b.c.f. (bestest cousins...foreva) saturday, february 27

aren't they adorable?! cuzzins~just like sisters...only better~they get a break from each other (every once in a while ;).

actually i told drew & fleur i wanted visitation rights for her & lily. they said i'd have to pay child support. no way, i told them...i only want the fun part! they laughed. i'm thinking that's almost a yes, don't you?

friday, feb. 26

more and more and more snow! luvin' it!

be sure to keep your priorities straight and don't forget to check your blackberry periodically...
thru the girls' window

this cracks me up...look at the way ed's looking at jake's feet, "hmmm, a little internal rotation going on here perhaps?" my q-t

my other q-t
and another...

we had a huge branch fall in our front lawn-eek. thankfully no one was around!

isn't this beautiful?!!

cheese?

velveeta-memories of my childhood at best! my husband and kids think it's disgusting, like it isn't real cheese or something. i'm slipping it into some TGI Friday's chicken broccoli cheddar soup that i'm making tonight. what would they rather have the soup made out of? gouda or leyden. little dutchies-don't know what they're missing.

thought for week of march 1, 2010

I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our disposition and not our circumstances.
~Martha Washington

i love you, beppe...

who else but mady? she's so real. what you see is what you get. honesty with kindness...with a little say-it-as-it-is added in. here's the conversation with my mom tonight: (let me say, first, that my family is one of the most warm, inviting, thoughtful bunch you'll find. our hearts are as big as the ocean, but acting on what's going on in our minds is...well, sometimes not so obvious. BUT, this doesn't mean that we don't MEAN to call/send a card/letter/email!)

"is that beppe on the phone?"

"yes, mat, it is"

"ok, well, if she isn't going to call me for my birthday i'd like my 'happy birthday' now."

(now, if i didn't know her~and love her~i would have thought her extremely rude...but, this is how mady rolls. she in no way meant to be rude~just honest.)

my mom, being the incredibly good sport she is...and just because she appreciates mady (ok, she appreciates (read: LOVES) anything that has to do w/her children or grandchildren ;) laughed. i mean gut-laughed. was she offended? absolutely not. did she wish mady a happy birthday? of course...and with a huge smile~the exact same thing that was coming from the other side of the phone line.

after i hung up, mady said to me, so profoundly and seriously, "oh, i just LOVE beppe". now THAT makes me happy...and sentimental...and reflective~ok, i'm moody...deal with it! ;)

has anyone seen my laundry fairy? if you do, please give her correct directions~she must have gotten lost!

thought for week of february 22, 2010

What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing.  ~C.S. Lewis

getting along...

i know the age difference is sometimes a pain-close enough that ben's not the 'little' brother, but far enough away that there isn't a whole lot in common. that's changing, though...they're getting a lot closer lately. somehow cars always bring guys together ;) i love to see this progression of these siblings turning into friends-warms a mama's heart!

p.s. i was going to photoshop all the junk from behind them in the storage area of the basement, but someday we'll look back on this and laugh at what a pit it was.

smile, holland! i'm so proud of you.

This is where i grew up: Holland, Michigan. My cousin, Lisa, had this on her blog and i was so proud. It's funny because since i've moved to New Jersey, people say to me, "You're not from around here, are you?" "No, why?" "Because you're so nice". Hmmm...doesn't bode well for New Jersians but I know what they mean~it's a different kind of friendly. Do I like living in New Jersey? Absolutely! Would I ever move back? Probably not. But it sure does warm my heart to know that the little town i grew up in is being honored. It definitely was a great place to grow up!! Congrats, Holland.

This week a Gallup Poll was released which showed Holland MI as the 2nd happiest place to live in America. Only Bolder Colorado ranked higher.

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer featured Holland on the national newscast aired February 17, 2010. ABC affiliate WZZM Grand Rapids MI also did a piece. Both pieces featured video from Holland's Hometown Station 1450 WHTC and Talk of the Town Host Juke Van Oss.

Van Oss was inducted into the Michigan Broadcasters Hall of Fame in July 2009 http://michmab.com/awards/awards_hof.html.

Holland Mayor Kurt Dykstra guided the crews from the ABC Television Network and ABC affliliate WZZM Grand Rapids and chose WHTC as one of the places (and the only radio station) the crews needed to visit to get the story on Holland.

