The Lily Pad

What every crafting girl needs....a table saw. ;D Some Madelyn cuteness...turn your head. Blogger is a butthead. Mashing taters, adding cheese, butter and milk! Yum yum! Have a great week!

So I'm jumping on the wagon and doing Friday Fragments. I just can't seem to put together a cohesive post lately, so fragments are perfect...as my brain is probably a little fragmented. :) I started my training with Jillian this week by using her 30 day Shred DVD. OHMYGOSH! She totally kicked my arse. Of course I realized after I did the workout that I hadn't really "worked out" in over a year. I've walked, done some cardio, jumped rope, etc...but nothing like that! I was and still am sore. But it was a great workout, in 20 minutes I felt like I used to after an hour+ at the gym. Earlier this week I was driving home after a meeting and it was really foggy. I realized that was how my head felt lately. I just can't seem to wrap my brain around things or think clearly. I hate this feeling. I'm chalking it up to a predeployment haze. Twice recently I've been giving presentations on things I know and caught myself just reading off the slid...

My submission for Suggestion Saturday: Katrina's buttered fennel chicken

Some more of our fun at the beach. Mostly for family because it's too big to email and I'm too video-illiterate to make it smaller.

Can't think of a better way to spend a February day.

Today is one of those days where life is hitting me like a ton of bricks. How is it that I can go several days with absolutely nothing scheduled and then I end up with 3 things in one day that all kind of conflict...plus a little no fun news. It's a beautiful day, life is good, and none of the things are really that big of a deal except I had completely forgotten about two of them until I came home to reminder emails...and they happen tomorrow! One is a LINKS presentation for Marines. Something I would have liked a little more prep time for because Marines are by far our hardest audience and I'm scared they'll have questions I can't answer. The other is our predeployment brief...or as I like to call it, the thing that happens that means my husband and love fo my life is leaving me for a long time and it's coming soon. Something I just don't want to think about. The third thing that is happening is that my beautiful sister in law is coming to visit! I am so...

This prize over at Jessica's blog is so much fun I almost didn't share it, but I need the extra entry because I need some of that art hanging on my walls. So...go to the blog but DO NOT enter...or I'll have to cut you. :) While you are checking out Jessica, you might as well check out the Hunduddle Hussy (see the nifty button over there on the right...use that to get there anytime!) as well. They are one and the same, but one is a vlog and sure to make you laugh! Plus today is the Hussy's debut post! Enjoy!

You may have heard that I had the wonderful opportunity go see Ellen yesterday! It was so much fun! I carpooled up with a great group of gals and we chatted and laughed the whole way up to Burbank. When we got to Ellen we had to stand in a line to get our "ticket" and wait for the show to begin. While we waited we could busy some food from a food cart, browse the portable Ellen store, and watch episodes of Ellen. The waiting area was in the bottom of the parking garage but was so nice and clean. The bathrooms were awesome! During our wait there was music and even a talent contest. It was fun! Several women from our group were pulled out from the crowd and taken back and screened...and TWO made it on the show! It was so exciting, but I was more than a little jealous of them getting to hug Ellen! They played a super fun game and got an awesome prize! Ellen was fabulous and it is seriously a party the whole time you're there! We danced every commercial break and ha...

Have you been to ThreeG's lately? No? Well go check it out and become a follower..when we hit 30 we'll be having a Giveaway! I am not by nature a list maker. Lists get long and restrictive and I never know what to put on said lists because when I start writing, especially with pen and paper then it becomes stream of consciousness writing and then my little list is 4 pages long with 6 addendum . I used to try to make notes of the brilliant ideas that come to me late at night when I can't sleep or when I wake for a few minutes and have had a project on my mind. The only problem with this is that I would write something that made sense to me right in that moment and the next morning? Yeah, I could never figure out what I meant. Never. I think that means that my stream of consciousness at that point in time is not so comprehendable ...or that I am drunk and don't know it. Here are some examples of notes that have been in said notes (usually the backs of envelopes or magaz...

Today Madelyn was the Happy Helper at Mommy and Me. One of the duties is to hold the flag for the pledge of allegience and to say "Please rise" to all of her friends. We practiced and practiced and she was very clearly saying "pea rye" on cue...until it came time to actually do it. However, she did a great job holding the flag and putting her hand on her hear! Do you like her outfit? Yeah, she picked this one out. Those shoes are her favorites because she can very easily put them on herself. Yesterday I spent $6 and bought her a scooter at this awesome little consignment shop and of course in the interest of safety we had to have a helmet...which she wore out of the store and the entire ride home. She must be a little scared of my driving. :) This was the best $24 (including helmet) I've spent in a while! She loves her "bike" and has ridden it all over the place. She's not too good at turning yet and chooses instead to just pick it up and...