Mother's Day Bunnies

Would you like to see the newest additions to our family?

 Aren't they the sweetest things you've ever laid eyes on? Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved bunnies. What's not to love? Their fur is the softest and fluffliest to the touch and they make zero noise!

When I was 9, we moved from Desert Hot Springs, California to Montrose, Colorado. I remember my Mom promising me a bunny once we got there to ease the pain of leaving. I loved the two bunnies we got...one's name was Butterscotch and he was a floppy-eared fellow and the other's name was Oreo.

 When we went to the pet store to pick our new bunnies out, I fell in love with this one. I needed to hold her right away. She is a little dwarf bunny and she is really snuggly and patient. But when I looked over at the pen after holding her, I saw this one...

She looks quite a bit like my Oreo! How could I leave her behind? It was pretty much decided then that they were both coming home with us.

I mean, we did have plenty of space for them, Michael bought me this bunny mansion! Three levels of fun, plus storage. Yeah, we were gonna need more than just one.:)

 Meet Oreo Aubree Schatz and Twinkie Jillian Schatz.

  Can you guessed who helped me name my new loves?

 Jilli is on cloud nine! This whole weekend, you could not find her without a bunny in her arms.

 Here is Ethan with Oreo. He is loving them as well.:) (Look at Jilli in the background...Daddy just took Twinkie away from her, for a minute.)

 Look at our Lexie with Twinkie! She has been so sweet with the bunnies, too!

These are the moments I live for as a mother. You always want to give your children everything you didn't have, but we also wanted to make sure we were giving them all the good that we had. Bunnies were definitely a highlight of my childhood.

p.s. We may or may not be getting a few more...hehe!
p.p.s. If you've got children who NEED to hold a bunny, come visit us! I want these bunnies to be  held as much as possible so they will stay nice as adults.

Lots of love and hugs!

CHA Teacher Appreciation Breakfast 2013

I had an 'ah-ha' moment a few months ago...and after I did, I was really surprised I hadn't noticed it about myself earlier. I mean, all the signs have been pointing to this one conclusion for quite sometime-way to go, Elizabeth-way to connect the dots.

This self-discovery manifested itself right after the Holidays when I put away my Christmas decorations. Pure and simple, I want my environment to be pretty, beautiful even! Whether I am making a cake, redecorating a room, or designing a special party...it's gotta be gorgeous, or I lose  interest and focus. It's not my fault or even a choice. It just seems to be what fulfills me. I get great satisfaction from flowing ruffles, lace, hues of pink, cream, and white. Oh, and anything nostalgic.:)

With that being said, is it really any surprise that a Shabby Chic breakfast was in my future for CHA? I mean, I had a lot of the stuff already. I had just redecorated my Living room and Lexie's bedroom with this theme in mind. It would be easy, right?

Hindsight is always 20/20.

When I sat down to draw my inspiration board, I imagined up a beautiful cream-colored ruffled tablecloth. THIS was a must! Until I found out how much one is. The cheapest one I found was over $100! Even if I had that kind of a budget, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on one! Not when I knew you could make one a lot cheaper. So, that's what I did!!!! YES, ME! A SEWER! Last week I climbed a big old mountain and blew myself away! My determination for ruffles exceeded my anxiety of pulling out my sewing machine and giving it a try by myself!

Now, in my defense, it has never been an issue of thinking sewing is hard, I just didn't know ANYTHING about it. It would be like going out and operating a bulldozer, a crane, or any other foreign  piece of machinery. But I did it!!! I really did it!!! Look at the picture-there's my proof! (can you tell I am still celebrating?)

I finished it up on Friday and by Friday night, I was at Clear Horizon's Academy laying it on a table. All of the other decorations were pretty easy to get for this party.

 I found this old vintage wooden crate on Facebook's Vintage Yard Sale Utah for $15. Michael about died when I made him drive to Alpine to pick it up after one of Jilli's soccer games. He couldn't get over how "old" and beat up it was. He didn't see my treasure's potential-yet. I think I've changed his mind.:)

 I got this super cute glass house from CHA's rummage sale a few weeks ago for $5! Woot! I thought it was perfect to stick the fruit cups in.

 Here is our "ugly" table. Hey, don't judge me! The breakfast casserole was destined to go into my buffet warmer, but in the end, I thought trying to move a cheesy casserole into another dish would just make it look like one big sloppy mess. So, we kept the crock pots. The breakfast casserole recipe is right HERE. Perfect for a Holiday breakfast or for the weekend. We also set out English muffins and tortillas, in case they wanted to slide some of the casserole inside.