Here are links to stories and videos on this great accolade for Holland, Juke Van Oss and WHTC:

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=118617&catid=14

http://www.wzzm13.com/video/default.aspx?menuid=242#/Latest+Video/Happy+Holland+Gets+National+Attention/50790483001/50624700001/67117431001

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/michigan-town-happiest-places-america/story?id=9865005

http://new.whtc.com/news/articles/2010/feb/17/holland-national-media-spotlight-over-survey-resul/

http://www.whtc.com/stationfiles/whtctv.asp

sledding

in the background

some of my favorite sounds already today:

*livie hugging and swinging a giggling lily around
*jake & matthew laughing listening to ringtones on their phones
*adventures in odyssey
*ben trying to fit in with the big boys...and them including him
*bacon sizzling on the stove

*mady telling me she loves me

*coffee brewing
*ashley & liv whispering, then cracking up
*mady asking me a question from her crossword
*lily saying 'aunt lori, you rock'...what else lily? 'you're cool'...what else? 'you're fun'...anything else? 'you're pretty'. ok, that's all i need for today ;)

distracted?

ed brought me tulips. i think. at least they were laying on the counter by my laptop and coffee. he was nowhere to be found. must have been miscommunication. he told me they were for me. i didn't hear him. the thought was amazing and flowers were beautiful! i always prefer other flowers than roses on sweethearts day-the price is so jacked up...i've told him i'll just take the cash ;) (you totally think i'm kidding, don't you? hhhmmm...) that's what i like to think of valentine's day as-a day for sweethearts. couples in love. like ed and i. our first valentine's day together was when i was 18-you do the math. or not.

thanks for the flowers, honey!~they were exactly what i would have picked out (if i had the cash...)

score! and score! and score!

this is the first year mady's playing basketball and she's doing great. it's so fun to watch her out there on the court. she's a natural athlete and plays to win. i was reminiscing w/her yesterday how she used to take a ball along everywhere she went. i'd put her in the car and then have to take it away to buckle her in and she's start to cry until i gave it back. so cute.
anyway, i'm having a hard time getting a good picture in the gym because of the coloring but i liked this one because of the action. 2 more games...i'll keep trying.

the nameless snowman

this poor guy (girl?) doesn't even have a name? but, liv, you ALWAYS named things-your projects, your animals~even the thanksgiving turkey. are you getting too old? when i asked you the snowman's name you said, 'nothing'. huh? 'name it whatever you want'. no! i don't want to name him-i want you to. i want you to be 8 again. i want you to ask me to zip your coat and tuck in your mittens. i want you to stop being too big to care about a snowman's name. i love watching you grow, livers, but sometimes mommy has sentimental moments. this is one of them. i am thankful you are mine.

funny?

meanies! this is ben stuck in a hole that they dug. do jake & liv help him out? no, one grabs the camera and the other one grabs the video camera. they were hysterically laughing thinking he was kidding. but he wasn't. oops.

snow, glorious snow!! wed, feb. 10

i'm sure it's the midwest gal in me but i love a good snowstorm! not so fond of just plain cold, but a blizzard. the kids are off of school this week and this is just what they needed. we don't get this much so they were outside alot...including once without shoes. what kind of mother would let...oh yea, me. and guess what? -none of them are sick-go figure. it was definite fun!

God bless america! livie-loo

kaitlyn v.w. and mady

kit-kat

a very huge snowball. a very strong girl.

olivia & madyline

you crazy kids!

cold, wet piggy toes ben & liv

thursday, february 4, 2010: ben (& mady) and the boys

the mideveil feast. once in the lifetime. the kids have each done it. in 6th grade mr. g. assigns each of the kids a character. this year ben was the king and mady was a peasant. all the other kids were peasants too. (i'm getting the feeling here that he's trying to teach our family some kind of lesson in humility...hmmm). anyway, this is one of the highlight of 6th grade...mr. g. brings in a ham and everybody brings in something else. and here's the best part-THEY EAT WITH THEIR HANDS! i wanna be in 6th grade again. but i digress...


afterwards ben had all 4 boys in his class overnight. all but luke live about an hr. away so we do these kinds of things on a school night. they were all really nice and let mady in on their game of cranium (i think) and...

