the Lake House that almost was...

for years Ironman and I have been waiting for a house on two VERY specific streets to go on the market...over the holidays we found out that one might be going on the market in March, so of course we stalked  contacted the owner...  If you follow me on Pinterest you may have noticed that the "Lake House" board appeared this week, because I just KNEW this would be THE house...

so we traveled there today... and we found the most magnificent views and a backyard filled with amazing trees....

as we moved inside, I was mentally moving walls, re-painting the blue kitchen cabinets, admiring the cute chandelier... and really trying to block out THAT awful smell...

And then suddenly things went  downhill... faster than you can imagine....we discovered the "fallout shelter"...built to "1955 nuclear code"... even Avery was terrified...

and then the owner disclosed that these lovely floor tiles have asbestos...

oh, and did I mention that the paint tested positive for lead, and that smell?  oh, the house pilings were coated with creosote... in 1940... and the tar smell has been in the house since... Creosote is not particularly nice and I only had to read on a few sights that it is linked to cancer to know that we are in NO WAY, NO HOW buying this house with the beautiful view...

So on our sad drive home, we talked about demolishing the house, and the cost of removing the creosote soaked pilings, but who knows the remediation costs associated with creosote removal, and what damage it has done to the soil...

so I'll put my Lake House Pinterest Board on hold and wait until one of the other 10 houses goes on the market...Great things come to those who wait, right?

I'm choosing Happiness - Join me?

I recently received an email where the sender berated me for choosing to pursue my career in lieu of being home at 3:45 to meet my children at the bus.  To quote, the sender said "since when did getting a babysitter to get your girls off the bus become such a grand plan?...is deserting your family the best option?"

I actually took this criticism with a grain of salt, because I prescribe to the Maya Angelou school of thought...

But this experience made me step back and reflect on all of the wonderful people in my life who don't question my decisions and who love me unconditionally.  For you I am grateful...  thank you for laughing with me through the good times and the bad...

So I'm taking the email I received as a reminder to...

because

Sometimes even ugliness can be constructive...that's how I'm choosing to deal with this nastiness...and I also spend it laughing.... I hope you do too!

Playing in the Rayne...

Janet's team at Treasured Memories hosts the most wonderful scrapbooking event every summer in Rayne... the frog capital of the world... she thinks of every detail... the food, the prizes, the schedule, the tips before the event, the masseuse, and she has a backup plan for every mishap... an event done right!

Can you imagine over one hundred women scrapbooking together for four days... just laughing, soaking up the creative process and enjoying good company... it's a little bit of heaven...  My heaven even included some actual scrapbooking this year...

As I rummaged around my scrapbook room before Rayne, I found these pages from 2006 that just needed some finishing touches... look at my precious, SwEEt babies...I might need to keep these pages displayed in my room as a reminder that I did not in fact birth heathens...

fast forward to the present... and the heathens  precious children and Daddy all dolled up for the Baton Rouge General Father Daughter Dance...

I could only eek out one page for Halloween this year, must have been too much wine and too little camera...

 here are some of my crazy friends in Rayne, the zany frog capital, one of us is still kissing frogs to find her prince, so we helped her out....

during an exhilarating tax conference in December, Shane snuck down to New Orleans to meet me for dinner in the Quarter... and we actually got to stroll Fulton Street at night

Shane hit one of those milestone birthdays in December and we had quite the celebration.  Nothing like a party at the house to get those nagging unfinished projects completed... Steam clean all the carpets? Don't mind if I do... New decor for the living areas? why not...  10 trips to Goodwill?  absolutely!

so I actually have 4 mini pages that fit in between the two pages, but they are in clear dividers and didn't photograph well... trust me... everyone made the scrapbook...

nothing like spending the day in NOLA with Short Stop po-boys, Barq's root beer and a trip to the zoo...

I almost can't wait for the hot rolls from the school cafeteria.... It's a special treat when the Thanksgiving lunch invitation arrives...You've never seen so many carb counting moms scarf down a hot buttered roll!

Here's the not-so-little-one turning EIGHT...

and her skater girlz....

 I'm super excited to travel to St. Louis in a few weeks to scrapbook with some more great women. I'll keep you posted on my progress, and you keep me posted on your laughing!! 

