wordless wednesday::kiss me!

more wordless wednesday here and here.

top ten tuesday

when my husband and i reminisce about some of the things we did in our hay day, usually karaoke makes its way into the discussion.

we had some great memories going out to karaoke. in fact our very first date was karaoke night at bush garden. then there was karaoke for my sister's bridal shower. and now, i've learned that one of our friends has purchased a karaoke machine (oooh yeah!).

karaoke is just fun. it's an opportunity to share some laughs, let down your guard and not take yourself so seriously. whether you sing or not is beside the point (i usually add lots of dance moves to distract people from listening to my singing). everyone is in the same boat when you karaoke.

our top ten 10 karaoke songs:

1. teenager in love by dion & the belmonts. [this is aaron's "warm-up"/stand-by song. i still remember the first time i heard him sing this song. talk about some major swooning.]

2. summer nights from grease soundtrack. [this is our duet. the first time we sang this together was on our first date. i still can't believe he made me go up there and sing with him.]

3. rocky top by boudleaux and felice bryant. [i remember some older guy did a great job singing this song at one of the karaoke bars we were at.]

4. love shack by the b52s. [great song to sing with a bunch of girls. throw in some moves and you'll be rockin' the house.]

5. i walk the line by the man in black (a.k.a. johnny cash).

6. fly me to the moon by frank sinatra. [gotta include one of franky's classics.]

7. these boots are made for walking by nancy sinatra.

8. dancing queen by abba.

9. toss up: straight up or cold hearted by paula abdul.

10. word up by cameo. [this song will always remind me of the same guy we saw at this one karaoke bar who always chose this song to sing every. single. time.]

do you like karaoke? or perhaps just singing in the shower? what are your favorite go-to songs? come on, baby, tell me what's the word?

and now i leave you with this...

teaser

i woke up today to birds chirping and the smell of rain.  the past week has been gorgeous outside and the snow has finally melted away.

but i know that even though we were able to do things like this:

there will most likely be one more round of this:

if you are a newbie to living around here, you would certainly be fooled into thinking that spring is finally here.  ha!  we sure were fooled the first couple of years we lived here.  but after getting hit 2 years in a row with a snow storm in late march/early april (the snow photo is from april 2007), never again!

i will be pleasantly surprised if this warming trend lasts through the rest of march.  but as for now, i'm keeping my boots and winter coat handy...

wordless wednesday::photo meme

i was tagged for this photo meme a while back by my friend connie.  after opening up the 3rd picture in my 2nd picture folder this is what i found:

little cousins at play.  they look so little back in 2008.  how fast they grow!

more wordless wednesday here and here.

top ten tuesday

i'm not a morning person by nature.  i don't jump out of bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to start the day.  if i have an alarm, i'll press snooze at least 10 times before i'm officially up.  and then it takes me another 5 minutes to actually sit up and get myself out of the bed.  if you try to talk to me, i might respond.  for some reason, the kids don't get this about me and they like to attack me with words before the 10 o'clock hour.

and now, getting up at 6 a.m. every. single. day. doesn't help (that's gibson's new wake-up time.  but i guess i'll take it since i don't have to get up in the middle of the night anymore).  but what gets me through those early mornings is c.o.f.f.e.e.  just let me have a couple of swigs sips and i'll be as alert as a man-eating watchdog.

so this week's top ten is a tribute to my caffeine addiction, because at this time all i can think about is drinking more coffee...

top ten favorite coffee beverages:

1. double tall americano (hot or iced it doesn't matter, just give me the goods) with cream and 1 raw sugar. 

2. doppio con panna with 1 raw sugar. 

3. double short latte with 1 raw sugar.
[i really, really miss being able to get this in cleveland.  none of the local coffee shops i've been to have offered the 8 oz. cup.  the 12 oz. gives me too much milk and i end up losing the coffee flavor.  plus i don't need the extra calories.]

4. good old drip coffee with some cream and 2 sugars.

5. double tall mocha (hot or iced depending on the season).

6. shot in the dark.

7. double espresso over ice and little bit of cream.

8. french press coffee.

9. granitas with an extra shot of espresso.

