." i prayed for the process to happen quickly and naturally, which it did and for that I'm thankful on this thanksgiving day.

be thankful. be blessed. be happy.

happy thanksgiving!!

{11.26.08}

without further ado

i give you nyc!



clickety-click here and here for details.

{11.12.08}

sweet allison

the more i get to know my cousin allison the more i see her mad organizing skills (obviously inherited from the mooney side!) - the girl is organized. i typically take on the organizing and list making role in our family and i must tell you that it's been most refreshing to have someone else ask the questions, do the research, make the lists and pay attention to the little details that would normally keep me up at night.

so thank you allison, thank you for inviting me to nyc, thank you for giving up your king bed for two queens, thank you for agreeing to wear jeans, thank you for researching and planning our mini-vacation together.

see you in new york!

{11.9.08}

brief happenings

• theee best girls night at the brickhouse.


• birthday dinner for lori.


• dentist appointment gone horribly-painfully wrong.


• family photo shoot with phillip & julie.


• planning/shopping/packing for new york trip.


• game night with family.


• sweet tayden & paige cravings - met.


• christmas shopping.


• reading brenner's christmas list to santa:

 1. wii
 2. motorcycle / dirt bike
 3. remote control truck
 4. golf club
 5. stuffed Patrick
 6. clothes
 7. gangster hat (???)
 8. computer
 9. ipod
 10. lego sets
 11. swimming pool (a big one)
 12. nerf sniper rifle

{11.1.08}

ghouls night out 

plenty of haunting was happily done by these two.

brenner & evan

rich & tayden

{10.30.08}

o-m-g

***i'm going to new york city...in 16 days!!! click here for details.***

{10.26.08}

newport, oregon

with the reichenberger family

and many, many, many more...

{10.24.08}

for those days

when you're super crazy busy working, facebooking, blogging, photographing cans of baby formula, feeling deeply sorry for yourself and pretending  to "forget" that you're hosting dinner for your husband's boss and family and come down with a nasty case of procrastination. for those days...

i give you this:

QUICK AND EASY PEACH COBBLER

1 lg. can sliced peaches
1 boxed yellow or white cake mix
butter

pour peaches in bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking dish. cover with dry cake mix. dot top with butter. bake in 350 degree oven until lightly brown, hot, and bubbly.

***they had me at lightly brown, hot, and bubbly.***

happy weekend! xoox

{10.23.08}

i heart vintage

last night i skipped the gym to frame all the fun vintage pictures my uncle mike mailed to me on a cd. talk about hours of entertainment and pure joy! i was in heaven.

top:  my parents.
right:  my father's mother, hazel.
bottom:  grandma hazel.
left:  my father.
middle: my father's parents, milford & hazel.

{10.22.08}

borderline harassment

hey, so, guess what i got in the mail yesterday? as if all the recent spam "pregnancy updates" which, oh by the way are impossible to be removed from, aren't painful enough, yeah, why not mail me some infant baby formula?!

{10.17.08}

funk alert

so i've been trying to fight the "i was supposed to have a baby in three weeks" funk! but it's hard, everywhere I turn there are babies popping out, and while i'm so extremely happy and joyful for those babies popping out, i'm reminded, and well, that just sucks.

but this, too, shall pass, right?!

{10.16.08}

treasures

i couldn't resist purchasing from willow.

{10.12.08}

spooky

while adam was away on business, brenner and i ...got spooktified!

{10.9.08}

sick

last week adam came down with the horrific cold/flu bug going around and bless his little heart, gave it to me. monday morning i woke with a teeny tiny sore throat and rushed to the store to purchase zicam (because everyone tells me it works!). i was faithful, zicaming every three hours, for 48 hours and then some (for good measure ya know), and feeling certain i was going to beat the nasty bug.

that was until late this morning...

after tracking up to todd lake, in a dress, in like 25 degree weather, to get our christmas staff pictures taken. (i can't tell you the theme, you'll just have to wait, so don't ask, unless you beg and then i'll probably cave.) thankfully, the stop at the westside cafe for coffee helped warm our poor frozen fingers and toes before heading back to the office.

where was i? oh yeah! and now i'm sick(er). and now i'm home. and now i'm cozy by the fireplace. and now i'm resting.

p.s. zicam sucks.

{10.5.08}

vote

we have to vote because we have the right to vote.

vote rock by rae dunn

{10.3.08}

45 odd things about me

1. do you like blue cheese salad dressing? barf

2. have you ever smoked cigarettes? um, who hasn’t? oh wait, adam

3. do you own a gun? yes and i know how to use it

4. what's your favorite drink at starbucks or other specialty? lately, the chai latte

5. do you get nervous before doctor appointments? depends

6. what do you think of hot dogs? hot dogs

7. favorite christmas song? rockin around the christmas tree

8. what do you prefer to drink in the morning? coffee with vanilla caramel coffee-mate

9. can you do push ups? yep, and not the wussy kind either

10. what's your favorite piece of jewelry? my wedding ring

11. favorite hobby? photography

12. do you have A.D.D? only on mondays 

13. what's one trait that you dislike about yourself? stubbornness

14. middle name? marie

15. name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? is it 5 yet, is it 5 yet and is it 5 yet?

16. name 3 drinks you regularly drink? in order: coffee, water and wine

17. current worry right now? the election 

18. current hate right now? political ads and rhetoric

19. favorite place to be? home or on a warm beach with my hubby

20. how did you bring in the new year? ***insert cricket sound here***

21. like to travel? love it!!! 

22. name four people who will complete this? ????

23: do you own slippers? yeah

24. what style and color shirt are you wearing? navy blue print shirt dress

25. do you like sleeping on satin sheets? ew, NO! too cold

26. can you whistle? kinda

27. favorite singer/band? jack johnson

28. could you ever make it 39 days on the show survivor? not so much

29. what songs do you sing in the shower? i don’t sing in the shower

30. favorite girl's name? it’s a secret

31. favorite boy's name? brenner, of course!

32. what's in your pocket right now? 50/50 ticket

33. last thing that made you laugh? you

34: Favorite subject in school? Citizenship

35. worst injury you've ever had? does childbirth count?

36. do you love where you live? sure do

37. how many tvs do you have in your house? three

38. who is your loudest friend? it's a tie between christen and heidi

39: favorite thing to collect? hand bags

40. does someone have a crush on you? adam

41. what is your favorite book? anything by nicholas sparks

42. what is your favorite candy? laffy taffy

43. favorite sports team? boston red sox

44. what were you doing 12am last night? drooling on my pillow

45. what was the first thing you thought of when you woke up today? is it saturday yet?

{9.29.08}

monday means

regrouping from a weekend road trip
cleaning out the car
unpacking the bags
endless amounts of laundry (from the week and weekend)
shopping for the week
uploading photos
smelling and feeling the brisk new autumn air
saying goodbye to seattle, we miss you already!