 Look at our silverware and plate table. I love the vintage hats that I was able to get off of eBay!

 We served milk and orange juice to drink.

 Here are two of my favorite decorations.

 I thought this would be the  perfect place for hard-boiled eggs!

 Look at these cute glass milk containers! I love them! Take THIS little hint and you will save a bundle on your next party, trust me.:)

 I found this pretty petite tea set on eBay as well.

 Do you like our final product? We had croissants, bagels, doughnuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, milk, and hard boiled eggs (you gotta have protein, right?) on this table. The staff were all so excited! One girl came up to me an said I was crazy! Haha...I know she's right!

It was so worth it to see them all smile and hear their astonishment! Definitely an extraordinary breakfast for some E-X-T-R-A-O-R-D-I-N-A-R-Y Teachers, Administration, and staff!

Our Patio Adventure

Once upon a time, when we first moved to this house almost six years ago, we had a decent backyard. It wasn't perfect...there were some bare spots where the grass had stopped growing, but it was okay. There were lots of lovely trees and plenty of shade; complete with a concrete slab right outside of our mudroom.

To be perfectly honest, I tried my best to not think of how nice the backyard was because I knew what was going to happen. We had Dash. There was no where else to put him. He is too big, too black, and too rambuncious to be in the house-plus he sheds!

We had just replaced quite a bit of sod in our other house that we just sold and I didn't want Dash to ruin the whole backyard again! At least this spot where we were going to stick him had the least amount of grass and a whole lot of concrete. Still, I shuddered to think of my new backyard's fate. 

Last winter, when Dash was making it ever clear that his cable was not going to keep him in the backyard, we got a phone call from a concerned neighbor. She had the best idea I had ever heard! Why had I not called her when we first moved in? She kindly explained that throughout all the years that she lived next to this house, there was something she was so jealous about. She admitted that the storage room just off our garage was something she wished she would've had for her dog. She pointed out that we already have the concrete and the storage room. Why not make  Dash a dog run there and let the storage room be his shelter? Oh, I could've kissed her! I had been trying to think of a cost-effective solution for Dash for years!

 It turns out that Home Depot has these ready made fence panels. With the help of our other neighbor across the street, Dash's new dog run was up in no time! We just drilled holes into the side of the brick (instead of the concrete), stuck a gate in the back, and VIOLA! Dash had a new safe home. Of coarse, he wasn't too happy about it at first, but once winter hit, he was!

 Here's our backyard Destroyer. He's 2 for 0.:)

 This is the inside of his storage room. The picture doesn't show it very well, but he has a nice plush cushion to lay on, a light for at night, his food and water bowls and a space heater for when it is cold. Oh, and he comes in every night and sleeps in our mudroom.:)

Would you like to see a picture of our backyard BEFORE we started making improvements?

 Here it is, nasty and depressing! Do you see the red tiller I rented from Home Depot? I was determined to get this show on the road!

Yuck!

 Here is a picture just before the sod came. I really hate that this picture doesn't show the hours upon hours I spent tilling, raking, and shoveling dirt, but with that being said, you get the drift. I had so many holes that I had to fill in from where Dash had dug and burrowed into the dirt. Yup! Made me love him more!:)

We ended up having to install four sprinkler heads to ensure that the new sod that we were going to have installed, would live. When the sod arrived, I was so excited! Seriously, it has been a six year long dream to be able to use this patio for what it was intended for! I still have more work to do, it's not nearly where I want it to be, but, this is what it looks like now and we LOVE enjoying this space!

 Here is a picture of our new patio! HOORAY!!!!

 Isn't my sod gorgeous!?

A quick snap from the patio table.:)

 Here is a picture of our patio from our hot tub room that is just off our master bedroom. I love getting in the hot tub early in the morning to watch the sunrise or late at night, just after I've exercised. It's the perfect way for me to relax and get an awesome massage!

 Look at my Lilac bushes! I look forward to them blooming every Spring.:)

 Here's the fam! I made us all eat outside this whole weekend.

 I snapped this picture of my beauty, Lexie.

 I had to take a picture of us to celebrate. Michael, being Mr. Practical, had to mention how much our new patio cost him. I asked him why else he thought we were eating outside for every meal? So we could enjoy it, be grateful for it, and celebrate it! He completely agreed!

