Happy Birthday Grandpa!

I was driving Ethan (my 13 year old son) home the other day when he said,
"Hey Mom, y'know what I was thinking about today?"

If you know Ethan, you know that this could have been anything from  a new app to finger-boarding obstacles to a new shirt at Tilly's to  magnetic roads that wouldn't allow cars to crash into each other.
So I answered, "No buddy, what?"
"Well, I was thinking about when I had the flu, and I threw up like every 5 minutes  and I thought I was going to die.   And then you called Grandpa and he got you that little pill to give to me  and I was all better in like....7 minutes!
(Grandpa is a retired pediatrician...just wanted to throw that in there...)
I think that makes Grandpa a superhero."
I smirked and said, "Grandpa is pretty awesome isn't he."
And then he changed the subject to space travel...but while he was dreaming about rockets, I was still thinking about my Dad.

Ethan didn't really know how close he was to the truth.
My Dad has always been Ethan's superhero.
The kind of superhero that got out of bed in the middle of the night when his  pregnant daughter's water broke two months early and his son-in-law was working in Sweden, and drove like a bat-out-of-you-know-where to get me to the hospital.
The kind that held my hand during the emergency c-section and watched  every single move the surgeon and neo-natologist made.
The kind that watched over that little baby that couldn't breathe well when  they took him to another hospital for better treatment.

The kind that walked into the NICU and made sure every single nurse, doctor and administrator knew that the little soul in the 4th incubator was HIS grandson,  and they all better do everything they knew how to do to get him home safely.
And after a few weeks....he came home....perfect.
But he never stopped being that superhero.

He kept track of every milestone and measurement.
He has treasured every smile, every giggle, every hug.

Hs rushed over for every cough and fever so that my boys would never have to go to an urgent care.
He'd say, "you don't want to take them there honey, too many germs.  I'll just come over."
He's done all this countless times, and every time I am beyond thankful. 

Happy Birthday Dad. Thank you for always watching over all of us. Your care and attention has never gone unnoticed, not even once.
But you know what....even if you never had magic feel better pills, even if you'd never made one house call, you'd still be our superhero, just for loving us.

That's My Mom!

Before I was born,

 and when I was a little bitty thing,

 my Mom had a very glamorous job.

She doesn't like to talk about it, so she may not appreciate this much.

(hope you don't mind Mom...Love you!)

But, I saw something today and I have to share.

So.... Mom was a model.  

Like, a big time one.

This was before 'Supermodels', but she was pretty much that in her time.

I have such a vivid memory of walking through the drugstore with my grandmother,

going into the beauty aisle and searching for.....

Mommy!!!!

When you are three or four....

There's nothing cooler than that.

(maybe when you're 40 something too...)

Love you Mom.

(please don't be mad...)

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Valentines for my Rock Star

My older munchkin, Ethan, has had a crummy week or two at school.  

Remember fifth grade?

Math is starting to get hard with fractions and decimals at the same time...

Grammar and punctuation aren't just adjectives and commas...

Science tests don't go so well when you skip a section and don't notice until 

you're grading your classmate's test.

(and, don't tell anyone, but I think there might be girls in his class)

So my normally happy-go-lucky child has been in the downy-dumps..

He forgot that he was a rock star.

So I made him a little treat to remind him.

"Ethan...."

"Ethan....are you listening?"

"Love you bud."

(I was going to write a whole bunch of mushy mommy stuff here,

but then I thought that might embarrass the heck out of him,

and that would be counter-productive)

I left them on his 'homework spot' so he'd see them after school.

I think he liked them...

Then, to prove he's the rock star that I know he is, he said,  

"Thanks for making cookies just for me Mom.  

I know you had a lot of other cookies you could have made.  

It means a lot that you took the time to do that just for me...."

...and my heart skipped a beat.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Art cookies for our family's artist

My Mom is an artist...did you know that?

Yup, she is...for reals.

But here's the thing, she still takes art classes.

If you are someone who has an artistic hobby, you know that's a great thing.

When you take classes you are part of a small community that inspires one another.  You can get instant criticism and feedback when you need a fresh set of eyes.  Then, of course, you learn new techniques and are challenged by your teachers!

