Brenda & The Boys

I am so blingin' happy about my new blinged out headphones!! I got'em at Ross!! They're so SHINY!!!

So, if you don't know already I am a major PINHEAD! I love the website pinterest.com . It is full of Ah-mazing ideas. Ones that I have pinned for later. And ones that I have actually made or tried to make. OMGosh, it is super fun. If you don't know what pinterest is then get over there stat and check it out! Brilliant site! One of the projects that I created via an idea on pinterest is a "homework station" for my boys. I found that now with both of them in school and having homework, and due dates, and papers, and binders etc. They needed  a place to put "their" own stuff. So, I found a space in our study/office area and made a homework "command" station. It has worked out really well. I am pleased. I even added my own little touch. Here are the pics. Here it is. AJ on the right. MP is on the left.  They each have a bulletin board for posting important notes. Each have file holders for homework, reading logs, and other papers they use o...

Dear Sarah, Its been so long since we last spoke. We got your Christmas card this week. Brought tears to my eyes. You have grown so much. Oh, how I miss your sweet smile and your soft hugs. I want to hear all about school, and your new friends. I heard ya'll got a pool this summer. I miss you! I also miss your dad yelling, "B. Loooooooooo!" every time he'd see me. Jordan looks so tall! OMGosh. I don't think I'd recognize him if I saw him in person. He is a teenager now! Lauren is just as pretty as ever. I wonder how she is doing now that she is in 5th grade. Is she excited about middle school next year?! And your mom. OH, how I miss her. It hurts. I need to call her. I need to make the time. Life is crazy. BUT I need to hear her voice. I miss you, Sarah. I hope that this Christmas is just awesome for you guys!! Please know that I think about you guys all the time! Love, Brenda (:

My sweet boy comes home from school everyday and does his homework without being reminded. Love him!

A friend. Yes, that is a girl, painted this for Matthew. He already has a way with the ladies. Lol. I asked him last night if any girls in his class liked him and he said, "Yes!" "All of them." Well... there you have it. Oy!

Surfing the net I guess requires a helmet these days. :-)

When you live with boys football helmets become part of the decor. Sigh. ;-)

I saw a cute idea on. Yes, Pinterest.com. It was for a Fort Kit. You know the sheet and blanket forts/tents you made as a kid and now if you have kids like your kids make. Well several people have posted the kits they have put together and have given as gifts. So. We are going to a party this weekend for a 5yr old boy and I thought this would be the perfect gift for him. I went to Walmart and bought 2 sheets. The kits online said to get 2 twins. I got a Full and a Twin size. I also found the drawstring bag there. Then I went to the .99 Store and got a flash light, batteries, clothespins, string, clamps, and suction cups. Before, I put all the stuff in the bag I printed out a label onto iron on transfer paper. I use the kind for dark fabric. It is easier to use. Printed out the pic. Ironed it on the bag. Put all the stuff in and presto! Fort kit. I think he will love it! I hope he does! This could be made for boys or girls. I saw fun pink and polka dotted sheets, too! Thanks again, Pint...

Matt made this at school last week. It is about our dog Phoebe that passed away on Aug. 16 of this year. I mentioned before that he still talks about her as if she were still alive. He then will remember. She is not. Poor guy. His paper is a picture of Phoebe by our front door. It was her favorite place to lay. He writes: I have a dog named Phoebe. And she always likes to sleep by the front door. She go's outside all the time. Breaks my heart. He's so sweet. He misses her. I do too, Matt.