10. stove top espresso coffee.

if you are a caffeine dependent like me don't be ashamed...it's okay.  let's share some of your favorite coffee or caffeinated beverages.

something new in the needle and thread department

i just finished this gibson explorer inspired onesie for my niece.

it is a gift for one of her friends whose brother is a musician.  the words are a reference to one of his band's albums.  what i especially like about this onesie is the intentional not-so straight green border.  i think it gives it a more handmade feel rather then doing a border that's perfectly straight.

i also finally finished the tea towel for my parents' christmas gift.  now that they've received it i can finally post the pictures online (both sets of grandparents actually received this gift).  i took a few of emma's drawings and transfered them on a tea towel, then embroidering them based on the colors she used for the original drawing.  the patterned fabric was added to cover up the back side of the embroidery to give it a cleaner look. 

my favorite is the picture she drew of our family, with me holding baby gibson (see the 2 sets of eyes on the one body?).

and now i've got to work on some pieces to donate for an upcoming fundraiser helping the hunger relief efforts of trinity lakewood community outreach.  check out local girl gallery for more information on or would like to attend "soul food: feed the hungry feed the soul" event.

a special outing

what was emma up to today?  go here to find out.

wordless wednesday::i don't want to share

to ensure he gets every single bite of his special treat...

more wordless wednesday here and here.

top ten tuesday

yesterday, i was in a great mood, even though i was dead tired.  what could possible perk me up?  no.  not coffee (though it does do the trick).

i don't know if you noticed (for all you 216 residents), but it's been slightly warmer these past few days.  and all that snow that fell last week is starting to look like slush.  no.  you might not notice these things, but i have a keen eye for picking up signs of spring since i've eagerly waited for them since the very first snow fall.

the warm spring and summer months are what get me through the miserable cleveland winters (if you've read some of my older posts, i've expresed my dissatisfaction in dealing with all this cold...brrrr!).  so this week, i bring you some of the things i love about the warmer time of year.

top ten things i love about warm weather cleveland:

1. no more driving in snow and taking 20 minutes just to get out the door because you have to make   sure all your kids are bundled up (especially the baby).

2. the flowers and green foliage that bring color and cheer back to the outside world.

 

3. seeing everyone on our street coming out of hibernation.

4. summer nights sitting on the porch steps with my husband, chatting with each other or our neighbors, while staying cool sipping on a mint mojito or a cold one and only.

5. my feet are finally free from wool socks and boots!  hellooooo flip flops.

6. outdoor farmers markets, our weekly city fresh pick up and LEAF nights.  oh am i looking forward to this one.  all that fresh, fresh produce is going to taste soooo good!

7. booked weekends because there is always something going on here in the 216 as soon as the weather warms up.  some of my favorites: made in the 216, the streetwalk or walk+roll,  kidfest, car kulture show, cross point picnics at the park, the bridge project, and there are just too many to list.

8. leaving my car in the driveway for a week if want to, because i can walk to everywhere i need to go (yes, this is also possible to do in the winter, but not really that practical with little ones).

9. warm, rainy nights and that after rain smell...so fresh and sweet.

10. parks, playgrounds, outdoor walks and the beach!

just writing this list gets me excited, but i'm trying to stay calm.  since living here, i've learned not to do the happy, weather, spring is finally here dance until at least mid-april.

are you looking forward to the warm months as much as i am?

leaving an inheritance

just thought i'd link this great post on the importance of leaving an inheritance for your children.  i thought it was particularly interesting that the author did not put an excessive amount of focus on leaving inheritance money.  instead, he emphasized that providing and teaching your kids a debt free lifestyle is the inheritance itself (at least that's what i gathered from the article).

helping your kids avoid being in debt during the first years of their adult life (whether it's paying for college, furnishing their own home, etc.) is an amazing gift that we as parents can give.  i know that we wouldn't be in the financial position we are today if my parents did not take the burden of paying for my college education.  we would definitely be in a way bigger hole. 

and now, we would like to do the same for our kids.  that's why we're doing this.  that way, when they begin their own life as an adult, they can start "fresh."  a clean slate.  it is another way we can be better financial stewards of God's money.  and beyond that, it is a way for us to begin to build our legacy.  how are we managing our finances today so that our grandkids, and their kids, and their kids can be helped?  and how can they help others around them with what we've left behind?  where is our focus?  are we living just for today or are we living for the future?