All great stuff!!!

So when she asked me to make some cookies for her art class I was thrilled!
....and terrified.  These are artists.  Good ones.  Really, really good ones.

Just a little scary....

Voila...palettes for the artists!

Here's the flipside of the whole art class situation.

When I say to someone,  "My Mom is an artist!  Her work is amazing.  I just saw what she was working on for her class...."

As soon as you say the word 'class', you can see the wheels turning behind their eyes.
They just starting picturing art students all standing around a T.V. watching that art teacher with the frizzy hair telling viewers to paint 'happy little trees...'




Not that kind of class folks....this kind of class.....

....and this one....

...this one too...

(if I remember correctly, I think this one wasn't finished yet...)

(that's my baby, Jack)

Great work Mom!  We love you and are so very proud.....

Lizy B

Strawberries and Rosemary

It's that time of year again in Southern California, strawberry season.
It seems like every street corner you drive by has a white booth with
STRAWBERRIES painted across the top.

Most days you can even smell them in the air.
These roadside stands are usually pretty busy, and the berries are absolutely the best.


For me, these stands always remind me of Rosemary.


Right about now you're thinking I have some phenomenal strawberry rosemary scone recipe.
Or a rosemary mojito with strawberry syrup.....nope.


Rosemary is my sister-in-law.


Rosemary is one of those women that can:  kick-a@$ in a boardroom, knit herself a scarf to wear to lunch, pick-up car pool at the middle school, beat her kid's high score on club pogo, make a fabulous dinner and make the best margarita known to man (she even has her own slushy machine)....all in one day.


You give Rosemary a flat of strawberries and five minutes later you have chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry pie AND strawberry preserves WITH a strawberry margarita on the side.



(okay, maybe not five minutes)



So when I saw the flat of strawberries in our fridge.....I was inspired.

And then I added some flowers...because that's what I do.

And then I bagged them up because one family can only eat so many sugar cookies.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

(Hi Rosemary!)

Shared at The Sweet Deals!  Come on over and take a peek!

Bunnyprints!!!

How do you know when your friends stop being just friends and become your family?
There definitely comes a day when you realize they are a part of all your most important memories.

In our house, it also seems to have something to do with everyday vocabulary and conversation.

• We don't eat crispy tacos, we eat 'Christy Tacos'.  (flour tortillas, hot oil, all kinds of good things going on inside)
• You need a super-deluxe, squisheroo, pick-the-munchkin-up-off-their-feet kinda hug?   That's a 'Christy hug'
• What does Jack say when he's looking at the ceiling during a thunderstorm?  "Mommy, we should call Mr. Brian and thank him for making the rain stop in the living room!" (long story for another day-and yes, he says this every time it rains).
• If something needs fixing in the house, and Daddy is thinking about it a little too long without actually picking up any tools, the boys say "let's call Mr. Brian, he'll know what to do!".   Ethan will even bring the phone.

Really, I could go on and on all day....but its Easter time, so I'm thinking about this...

Ethan was 20 months old at the time, and it was Easter morning.

I was inside making breakfast and Joe and Ethan went out to get the newspaper....and then I heard the giggles.

The doorbell rang furiously and I saw...

Bunnyprints!!!

Absolutely the cutest thing I had ever seen.

So I said (quietly), "Joe, when did you do this?"

He shook his head and said, "wasn't me, I thought it was you."

Ethan LOVED it...(so did I)

After a few moments of thinking there really was a giant man-sized bunny running around town, we started thinking about who could have done this.  

We checked with the most obvious people first, our neighbors...nope not them.

You might be thinking 'didn't they know it was Christy and Brian right away?'

We didn't.  You know why?  

They live a half an hour away!  They drove all the way over in the middle of the night just so our munchkin would have a surprise in the morning....

And....the tradition stuck.

The bunny that visits our house seems to have shrunk a bit and has moved to the backyard (this works out better when mom remembers at 10 p.m. and is already wearing pajamas-no need to scare the neighbors).

He comes through the back fence, hops along the cement to our back door, then disappears under the side fence to our neighbors yard.  

I giggle hysterically while I'm doing this...its absolutely my favorite holiday tradition.

Thank you Christy and Brian (and Reece and Paige)!  This is just another way you've brightened our lives!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lizy B

Save the Ta-Ta's!!!

Some of my very fabulous girlfriends are doing something AWESOME!

They have joined together to walk in the Susan G. Koman 3-day For the Cure this fall.

(60 miles, 3 days of walking, 2 nights CAMPING-yes these ladies deserve cookies!)

They are team........

Save the Ta-Ta's!!

Just love the name!!!

And who is on this team you ask?

Well let me tell you!

In this corner....no wait, wrong sport...

Our first lovely lady is Christy Thompson.

Christy is walking for her Mother-in-Law Carol, her "neighborhood mom" Melinda, her Aunt Darleen, and several other friends who are all breast cancer survivors.

Next, we have Lisa Capps and Gina Rosenwald.

Lisa is the team captain and has organized the ladies into action,
Gina is a 'first-time' walker and is very excited to participate!


Rounding out the team...Stephanie Vrabel and Dina Zapalski.

Stephanie and Dina are working hard, training and fund-raising for this great cause.

These wonderful ladies are proudly walking to acknowledge the challenges women everywhere have overcome while undergoing treatment and surgeries.

Together they have pledged to raise at least $10,000!  Wow!!

All these ladies deserve hugs and kisses and gratitude (and cookies) for their dedication and commitment!

They could also really use donations to help them meet their goal!!

All donations are tax deductible and its very easy to do.  Just click on the walker's name you would like to donate to.  The links will take you to their personal fundraising pages.

Thank you Christy, Lisa, Gina, Steph and Dina!  We're all so proud of you!

Save the Ta-Ta's!!

Lizy B

*A note for all the cookie bakers out there-

If you love the zebra stripes on these pink and white ribbons....please visit the tutorial I watched to learn how to make them.  

Zebra Stripe Tutorial

You can find it on one of my favorite blogs Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.

She is absolutely the most amazing cookie decorator I have ever seen.

Martha Stewart has nothing on this fabulous lady....

Thanks Sugarbelle for all your inspiration!

Look for her camouflage ribbon cookies....amazing!!!!!!

My flower girl!!!!

Went on a field trip today!!!

First Jack and I stopped at Miss Christy's classroom at the High School!
I planned to get really cute pictures of Jack delivering a box of sunshine and there would be lots of smiling and hugs....

Not so much...

Apparently Jack is afraid of the wild species of teenager than runs rampant on High School Campuses.

So we just dropped off our box and were on our way to.....

My Flower Girl!!!!

(Please excuse the awful picture taking.  Have not yet started lessons with my photo guru....Steve.)

Its really cute, all outdoors the way flowers should be.  Feels like walking into someone's lovely garden..

Lisa has the most beautiful hand tied bouquets.  

This was Jack's favorite (mine too!)  and it came home with us!!!

It smells lovely and it feels just a little more like springtime....

Not to mention that Jack fell a little bit in love, he hasn't stopped talking about 

'Miss Lisa, the pretty flower lady'.

And we delivered a little sunshine to her too!!!!

www.myflowergirl.com

So good to see you Lisa!  We'll be back soon!

(Jack is blowing you kisses on the computer.....the boy is not subtle...)

Love ya!

Lizy B

Here's one more shot of the cookies for all the bakers out there....

Paper cranes for Japan

I was reading another of my favorite blogs last night,

Chronicles of a Country Girl (amazing photography!)

and read her recent post 1000 Cranes for Japan.

(waiting while you click over and read her great post about all the paper cranes being made all over the world for relief efforts in Japan.....take your time, I'll wait...)

Welcome Back!

While this sparked my interest for a few reasons,  mostly I think its a great relief effort for kids to participate in.

Ethan is my older son, he's ten. (that's Jack on the right)

He's a great kid, a typical boy in so many ways, loving and happy 90% of the time.  Not only is his glass half-full, he's sure its going to be filled right up again any second.

Love that kid something awful.

But ten seems to be a curious age.  All of a sudden...he realized that homework is a serious thing, and studying leads to good grades, and teachers become grumpy when you talk a lot....hmm.