BULL! it was so fun to sit in the other room and listen to them. i absolutely cannot get enough of listening to kids laughing. they must have done this for 1 1/2 hrs.

what a great group of kids! i'd have them all over again in a split second. they're really well behaved and polite. i'm very, very thankful for our kids' friends-we are blessed!

(trying to get pics of the feast from another mom...)

shop at home

hi. my name is lori and i detest grocery stores. i know they are essential to feeding my family. i know the aisles are set up to entice me. i know they need my money. but as i get older this feeling grows and i need help.

enter SHOPRITE SHOP AT HOME. oh, you make my life so much easier...and happier! i can sit in my kitchen and shop for my groceries. this is brilliant! i add things to my 'cart' during the week and on groceries day i finish shopping, choose a pick-up time and hit SEND. i then drive up to the pick-up lane, unlock my doors so they can open the back and load my groceries into my truck, and stay in my warm cozy car while the attendant comes to my window to collect any coupons and my money. i still feed my family, they still get my money, and mama's one happy camper! now if i can only hire someone to unload them and put them away...oh yea, i have kids who can do this-free. perfect.

proud mommy brag post

jake came home on wed. w/this report card...check out the 2nd marking period g.p.a.! believe me, he really worked hard for this! good job buddy!

nope

sorry to disappoint but, no, they never do grow up. here they're having a 'moment' flashing back to their childhood with kool-aid blasts. (did i actually let them drink that sugar water? bad, bad mommy!!)

mr. m and his coffee cake

does this, you may ask, require a complete post of it's own? ahh, yes, my friends. this coffee cake is, bar NONE, the best i've ever had. old mr. m, one of our favorite patients, brings this in every time he comes in for a visit. we've been known to step on his feet just so he needs another appointment-ok, we don't...but i have thought about it. it literally melts in your mouth. if i was a foodie i'd describe it to you in great detail, the buttery crust, the chunks of brown sugar-ish stuff on the top, the little bit of crunchiness, not-so-sweet-you-can't-eat-5-pieces of it...i guess i have no future writing food reviews, do i? oh well, i'd rather eat it than describe it. trust me, if i could put a sample here i would. and, as i figure, they shape it in an 'O' for ooohh-la-la!!

from this...to this

look, mom, no me on the couch ;)

now i'm feeling better and back to cooking. the kids wanted it on the whiteboard-great...then i can remember what i'm supposed to do ;) do you remember when i was so grossed out by the powder room toilet overflowing? well i had this whiteboard in the bathroom saying, "do not p**p in here because the toilet WILL overflow and we'll all know you did it!" very funny...funny enough that i went out and bought a new toilet!! it was installed today and i'm a happy camper once again. and the best part? we got our whiteboard back. this is ben's artistic side...all 3 colors in ONE memo! but what a bummer~i can't think past friday...

i'm a happy gal!

although i really loved my life 365 project from my sister, there was just something about it. when she told me she didn't really like the theme (paper, etc.) i realized that that's what it was. LOVED the concept, didn't like the asian feel of the book. so i went back and forth, hummin' & hawin' about if i should do it digital, because the computer works so much better for me than writing. i talked to some people, we bounced ideas off each other and i finally decided that i really want to be able to sit down and look at a book (for the kids, mostly). sooo...i bought some fun scrapbook paper and cut my own. i'm going to do my days mostly on my blog and then transfer it to the book at a convenient time-that way i don't have to try to remember stuff. i'm hoping not to go any further out than a week. i noticed today that when i journaled, what i wrote in the book a lot of times was more in-depth than what was on the blog. this is WAY more me and this is going to work for me!!! yee-haw!! here's a glimpse at a layout... cute, huh?

sick and bored!

this is what i ate today. yum, yum. being sick is such a waste of time...i have WAY better things to do! like blogging.

it's just medicine!

this child sometimes makes me completely crazy. he has a cold and is coughing like crazy and he wouldn't be able to sleep without meds. all we had was liquid. now, he's never been able to take liquid meds-from the time he was a baby he would throw it back up. but seriously, he's almost 12 and it was only a little cup. take 2 sips, or plug your nose, or SOMETHING! it seriously took him 45 minutes to drink this. 45 minutes! i've never heard so much moaning and groaning. i just have this to say to his future wife: good luck!!