Big BIG Slacker!!

Wow has it been that long? Darn Facebook! I swear, it's like crack. Not that I've smoked crack. But I imagine if I did, Facebook would be like that.

So what's going on? Well, the McIntyre boys and Gigli boy are getting the school year wrapped up. Last week and it is Summertime! Woohoo! Granted, it's a short one but it's Summertime nonetheless.

I have been a picture taking fool and loving it. Last weekend Vinnie, Brittany, DeAnne and I took a drive out to San Francisco and walked around North Beach, Chinatown and Ghiradelli Square. I just can't get enough of the city. There are so many amazing things to take pictures of and I was so happy that Vinnie finally agreed to get in front of the camera. Thanks to some coaxing from Brit!! Aren't they cute? Just friends, so don't get any ideas!

This was a really cool art gallery we found down an alley that was in a basement. San Francisco has so many amazing places like this.

Me and my boy. Can you believe he's 16??

Still working part-time at the Diva. Life is just so busy now that I can't devote as much time as I'd like but I am happy to still be a part of the store. I am on this massive creative kick now and have been making cards for the boys' teacher's for the end of the year.

One thing we are all looking forward to is my brother coming home for a visit in August. Then he's off to Iraq AGAIN. Prayers are needed for his safe return. God willing, this will be over soon. It is just scary how long this has dragged on and how many young men and women we have lost.

On a local note, if you live in the Brentwood area, please stop by and eat at Lumpy's Diner. This family owner restaurant is fabulous and all 50's. The food and service is great and my kid's love this place. Address? 5891 Lone Tree Way, Suite A in Antioch. And on Saturday, June 6th they're having a car show from 10am until 2pm. Gotta love it!

Hug Your Kids

If you haven't heard, there was an 8 year old girl named Sandra Cantu that was kidnapped a couple of weeks ago. She was subsequently found dead and the suspect is a Sunday school teacher who lived just 5 doors away. This is so incredibly disturbing on so many levels. The little girl was my Jamie's age. I look at my boys and wonder how anyone could hurt a child in such a horrible way. It was late at night when I heard she'd been found and I went upstairs and looked at my boys, grateful that they were home safe and sound. And prayed for that little girl and her family. Having lost a child, I understand the grief they must be going through. However, losing them to such violence is unimaginable. So take a moment today to hug your children. Keep an extra eye on them, thell them when they do well, don't forget to tell them you love them every chance you get.

We had a very nice Spring break, spending lots of quality time with the boys. Vinnie went to Oahu with my mom to see my brother and they had a great time. My brother will be heading for his 3rd tour in Iraq mid-August and while we are not thrilled, we are grateful he isn't going to Afghanistan. If all goes according to plan, this will be his last tour and he will be retiring in the next few years. We are anxious to have him closer to home or at least not being sent into a warzone.

I am finally starting to create again. It seems like I've been stuck in this funk for months now. Oh sure, I'm still accumulating stuff at record pace but using it? Heck no. I have piles and piles of paper and more embellishments than a scrapper should be allowed. But last week I pulled out a pile of pictures, a box of supplies and miraculously created 4 layouts. Woohoo! Now if I can just keep up the momentum....

I'll keep it short. Just take a minute to hug your kids. Go on. If they're not home, do it when they get home. I'm going to hug mine right now. If they're lucky, I'll let them go.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

What a beautiful St. Paddy's Day we had here in the McIntyre house. Unfortunately, Jim had to work. At least until they make it a national holiday! But the kids and I had fun. They are trying to learn to skateboard. I, of course, am useless as I haven't been on a board in like 25 years. But I get a kick out of watching them.

Vince and my mom left for Hawaii yesterday to visit my brother. They were so excited especially Vince. He is very close to Beto and loves to spend as much time as possible with him. Before he left, we took a day trip out to San Francisco with Brittany and had so much fun. We hit every spot we could get to including the Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point, Golden Gate Golf Course, Ghiradelli Square and Pier 39. It was fun showing Brittany all of our favorite spots. We even got lucky and found our favorite, Lucca's Delicatessen. So yummy!

After lunch at Lucca's, we headed to Ghiradelli Square and found a fantastic cupcake shop called Kara's Cupcakes. They had the most beautiful, delicious cupcakes I have ever had. And after tasting these I don't think I will ever make cupcakes out of a box again. What a difference between scratch and boxed cake! What have I been missing out on all these years?? Heaven I tell you. Sheer Heaven. And look at how pretty they are!!

