the month of march...

It's been a month...a month indeed.

Another move.

Visitors.

Birthday.

Stuff.  You know, just stuff.

I'm knee deep in etsy prep right now, but I had to stick to my goal of my Mock 365 project...and it IS the last day of the month, even if it's 30 minutes to April. :)

Since Picnik is closing before the end of next month, I better get Photoshop downloaded and figured out (since it's been sitting beside my computer for a month.)

So here's my Mock 365 Project: March...

Clockwise from upper left: downtown Asheville, bathroom break, new townhouse...old curtains made new, new shades, the Strahle babies and the Hutchinson babies, my girl, Becky, Saturday morning cartoons, pretty poppy.

Grandparents visit!, a red salamander in my yard, Sistah is 4, Hunger Games!!, new wheels, the mama and the girlie, Happy Birthday, Sophia!, love, Jack :)

happy day challenge #3

It's week THREE already of The Happy Day Challenge!

What is The Happy Day Challenge?

Welllll...just because we all deserve a little happy, I give you a simple challenge every Wednesday, you do it, blog about it, and link up your post the next week.

Sound good?

Oh, it's good...believe me!

Let's not waste time, huh?

Challenge #3: Do Something Gross, then Reward Your Sweet Self

I quickly realized when we moved here a few weeks ago, that the previous tenants had some strange cleanliness habits, as in...they didn't have any cleanliness habits.

They also had a dog.

A rambunctious dog.

That pooped.

On the balcony.

Because he was apparently trapped out there.

For long periods.

Call me Sherlock, but after seeing the gnawed rails and the old poop stuck in the decking, it wasn't too hard to figure out.

Yes, that's poop. And there was a lot more than this. I was unimpressed.

So armed with my painter's stir stick and bucket o' bleach, I shoved every last piece of doo out of those cracks and scrubbed it down. My in-laws were due the next day and I didn't think that would be a very good way to greet my guests; poop on the balcony, that is.

So I had planned in my head when I finished this disgusting task I was getting a treat. And I'd been craving a Thin Mint allll day.

It felt so good to get that gross thing off my To-Do list.

My porch felt clean and ready for some fauna.

I had a sweet moment of bliss alone with coffee and Thin Mints...

It all worked out to line up perfectly with a Spring thunder storm (my favorite).

I relished in the poop-free, coffee-ful, balmy, Springy moment.

Happy Day indeed.

So that's your challenge:

Do Something Gross (that's been stalking your to-do list)  then Reward Your Sweet Self.

1. Do the challenge

2. Blog about it.

3. Link up next week! Yeah!!

Ready???? GO!!!

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I loved your link ups for Challenge #1!

You guys so awesomely trekked to the nursery and got yourself some sweet greens. I loved reading your posts!!

Your Challenge #2 from last week was to Drop It, Do It!, like quit blogging and go for a bikeride with you cute little girl, etc. I'm so excited to see what you guys did this week!!

Please remember to link to your post url, not your blog url. Also, please add The Happy Day Project button so more can join in the fun!!! :)

&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;a <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">href</span>="http://<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">alicia</span>-<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lafamille</span>.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">blogspot</span>.com">&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> alt="giveaways" width="175" <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://i986.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">photobucket</span>.com/albums/ae348/<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">aliciaahutchinson</span>/happydayproject2-1.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>"175"/>&<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;/a>

Go now, a beeee happy!!

need lunch?

I don't know what it is about lunch, but I don't do it very well. I never know what to make and I usually end up eating some gross peanut butter sandwich crusts that the kids didn't eat or some yogurt or something boring.

Spring and Summer are more yummy lunch seasons for me. I like whipping up a big Asian salad or taco salad and eating off that for a few days.

This salad I pinned looks so good. I'll be making that for sure.

These sandwiches also look SOO good. (I have a thing for avocados)

Or how about THIS salad?? I want it right now!

Ok but for right now, this is a staple for lunch. Robin's Super Yummy Guac! I love this stuff! I eat it for snacks, with a salad, whatever...I'm in love!