Thanks to a few special friends...

I played with paper and glue this weekend...

I was lucky enough to spend a relaxing weekend in Mississippi last month with some friends and I finally unpacked those layouts too... 

Most of them are double page layouts, so just pretend I have mad photography/blog skills and can place them together... but that would ruin all of my creative relaxation, so I have to leave them as is...

I did realize that I haven't put layouts in albums since December 2011 - no wonder the stack was "this high"!!  That sounds like an awesome job for Morgan as soon as I buy enough albums... hopefully Hobby Lobby has the right sale this week :)

I'm hoping these special friends are going to keep me on the right track and creating regularly... I'm just a glitter kinda' girl at heart!

We made it!

It's the final hours of tax season... my first real tax season after two years of illness...  And it is one for the books for sure!  I have a new partner who like my husband balances out my "crazy" with  quiet reassuring calm... We have made an amazing team this tax season - I'm so proud of what we have accomplished and what exciting things are on the horizon...

Ashley and I thought we were going to sell the practice last year, but in a interesting turn of events, instead we brought in a new partner and Ashley decided the new partnership didn't fit her families needs, so she left in February.  So I went from potential retirement to full time business owner in a few short months and although it was a surprise and an adjustment... I am loving it!  Coming out of hiatus in a big way!

My clients this tax season were my biggest cheerleaders.  Everyday was filled with hugs, kisses, flowers, treats, a few good tears and genuine happiness that I survived the past two years of hell...  Even when my body was tired from the new routine, our clients would remind me how lucky I was to have survived... Each day is a gift...

I am reading a book titled "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg the COO of Facebook.  I'm definitely navigating the "having it all" mindset and this book is helpful.  This tax season my body reminded me in some not so gentle ways that it has limitations.  I had to find a network of people to help with the girls after school.  And thankfully 15 years ago I chose a husband who not only loves me, but packs school lunches and washes soccer uniforms when Mom is at the office until 10pm.  But this is my new life.... and I'm making the new rules as we go...  Each day is an adventure, and as one client told me this tax season.... the only thing that is constant is change...so enjoy the ride!  and don't worry...even the most stressful days included a LAUGH!!

a little scrappin'

earlier this month I got a chance to scrapbook at Camp Crop-a-Lot in Baton Rouge... I haven't done the new year resolution thing in ages - I mean the fact that I wake up each day is pretty much a miracle.... but if I could scrapbook just a little every week, that would make me much more "creatively well rounded" and I'm pretty sure that's not a technical term...

So if I was one of those crazy new year's resolution making/breaking people, I would "Try to scrapbook once a week"...so let's see how quickly my plan combusts... but I'm off to a pretty good start....

I did a few layouts at CCL, printed pictures three times (once really didn't count because when I went to pick them up I realized they were still sitting in my cart and I hadn't hit "complete purchase"...), downloaded pics from camera to computer to "the cloud" four times AND even started a layout at home...

ALL of that since January 1st - and it's not even February - plus I spent a week in Antigua, so I did all that in like three weeks, not four! AMAZEballs!  as proof, here are a few layouts...

and let me just say, my scrap life would be much easier of all events could be captured in ONE PAGE LAYOUTS...  Does anyone else feel this way?  The majority of my layouts are multi-photo (read: TONS of photos) double page spreads, but when I get the chance to do a single page layout, I'm like a kid in a candy shop...

just imagine the above layout as a two page spread - I'm not very good at taking the picture of the two pages side by side... just a few pictures from a Carnival Cruise in July...

Christmas 2011, not 2012...  why would I rush??? Does anyone recognize those Pink Paislee tags  (1st edition??)

Hope you find some time to scrap... and laugh today!

It's that time of year...

when the girls get all gussied up for a date with Daddy...  

It's the annual Father Daughter Dance, but just in case you think I can dress them up... take a look at these...

 yep, that's the REAL Morgan and Avery... I just try to dress them up for public... but who am I kidding?

I got a special invite tonight too... a date with my boys...

take that!!  in fact, me, Ashley, Jen, GiGi and the boys met for dinner at Sammy's...dinner and kisses from my guys - now THAT's a great night!!

Hope you had a great night too - one filled with laughs!!