Toys of mass destruction

the pictures in no way capture the peril of trudging through the wilderness of this toyland. no one visits these rooms when they are in such disarray for fear of bodily injury.alex has come out crying nursing new bruises or bumps on the head for misplacing a step.

i used to clean this up every night, but i need a life. and it only gets this way once in a while.but last time when daddy watched the boys while i went out with the girls, they brought down the drapes and the large ottoman was flipped over.

they say, "boys will be boys", but i don't know.

alex helps out.

the mess even spills into the connected bathroom. can you believe?

yes. there are way too many toys.

my caped avenger decides to lend a helping hand, but instead spots a blow-up sword he hasn't seen in days. off he goes.

even the dog is afraid to enter.

this is the reason i do not get to post very often. the rest of my life must be in order for me to take the time. and with two little ones. well, you know. life is beautiful.

All Cleaned up!

after two hours of clean-up... i'm done. every bin is labeled with it's own category of stuff.

and every toy must be in the right place. hey, i haven't lost any pcs. yet.

except for a few balls that went into floor vents.

i bought these antique metal soldiers at poshchicago.com ; they have great stuff!~

boots from marta's room.

i use this collection of baseballs for a fourth of july arrangement. i really love them. laverty's-- 2 bucks a piece.

zacky picked out this spin top himself.

brobee (the little green monster) is zack's favorite. the cute robot pail i found at terra toys in austin. ...a great toy store!

daddy played the guitar and used to sing "puff the magic dragon" when we were children. how could i resist? i think, though, it might have been subversive and part of the counter-culture in the 60s-70s. i am not sure. need to look into that. daddy was a teeny-bit hippy.

i bought this 1800's rocking horse when i decided to do vintage toys as a theme.

every cowboy needs his duds. spurs are hiding on a top shelf for safety reasons.

my little corner of the room-- for lounging, reading, supervising, and breaking up brawls.

ok-- so i know it's way past easter, but i got sick and have been out of comission for a week. so here goes... i made rice krispy nests for my kids classmates. i just added cocoa to the mix.

shaped them in pancakes and then nests. i let them rest in a muffin tin sprayed with pam so they wouldn't stick later.

then i added green food coloring to coconut flakes.

when the nests were set, i filled with "grass" and added the chocolate candy "eggs" on top. you can use whatever.

these were so tasty. i just wrapped them in cellophane and tied with a ribbon. i made tags out of old sheet music, but anything will do.

...and viola!

Lost in Time & Zacky Chanks!

i have often thought that maybe i didn't belong here-- in this time. i am not crazy, but things of ages past seem more familiar to me than things i should easily know. for example, i just saw this mexican film named, "y tu mama, tambien" and even though i was raised along the mexican border (and i speak/understand spanish), they were speaking greek to me... and , ever since i was young, i "translated" shakespearean plays and prose to others around me. I'M A MEXICAN BORDER TOWN GIRL! i don't know! the older i get the more plausible reincarnation seems.

well, here is something superficial and random-- i love these chanks for zacky! did not have his size! we'll have to get by without. worse could happen.----FYI: chanks are short for chanklas--(spelling might be screwy) chanklas= sandals

Happy Birthday, Steve!

every year my husband requests a special meal for his birthday. this year it was tostadas. (i had made his favorite dish two days earlier, so we had to fall back and punt this year.)

i grilled 2 lbs. chicken breasts (chicken fajita) on a "comal" with onions. if the breasts are very thick, pound thin or cut in half through the center not down the middle.

cooked 1 lb. black beans. when done, i put them in a skillet with 1 tb. olive oil and 1 clove diced garlic. simmer 5 min. then smash for the "refried" texture. i do not like mine pureed--i like them lumpy. smash until you're happy. add salt, pepper, garlic salt, and a touch of cumin to taste.

prep all the essentials for "guacamole". mine isn't traditional. i grew up with salt, pepper, tomatoes, and onions in my guacamole and i hate it. now i add 1-2 tb. cilantro, 1/2 lime (juiced), generous pinch of: salt, pepper, and garlic salt. that's it. slowly add the

ingredients until you find the taste you like. queso fresco, tomato, cheddar, guacamole, and crema to top off the tostadas...and don't forget your beer!

grilled chicken fajitas with grilled onions and chopped cilantro.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE!

Good Bye March-- until we meet again...

my green hydrangeas remind me of the entire month of march and its flirtation with spring. yes, it is the month of spring but the weather has been so capricious. we don't know--jackets or shorts. air conditioning or heater. umbrella or sunglasses. that is the nature i suppose, of march.

well goodbye for now. but i will still keep sunglasses and an umbrella in my car-- for march's cousin april. she's known for her pluvial tantrums.

shells. the beach. i hope to see you this summer.

mid-life proms

shoes for your troubles? these sparklies make me ooh sooo happy!

the dress of course, had a "modesty piece" added to the bustline because there was way too much boobage goin' on!

the runner-up shoes, which i think i am going to return. they are simple and elegant but also a slender 4 inch stiletto i think i could live without.

new perfume to add intoxication to the night .... well, a little more wouldn't hurt.

couldn't find another bag--this one has to do. it's pretty "neutral"!...in a blinged-out, evening gown sort-of-way.

the final ansemble... ???on the jewelry. who cares. none of really matters in the end. right?

today was a long day. i took the boys to mommy's-day-out and i finally took some time to take care of myself. i had my hair colored and cut at 10. waxing at 11, pedicure and manicure at 12, and a massage at 1! WOW! never thought i could get all that done like that. there was no time to spare because as soon as i picked up the boys from school at 2:30, we drove to austin to pick up the gown for steve's gala event. i bought it and had it altered in austin. (i didn't have a choice). the hospital is opening its doors after 2.5 years and 80+ million in construction. i begged not to go to this thing. i'd rather spend the money buying that "marriage" piece that marta has, but he twisted my arm. i need to do my husband proud. i owe him so much!