On Thursday night after I had taken my shower and gotten ready to finally lay down with my iPad and do my favorite nightly activity. Which is to listen to the night before's Big Brother after Dark while on  Pinterest  on the iPad. While pinning I ran into this picture of this girl and her gorgeous long blonde hair. Her long loose curls are so pretty! I pinned it and then it took me to a YouTube link about how to get these curls without heat. Oh, yeah and with a sock. Yes. I said it. A sock. Crazy. I know. So, I watched the video. A few times. A few times cause the girl's accent is awesome. And plus I wanted to be sure I was getting it right. So, watched this video. Looked at blonde girl's curls again and was like gotta try this. Doing it! Since my hair was already damp like she said it should be and cause I had a sock that was missing its mate and surprisingly I hadn't trashed yet. I was like done and done. Wet hair. Sock. So, I got my hair up in a sock bun. Went to sle...

I wonder which little Parks left this fake rubber life like surprise for me to find this morning!? Ahhhhhhhh!

A very happy little guy. We were there to give to them and the firefighters still were giving to us. Thanks, Captain Rick. Last night and yesterday was scary for our neighborhood. There was a fire about 2 miles away. It started about 3pm. It burned over night. We we woke up about 3am to a house filled with smoke. The firefighters worked all night and it was 100% contained by 5am this morning. I barely slept a wink. I was worried. I found myself having an anxiety/panic attack about 8am. If you've ever had one, it is a horrible feeling. Anyway. I decided I wanted to do something for the awesome firefighters of our local Station 105. So, I baked away all morning. A cake, some brownies, a few tubs of cookies (From my boys school fundraisers. Which by the way we are selling cookies etc until Sept. 20 if you need some.) that I had in the freezer. As soon as I picked up Matt from school he helped me carry them in to the guys at 105. They were so happy. They thanked us a million time...

Words to live by. I saw this picture not to long ago. The words have stayed in my head. So much so that when I wake up and go about my day and I get to that point where I am about to complain or gripe about how horrible I feel or silly things like how I wish that my youngest son hadn't helped himself to the pancakes and syrup and gotten syrup on the floor, cabinets, counters, sink. Everywhere. You know those  kinda days or moments. Well when I get to those days and moments lately I think of the words and know that somewhere, some one out there is fighting a harder battle than me. The Texas  wildfire victims come to mind. A person just diagnosed with cancer. Those hard things. So, I pick myself up and am glad that I only have sticky Matthew syrup to clean up. The other day I decided to take these words and challenge myself a bit. To be kind. So I did something very simple. I smiled at every person that I came across. Even if I was in the car driving. I made eye contact and...

This is Phoebe and the boys. Her brothers. She was 11 here. Its been a few weeks since the last Matthew Moment. They occur daily but, I just can't post them all. Sorry. There are just too many. As you know I save the best ones to share with you guys. This one is no different. For the last few days Alex (8) and his cousin Madeline (10) have been co-writing a comic book. They get on Skype and discuss and write it together while Alex types it up on Word. Smart kids. Love them. I was still picking my nose at 8 and 10. Any who. Today Matthew (5) decides he wants to write a book. "A book," I say. Really about what?! My dog, Phoebster (he calls her). Side note. Our 14 year old dog died on August 16 (on mine and Kevin's 14th anniversary). Her name was Phoebe. She was our furry child. The boy's sister. Our family member. We have talked a lot about how much we miss her. Lots of tears have been shed. Matt sometimes still talks about her as if she were still with us. T...

iLike to listen to my iPad in the bathroom while I am getting ready. I either prop it up or lay it flat. I have a dock but, it is in another part of the house. I only listen to it in here while I am getting ready so, I didn't want to $pend money on something that I only do for a short time each day (in this place). So, yesterday while I was in Hobby Lobby I bought this frame holder. It was $8. Now I can put my iPad on it and it won't topple over and doesn't have to lay flat on the counter. Yeah!

Did I really need the 40 oz. party bag? Ugh.

I love taking pictures! I love having pictures all over my house. I bought this frame and put pictures of the house I grew up in, the house my husband grew up in, and the house that he and I and our two boys live in. It is one of my favorite frames. I like it because it reminds me of where we grew up and where we are now together. I get a lot of compliments on it. My boys say they can't wait to add their future homes to the mix! (: