Where have I been

So it seems like since the New Year I have been letting my blog down! Thing is I have just been too busy and it seems like nothing really exciting has been going on. But I am trying to get back into the groove.

So this weekend Sofia had a friend's birthday party to go to so here are some pics from that. The party was at one of those places with the jump house things. Oh and yes, people still tell me how awesome Sofia's party was whenever I see them at other parties! Yes, I love it!!!

Oh and also on Saturday night, Sofia went to Parent's Night Out at the YMCA from 5-9 so I got to go grab a bite to eat and see a movie with a friend! Woo Hoo!

Have / Have not done it list

I borrowed this from One Fabulous Mom, you just bold the ones you have done!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7.Been to Disneyland or world!!

8. Climbed a mountain (part way!!)

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon or 1/2

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71.Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76.Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82.Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94.Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

I tag anyone else who wants to join in! Leave a comment to let me know if you decide to play along!

Tuesday Tune

Just thought I would share an awesome song / video that I found on YouTube (thanks to my Norwegian friend)! Really Beautiful!

Cougar Den

This is SOOOO funny!

My Valentine's Day

Sofia and I got beautiful flowers sent to us for Valentine's Day!

But maybe the best part of all was this:

That I got when her Daddy came to town! I am very excited about this!!!! I mean you gotta have a vacum and if you gotta have one, it might as well be PINK!

So, did St. Valentine visit you? Or did you give great gifts? Do tell!

Flashback Friday

Sofia's 1st Valentine's Day, 2 1/2 months

Last night a MIRACLE happened at our house!

Sofia ate 2 bites of each of the above items!!!! Woo Hoo! Now, many of you know that at the age of 2, Sofia decided she would no longer eat fruits or vegetables--and she does not! NONE! For a while I had her eating a few peas each day. She quit. But last night, without too much of a battle (but some minor threats on my part) she consumed 2 spoons of sweet potato with marshmallow and sugar and cinammon and 2 spoons of corn from the cob - yes covered in butter and salt. But hey, at least she ate vegetables!

She also drank this:

and she NEVER drinks juice!

But the best thing is that I smuggled this:

Butternut Squash

Into this:

her yummy cornbread (along with some cream corn) and she did not even know it!

Need a Bloggy Makeover?

Well I certainly do, and if you do too, hurry on over here to see Southern Accent's handy work! Even better, she is having a great give-a-way for 2 lucky readers to receive a blog heading! So run on over and check her out!

Family pictures in your house, what do you think?

Update - I also just wanted to clarify that I personally like to have pictures out for others to see. At my house, we do most of our living upstairs, so that is why I put most of them upstairs in my house. I also have oil paintings of my daughter that hang along my stairs, because I certainly want those out for everyone to see!

I want to thank everyone for their feedback and I agree with all of you--that no matter what HGTV says, make your home just that--YOUR home!



So how do you feel about posting portraits, etc. in your home? I know HGTV really frowns upon having too many portraits of kids, etc. in your home?

I personally do not have any in the downstairs of my house. I like to keep them all upstairs. I actually don't mind them anywhere in your home. If I had a stand-alone family room from living room, I would have them downstairs too. But upstairs, I have them in my Master Bedroom and the playroom.

So what are your thoughts on this?

Our New House - Part 2 -Just Pics

My bedroom - ignore the workout tubes you see sticking out from under the bed!!

My desk in my room. I have never had my computer in my room but I sort of like it because I can watch tv and movies on it with hulu, etc. Now I will just have to keep my desk clean!

Part of my bathroom. This is an old sewing maching table, that I was able to put a shelf inside for storage. It works out good in this space.

Bathroom--notice the Celia Rivenbark - "Bless Your Heart, Tramp" book!!

The Guest Bed Room upstairs. Sofia's bathroom (that she never uses because she perfers mine) will also be the Guest Bathroom. My guest will have a gorgeous view of the mountains!

Another shot of the Guest Bedroom. Still need to determine drapes in this room.

The Playroom - better known as the "Stable".

Playroom again.

Looking at the Family room from the Kitchen. I have not put up my drapes yet, these were here. Notice the "free" tv cabinet I talked about here.

I will use it in the family room until I can find something I like better.

Our New House - Part 1

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was posting pics of our new house--well it has been a year. We jsut finished moving and I hope it will be the last for a while. I am renting from a friend and we are about 2 miles from Sofias's elementary school she will attend this fall and still very close to the YMCA and my work. We only moved about 4 miles from our old house.


So anyway, here is a tour of the house (except Sofia's room because her bedding is getting washed as we speak). We are really happy here. I had to get rid of a lot of stuff though, as we went down about 500 square feet. It is very similar to the other house with the furnishings, etc.

Family room and dining area - looking down from the stairs. I went with the denim furntiure that used to be in my playroom in the family room this time - because I was tired of the leather couch.

Another view of the family room. I am now in search of an area rug for this room.

Kitchen - the smallest I have ever had and it is certainly taking some getting used to! Note all the roosters made it to this house as well!

Downstairs powder room and I still need to hang one of these pictures.

Dining area.

s'more fun

Tonight it was such a beautiful cool night outside (those will soon be gone here in AZ) that Sofia and I decided to have a fire on the patio and have s'mores! They were yummy!

This makes me SO happy....

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/parker-and-gal-pals-plan-more-sex-and-city-ap

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

wait, no here it is delightful! The best time of the year in Arizona--still cool nights and mornings and nice warm days. Sofia and I took to the mountain today for a little hiking. We took Nugget along too. We are about 1/2 mile from tte trailhead so I walked and Sofia rode her bike there. Then we hiked for about an hour. We were doing good until on the way back, Sofia was running and fell and skinned her knee and both elbows. A few tears were shed and luckily a lady was hiking and gave Sofia some bandaids--you all know how bandaids solve lots of problems. So anyway, no real damage done and we made it back. She was tired afterwards though.

Beautiful day in AZ with mid 70's temperatures.

Hei og velkommen

hei til min venn fra Norge!

The Lion King

I surprised Sofia tonight and took her to see The Lion King Broadway production at ASU Gammage and I have just one word: AMAZING!

She loved it! I loved it! I will certainly plan to see it each year when it returns! Of course even better was the fact we sat 3rd row center!

The sets and the music are so wonderful. If you ever have the chance to see this, I would say GO!! The looks on Sofia's face were way more special than anything I got from her at Disney World!

Check here to see if the show is coming to a town near you!