So I was inspired to run out and gather all the supplies needed for good, homemade cupcakes from scratch. Did you know that they make Madagascar vanilla? And it is REALLY hard to find? I went to 4 stores before I found it. I told you I was on a mission. Oh, in case you're looking, Raley's/Nob Hill carries it. It's pricey at $9.99 but I think it will be worth it.

So this is the newest addition to our family. Pip was a Christmas present for the kids but he is definitely MY dog. He is the sweetest thing and so smart. We got him at the local animal shelter and he is about a year old. He is attached at my hip most of the time. Now, I love dogs but I am not one of those my-dog-is-my-life people (no offense) but this little pup stole my heart. And he is wonderful with the kids. And isn't he gorgeous? He's a long haired chihuahua mix.

Work is keeping me busy and I still love working at the Diva. So much fun working at a place I love and get to be creative. At least when I have time. With mom gone for the next couple of weeks I am off and it feels weird not to be there. Plus with Jim working so much I don't spend as much time there as I used to.

So whether you're Irish or not, celebrate this fine holiday and be happy. Take some time out to tell the ones you love you appreciate them and have a great week!!

Content

So Jim and I just joined a local gym to start working out and we love it. It's been literally ten years since we worked out together. In fact, when we first started dating we joined a gym together but once I got pregnant with Jamie we quit. Then came the fifty other kids (just kidding) and of course, the gym has been non-existent for all this time. ANYWAY, they set us up with a trainer and he was interviewing us about our lifestyle. So he asks, on a scale of one to ten, what is your stress level? And I sat there thinking and realized for the first time in our marriage our stress level is almost zero. Amazing. A moment of clarity at a gym. Who'da thunk?

So I'm on track to get my butt back in shape. Now I'm not aiming for bikini shape because, let's face it, I will NEVER squeeze my lumpy butt into a bikini ever again. Not that I ever did before. I was more of a one piece type of girl. But I want to at least to be able to wear the cute clothes I have from my somewhat skinny days. And Jim looks fantastic when he's in shape plus it just ain't right looking like this. Plus I am feeling great since I started working out. Hopefully next time you see me there will be less of me.

So I'm sure I blogged about CHA but can I just say how much fun it is getting all the new goodies at the store? This Saturday we are having our second 3rd Anniversary crop. The first one filled up so quickly we had to add a second one. So we will packed with over 30 crazy scrapbookers and 16 hours of fun. I can't wait.

Spring break is in a couple of weeks so the kids are excited about getting 2 weeks off. I am loving the schedule out here because we get these little breaks to spend time together. And with them growing so darn quick we need that time. I can't believe my Gavin is starting kindergarten this year. Time just flies by way to fast. Vinnie is at career day at school today. Career day! I'm like, he's 16 already? Where did the time go? And he is growing like a weed. Everyday I look at him and see him looking more like a man than a boy and it is scary.

So all in all, life is good. I am loving life and my family and my awesome job. Ok, I'll stop. But get out there and find your happiness. Do something today that puts a smile on your face and a leap in your heart.

CHA CHA CHA!

DeAnne, Brit and I made the long drive down to Anaheim for the Craft & Hobby Assoc. trade show a little over a week ago. And what fun we had!!! It was so much fun to see all the new product for the comng year. There was so much to see we didn't even make it to every booth there. DeAnne had been before but I never had so I was blown away by the largesse of it. Hundreds of booths and vendors to see. Everything from fabric to yarn to (of course) scrapbooking supplies. We were on overload from all the creativity and beautiful stuff on display. Needless to say, we have returned with hundreds of ideas and ready to create some fabulous stuff.

We met Tim Holtz and he was very nice. He did a demo of a bunch of his products and they were awesome as usual. We also met Heidi Swapp, Melissa Frances, Jenni Bowlin and a few more industry 'celebrities'.

It was 4 days of walking, taking tons of pictures and absorbing as much as we could. The best part was I got to see the twins. And they are soooo beautiful. Frank and Jim are amazing parents and they all look so happy. That was definitely the highlight of my trip.

As much fun as we had, I am so glad to be home though because I couldn't stand being away from my boys. They were actually good while I was gone but that is the longest I've ever gone without seeing the little knuckleheads.

Vinnie just took the high school exit exam. It is so nerve wracking because you just want to get it done and over with. Now we just wait for the results. As for the other boys, they're a handful as always.

Can I just say how excited I am that Nip/Tuck is back on? AND Lost? The best. Nip/Tuck is weird like it always is and Lost, well can they confuse me any more? But I love it. Besides General Hospital & Grey's Anatomy there's not a lot I watch but these two are fabulous.