 Would you like to know what the key to my success will be for keeping our lawn green despite our two K-9 furry friends? GrassSaver from Petsmart. Sugar gets two/day and Dash gets like 5?

I have one more thing to report that I am so proud of! Last fall, I actually remembered to plant bulbs! So, there is happy dance number one...

 Happy dance number two? They bloomed!!!!!

I kinda wish I hadn't spaced them out so far, but that's what this picture is for-to remind me this fall of where they are located and to plant more so they are closer together.:)

Happy Spring!!!!

Ethan's Play

On March 21, 2013, Ethan and his grade at Barratt Elementary School put on a Traveling Show. They practiced for months by memorizing their lines and rehearsing various songs taught to them by their teachers.

I have always been impressed with Barratt Elementary and their push for the cultural arts. Growing up in Olathe, Colorado for most of my schooling, there were ZERO guys who could carry a tune. (So, if you are a guy and you can are not tone deaf, you are then a magnificent singer in my book!:) But here, it seems to be the norm and I love that! Plenty of guys sing and they are not considered gay (like it was in Olathe.) I think it has to do a lot with church and a whole lot to do with the Elementary putting a push on music.

When the play first started, all the fifth grades came flooding out from the back and into the isles singing, "Coming to America" by Neil Diamond! It was awesome!!!! The kids sounded great and you could tell they had been well-rehearsed and were excited to share their performance with their family and friends.

Ethan was a part of the Navy. Look at our handsome boy! Look at the incredible backdrop!

 Here is Ethan with his speaking part. He was so proud and passionate to perform!

Even the teachers performed! Miss Manderino is in the middle, dancing with a stick horse. What great sports those teachers are!

By the end, we were once again so blown away by the amount of effort, talent, and time that went into this production! And the best part? The kids learned a ton of history from the musical! Which is a great thing since they were tested on it.:)

Have a great day!

Easter 2013

Happy Belated Easter, y'all!:) I am way behind in all my posts and this is my feeble attempt at trying to catch up! I wish I could say that I have all the pictures that I wanted from this holiday, but truth be told, I was a little busy and distracted.:) I did get a picture of what the Easter Bunny brought the kids...

Lexie's basket is on the left. She got a box of perfume, some bunny ears, Starburst jelly beans, and a stuffed Tiger Lilly and Wendy doll. That Easter Bunny is soooo smart! I have been looking for those two dolls everywhere!:) Ethan asked for 5 Ninjago mini-figs, and the Easter Bunny put them each in a plastic egg. He, too, got some bunny ears, a mini-fig pencil sharpener, and loads of chocolate candy. Jilli-Bean received two Beanie Boos (don't ask) a Lego Friend's set, a kite, bunny ears, and loads of candy as well.

Michael and I received my Bopchi on the Amtrak late Thursday night before Easter. She made me so happy by saying she would come! She did take one look at a few items in my newly redecorated living room and ask when I was planning on finishing them. I pulled out my sewing machine and she put me to work! Here she is getting me started...

Since I have left home and decided to grow up, I have had a tinge of regret. Why didn't I learn to sew from my grandma? She is an amazing seamstress!!!! How lucky am I at age 33 to be able to learn from my hindsight and get a second chance? Pretty darn lucky! I feel very blessed that at 91 she is still holding on strong!

What did she get in exchange for her sewing skills? A lesson and sales pitch on the iPhone! I told her she HAD to get one! So, I showed her in depth how to use one. Hopefully soon we can text, send pictures, and share recipes via email.

On Easter, my brothers, Andrew and Adam, joined us for dinner along with Adam's Family. We ordered a Honeybaked Ham and had all the fixings. April 1 happens to be Adam's birthday, so I whipped him up a special chocolate cake and we sang him "Happy Birthday." Don't be fooled by Adam's expression....he is just mad that I won't let him pose inappropriately for his picture. Anyone who knows Adam knows what I am talking about.:)

 Bopchi made her famous Chocolate pie that everyone raves about. It lived up to all it's hype! DELICIOUS!!!!!

I took this picture as Michael and I tucked Lexie in that night. The Easter Bunny and I had some Schizophrenic conversations about Wendy and Tiger Lilly. Yes, she's 12. Yes, she's growing up. But she LOVES these two girls from Peter Pan and they are so hard to find! So, we decided to go ahead with these dolls and throw in some perfume for some good measure. Turns out, that she loves them all!

Wishing you the very best! We hope your Holiday was wonderful!