 There are no measurements...that's how I do things. I'm a rule breaker...sorry. You can add onions (I like red) you can add tomatoes too. It's so easy. Just mush it all up together and devour. Super easy, super healthy. Avocados are one of those super-food thingies, you know.

You can thank me later. :)

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Also, my goal this week is to finish the fifty or so items I've started for my Spring Etsy line, photograph them and list them. Ok, maybe not fifty..but enough. You can expect a variety of things; a bunch of new things with a few oldies, but goodies from last Spring.

My shop right now is mostly empty, but I do have a few Winter line things left and they are ON SALE! Yeah! The Winter things have been marked down 40% and will be gone as soon as the new stuff is listed...so get it while it's hot...or something like that.

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Also (yes, there's two alsos), don't forget TOMORROW is Happy Day Project day, so don't forget this week's challenge, to Drop It, and Do It. Get your posts ready and link up! You'll also be getting your challenge for next week too, so don't forget!

Speaking of linking up, I'm linking this little recipe up with Becks @ Farmgirl Paints so we can all Feed Our Families!

                                                      

is today tomorrow?

Maybe it's because I wake up to questions like the one titled above that my brain feels like mush.

Maybe it's because the last six months of my life have been a constant whirlwind.

Maybe it's because I saw things like this this weekend...

We took a family siesta to a nearby city that was holding a big homeschool conference. Jarrod took the kids to the zoo, toy shops, swimming while I took pages of notes for amazing speakers, coming away fully encouraged to be a great homeschool mama.

But maybe, just maybe, the fetal pig added to my lethargy today.

Maybe it's because my darling husband allowed my children in the hot tub (which is like a ten commandment not to do in our house) and Sophia swallowed a few of the 3 billion types of bacteria floating around in there, creating a very harried clean up session before I ran out the door to my girl's night Saturday.

Maybe it's because I stayed up till 11pm watching the two-hour premier of Mad Men and was sorely disappointed. It was slow and uneventful in my opinion.

Maybe it's because my dad was doing better and better Friday and Saturday, even got his first food in a week...but then his heart started being wacky again and he's back to the drawing board figuring out why his heart is being weird.

Maybe it was our first experience at Chuckie Cheese on top of extreme fatigue...all the sounds of those insane children. The kids were in heaven...HEAVEN! What we do for our children ;)

Maybe it's goals I put on myself.

Maybe it's the fact that I feel super disorganized right now...

Whatever the case, I'm feeling an extreme case of the Mondays today. I should shower, or workout or both. I should make zucchini bread...doesn't that sound good? How can I wake up?? Sooo tired.

This may very well be the most random of posts that I have ever written. And that's random, folks! Maybe a protein shake and a shower would help?

It's Monday, I'm feelin' it.

Cheers.

xo,

{alicia}

                                                        


                                                              

coolest thing about the hunger games movie...

I'm not going to pretend I'm as cool as the hard-cores that stayed up late and viewed the midnight showing of the Hunger Games premiere....

...BUT I did make an appearance last night. and it. was. AWEsome!

The movie theater was crazy, but we got our tickets! Carissa and I were pleasantly impressed with the accuracy of the movie. It followed the book really well. I felt like the places where it strayed from it a bit were to give a better description of the background to the people that didn't read it....like the dynamics between Seneca Crane and President Snow. Loved how they showed that little twist at the end. It wasn't in the book, but it was still true to the book. I can't say what it was...I've learned my lesson about being a movie spoiler. I was almost stoned to death for spoiling The Sixth Sense to my high school sociology class. Stoned, I tell ya!

Consider me tight-lipped. Just read the book, k??

Ok, but that's not why I'm here. If you saw the movie, you know it was good right? Not too lovey. Not too gory. Just right, right??

But here's a super cool little tidbit for ya. The movie was filmed in North Carolina...most of which, very close to where I live!

Remember when my friend Robin was here a few months ago and I took her on one of our favorite waterfall hikes?? 

See that waterfall in the background????