So tonight DeAnne and I are going to do a 14 day trial membership at a local gym. I have been running moderately and walking a lot but it just doesn't do a darn thing. So I am stepping it up because I am just way too darn chubby. I wanna wear cute clothes again and not feel like I'm gonna keel over if I walk a flight of stairs. I'm on a mission! Wish me luck!

Happy Holidays!

Look who was at the Diva this weekend! We had a very special visit from Santa who obliged us by taking some pictures with the kids. It was a very fun and exciting day for us and we had so many adorable kids come by to see the big guy. Including Nancie's sweet little grandchildren.

Kieran was the only one of my boys brave enough to sit on Santa's lap and he was so thrilled that he took the time to listen to him. So sweet.

And in between the crowd we got this great shot of DeAnne and I telling Santa what we wanted for Christmas.

Busy as usual. Between work and taking care of the boys there's not much time left to post on here but I am really trying. Unsuccessfully as you can see. But life is good, the kid's are great, I love my job and our homelife is fantastic. Of course, if we came into a fat amount of cash that would be great but otherwise, we're happy as clams.

Kieran had a music recital at school and I was so thrilled. He memorized 12 songs! I was so impressed. Afterwards his teacher had hot chocolate and cookies in their classroom. Jim and I were so proud.

So what's going on in my world? Work is great and busy and everyday I walk in there I am grateful. The customers are wonderful and so is my boss who has become so much more than that. She is a great friend and so smart. This job has also put a fire under my butt to start creating again. I didn't know how much I missed it until I actually sat down and started scrapbooking. I've also been taking a lot more pictures and trying to venture outside my box and try new things.

We actually made it out to the Alameda Antique Show a couple of weekends ago. It was freezing but so much fun and HUGE. We were there for almost 4 hours and barely made it halfway through. So much fun and unique stuff.

We saw a ton of vintage dressforms. This was one of my favorites. It had all of these vintage looking tags on it. It was so pretty. And then there was this: All kinds of ugly. I mean, when was this ever a fashion must? And what freakin' backwoods hillbilly was sitting at home while her husband swilled Pabst Blue Ribbon and thought, I could make a fine hat outta that there can.' I can only guess.

Overall, there was some cool stuff but it was pricey and then there was downright c r a p. But well worth traipsing through the freezing cold.

Ok, I'll leave you with this little angel. This is Lily, Nancie's sweet little granddaughter. She has the sweetest little face and the teeniest voice. Love that girl. Gabriel was there also but Gabriel was having nothing to do with Santa because he 'already saw Santa twice'.

Last but certainly not leaset, little Miss Kelsey who is the perfect image of her pretty mommy. This was one of the funnest (is that a word??) days I've had working at the Diva. Seeing their little faces light up and so sweet. Makes you forget all the bad in the world.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and everything else that is celebrated. Enjoy your family, be grateful for all you have and don't waste a minute because it's over before you know it.

Slacker

Yes, I'm a slacker. But not in every part of my life. Just posting on my blog. It's bad, I know. But it was all for a good reason. Like this. Up there. That's me and some of the gals from the new store I'm working at. We had a huge Breast Cancer Benefit Crop a few weeks ago and it was a blast. Throw 30+ women in a room to scrap for 16 hours and see what you get: lunacy. By 1AM we were getting punchy and silly but we had so much fun.

That being said, I have been completely consumed with expansion and move of the store. And it was well worth it because we are all moved in and I have to say, it looks fab-u-lous. It's all pink and black and just so warm and comfy. We added the photography studio and it is all coming together. I am completely in my space with this job. I am so in my element and that makes a huge difference in my life.

So we took the kids out to the Liberty Homecoming Parade last night and then trick-or-treating. The got a TON of candy. And they had so much fun they passed out in the living room. And check out the fancy pumpkin Jim and the boys carved. Love it.

The 2 Batman's are mine and the little lion is Bradley, DeAnne's son. Kieran was doing his best Sean Penn imitation and running from the camera. He was Batman also. Original aren't they? And can I just ask, what the heck happened to making your own Halloween costumes? We spent $60 on costumes! I remember when we used to rummage around my mom's closet and put a costume together. Boy have times changed.

Speaking of times changing, check out my boy:

DeAnne talked him into getting in front of the camera and he looks so handsome and big. I couldn't be any prouder.

OK I will do my best not to let this go for so long again. Really. Have a great weekend and stay dry!!