Along with all that, he has become more aware of the suffering in the world.  He can certainly empathize with a disaster that involves earthquakes (we're here in sunny southern California, atop the San Andreas fault-line), and has been curious about ways to help people on the other side of the world.

Back to the paper cranes....Students Rebuild http://studentsrebuild.org/japan/ has partnered with
DoSomething.org and is making paper cranes to trigger a donation to Architecture for Humanity (to be used in Japan).  The Bezos Family Foundation will be donating $2 for each crane received.  The goal is 100,000 cranes which will then be woven into an art exhibit and gifted to the youth of Japan.

Origami for cash.....one paper crane for $2.00.  Kids can do that!  Kids can do that a lot!!!
You can either send them directly

Students Rebuild
1700 7th Avenue
STE 116 # 145
Seattle, WA 98101

or (if you have over 50) email them

info@studentsrebuild.org

and they will send you a self-addressed box to mail them in.

Both Chronicles of a Country Girl and Students Rebuild have links to you tube videos showing how to make the cranes....

Its such a simple thing, even if you only send one, and a great way for our kids to feel like they can help.

Gotta run!  I'm off to Michael's to pick up some origami paper!  Now where did I put this week's coupon...

Love to all,
Lizy B

Bring on the blooms!!!! (for a very special lady)

Flower cookies it is!!!

Just heard the best news!

But first, a few words about a very fabulous lady...

I have this girlfriend....we'll call her....Lisa (that is her name after all).

Lisa is....Lisa is sunshine.  I can't say that I've ever seen her without a smile, a kind word, an encouraging story....
Even if you catch her on a day full of frustrations, you know that after she tells you her troubles, she will be listing her blessings.

For quite a few years Lisa has worked in the finance industry (and is great at it).
And when you first meet her that seems to make perfect sense.
She is very organized and professional...

When you get to know her, you realize there is much more going on.

This girl has climbed Mt. Whitney....on an anniversary trip with her husband....BY CHOICE!
(as in....island/spa/mountain...island/spa/mountain...which to choose...Mountain!)

Regularly takes 20 mile bike rides....

Runs....really far....

Will spend entire weekends cheering for her kids by the side of the pool while they win races and water polo matches.

Encouraged her husband to leave the world of finance and follow his dreams to become the world's greatest weatherman.....no that's not right....he got his second B.S., then masters, and is now a Dr. and will save the world's energy problems.
(but also gets the southern O.C. weather right every time http://sprinklersornot.com )

I could go on and on...but really, she's just lovely, and we're all lucky to know her.

AND....

She just bought a flower shop!!!!

Flower Girl in Dana Point
www.myflowergirl.com

Congratulations Flower Girl!!!!!
You will absolutely succeed, and be fabulous...just because you are you!!

Now Bring on the Flowers!!!!!

Lizy B

Have you read this yet?

I just finished the most fabulous book!!
The Help by Kathryn Stockett.


Recommended to me by my fabulous friend Chris.
Because she's the one who told me about it, I was able to imagine her sitting with me as I read it.

Every time Minny said "Oh Law!" I heard her giggle.

When Miss Skeeter was sitting in the pantry with the door shut on the telephone, Chris was right outside the door.

When Miss Aibileen picked up Mae Mobley and squeezed her, she had the same look of love on her face as Chris does when she hugs her girls.

It's a very serious story about civil rights, set among some very frivolous ladies. 

.....I'll never be able to bake a chocolate cream pie again....

Thanks Chris!  I loved every word!

Blogging is hard!

So maybe the actual typing isn't hard, but there are a whole lot of decisions to make in a very short amount of time!

Do I want a background, or not.

Do I pay for one, or not.  (big thanks to shabbyblogs.com)

Now I need a header!  Oh my.

I have to choose a font!  (another big thanks to kevinandamanda.com)

How the heck do I do that!

Thankfully...I'm a nerdy girl and I love all things techie.  The more buttons to push the better.

But still, it sounds so simple....'I'm just going to blog now...'
(can you hear the computer fairies laughing at that.... 'suuuuuure you are lady')

This is officially my new blog home.
Cheers, clink-clink, sip the champagne.....
Still unpacking the photo files and renaming things...