Well, THAT is part of the Arena! How cool is that!? I really AM Katniss...or something. :-/

I am not like super super sure on this, but I'm pretty sure this is the spot where a certain tribute finds a certain injured tribute during the Games. Pretty neat, no??

I'm even more excited we moved to Asheville!

Sorry so short, girls, but I need to go grab my bow and find some squirrels for dinner.

xo,

{katniss}

{alicia}

PS: Mad Men premiere tonight!!! We're deciding between popcorn and cokes or scotch for refreshments for the two-hour premiere. Today I'm Katniss tomorrow I may very will be Joan, you just never know what obsession will hit next. 

this week's highs and lows

This has been the never ending week of emotional ups and downs, highs and lows. Monday was Ms. Sissy's 4th birthday. We celebrated all day. Tuesday was the day the Banker took his parents hiking all day and I got about 3,000 house chore done and it felt soooo good! I love a productive day.

Wednesday my dad had surgery 1500 miles away. It did not go particularly well. The initial surgery went great. But three hours into recovery and his blood pressure bottomed out, they found internal bleeding, and he went back in for emergency surgery to stop the bleeding.

Thursday, and three blood transfusions later, my poor dad is full of more holes than a sieve. They now think because of all the enzymes in his blood that he started to have a heart attack due to the low blood pressure, weakening his heart now. I'm so sad for him.

I went over to cheaptickets.com 50 times yesterday, even put the ticket from Asheville to Sioux Falls, SD into my cart once. I want to be there so bad.
They did move him out of ICU last night, so I suppose that is a good sign.
I just so wish he would have been here instead. To see this...

But to shift to the mindset of Ms. Brightside Mother, let's praise God that he's still kickin'. Let's praise the Great Creator that He made our bodies so amazingly that my dad would feel nausea and his face would turn white, alerting my mom that something was very wrong.

Let's be thankful that my sweet Dad will be better soon and in Asheville in May, just in time to see his only grandsissy plié across the stage for the very first time.

Yes, there is reason to praise indeed.

Today is Friday. Jarrod is taking the day off and we're taking a siesta as a family. Today will be good. Continued prayers for my sieve of a Father would be so appreciated. You guys have been so sweet asking me if he's doing ok. To be honest, I've almost felt to numb to pray, making that scripture that says that He hears our sighs and knows their meaning. A sigh is about all I've got right now.

This day was a high...Sissy's day. Donuts for breakfast, which seems to be our new tradition, a party in the park with all her little ballerina friends, family time opening gifts, dinner at her restaurant of choice, and a bikeride in the park...on her new wheels.

Yes, they slept well.

These were the two brave man-souls that came to the garden party in the park. The sweet thing above is just about enough to make me want another one. He's my friend, Carissa's baby. And below is Sophie's bff, J. These two are identical personalities in different sexes. It's borderline scary. They are absolutely adorable together, bossing each other around. It's quite entertaining.

The day was gorgeous. We opened gifts on the balcony. Soph wanted that straw fedora for the beach this summer. :)

The boys got their sister a Barbie pool with two scantly dressed Barbies that have been named Becky and Alicia. ;) They had all kinds of fun with this. I was disturbed about the fact that Alicia's top was always under her chin revealing all sorts of things...

and Becky did nothing but drink toddies poolside the whole time. They seemed to be having quite the wild pool party!

They highlight of the day of highlights, was the bike...her very own bike! and the gear that went with! Yeah for cute safety!

She has no fear and cruised around on that thing like there was no tomorrow. Seriously, so cute my heart might have stopped too :)

At Sister's request we dined on chicken wings for dinner. Sister is serious about her chicken wings...pepper rubbed, not saucy...yes, she closed her eyes and relished in the moment.

This life is a series of highs and lows. This week was a perfect example. I am currently emotionally spent. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with my family...and Carissa...and Hunger Games!!!! You didn't think I forgot, did you??!!

Happy Friday, y'all.

Thank you, for reals, for your prayers and love.

xo,

{alicia}