This Weekend I...

This Weekend I...


... got these beautiful flowers from my sweet hubby at work, for no particular reason.

...spent a sweet breakfast with girlfriends from church.


... got to fix lunch for over 50 kids kindergarten through 5th grade.


...  had 1 1/2 hours to prepare for a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend.


...  hosted a wonderful surprise birthday party, thanks mostly to some amazing girlfriends who came early to help.


... was able to be at church for the first time in a few weeks.  Man I love our family of choice!


...  TOOK A NAP!!!  HALLELUJAH!!!


... was tortured by the presence of the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnon in the backyard.

Just wait, my lovelies.  Only two more weeks...


... got my FB fix via crackberry and my blogging fix via hubby's computer since my computer has decided to die.  My less-than-a-year-old computer.  Thankfully, we are friends with a few fabulous computer guys.  Althought I'm not sure they appreciate being called fabulous. 


...  earned a nickname that I didn't really ask for.  Thanks to this post, and Rachel's wonderful comment (which I am going to make you find on your own), and an all-out FB war against my better judgement waged by the Queen of TST herself and my loving sister that lasted all stinking Saturday, I have earned the moniker of...




... Saint Poopicus.



... which is so much better than my nickname growing up, Tiffany Tooterooski.  Why do all of my nicknames revolve around bodily functions?

Monday Mugs: Summer Recap

Go visit Oswald Cuties for more Monday Mugs!  Because Mondays are hard! Blogging on Mondays shouldn't be!  


What a perfect way to publish all the summer adventure posts I have had sitting and collecting dust!  Beware, this is a photo blitz!


Our summer started off with a bonfire and marshmallow roast Memorial Day weekend.  Memorial Day was also someone's birthday, but since said person turned 30 and was generally avoiding having a birthday, it was a Memorial Day weekend bonfire instead.  I have no idea who that person was.

And now Rachel can't say that I dont' put photos of myself on here!  We ended up having about 50 people all together. 

Katrina became an expert roaster.

And Violet consumed her body weight in marshmallows.

And because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to keep children from falling into the fire, my dear sweet cousin Heather, who had come up for the weekend with her guy Tony, took, those beautiful photos for me.

This summer also brought our family's first venture into organized sports.  Kat played tball, with Daddy as coach.  For one game, they got to play on the big kids' field.

They had the teams line up for the national anthem, just like the pros.

My adorable third-base gal, who actually fielded the ball without losing a shoe.

They got to sit in the dugout.

Look at that swing!

We had a wonderful, surprise visit from my bloggy & IRL friend Michelle, who had the nerve to move all the way across the country.  Sheesh!

Kat participated in our church's VBS sports camp, and had a wonderful time.

We spent the majority of our evenings in the backyard.  Swim gear optional.

We took our circus to the Shriner's Circus, and had a wonderful time.

We all agreed these guys, who balance each other, ride the motorcycles, and sell the programs and candy, were our favorite.

On the 4th of July, we got our faces painted

and watched the parade with Grandma

and got rides in Grandpa's Shriners car.

We spent a lot of time at the park this summer,

goofed off,

and celebrated a very special 4th birthday.

We also proved that Mommy & Daddy can get dressed up in something not covered in food particles or bodily fluids and stay nice for longer than 10 minutes.

We did so much this summer, but I'm not ready for it to be over yet!

Christmas Eve 2008

We've begun a Bleger family tradition in the last few years of spending Christmas Eve after service together. We eat, open presents, & generally just enjoy some time together. Kristin's parents, Bill & Linda, came down for the week and joined us for some fun!

Grandpa Bill & Pepe giving Pax his first pool lesson.

Pax & Grandpa Bill snuggling on the couch.

The beautiful Woods/Bleger women, Kristin & her mom Linda.

Adam, looking slick from church, and Pax, ready for bed.



The grandmas enjoying a little time to watch the kids.



Katrina, very excited about her new poncho that Aunt Kristin made.

Madison admiring the spread. She ate a lot of shrimp and bread that night.

Pepe & Violet playing with Miro.

More photos from Candy Time!

So, the dork in me is actually exploring Jerome's facebook page, stealing pictures from other people's pages for my blog, when I discovered something. I forgot to add a couple of pictures from the Candy Chaos! Sorry, I loaded so many, I must have missed a few. But, never fear, here they are!

Mr. Baby Sean relaxing on the floor - he was waiting for his taste of the candy from mom Sommer!

Esther & Celine madly dipping Martha Washingtons and Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls.

Jen & Sommer relaxing to a little Guitar Hero! Girls Rock!

Candy Time!

Saturday, I invited a bunch of friends over to our house to make candy. I make candy every year, and every year I hear someone say,"Wow, I wish I knew how to do that." We had a great time combining ideas & recipes, and just hanging out as the girls. Jill, Jo, Jen, Jinny, Esther, Stephanie, Sommer, Celine, Grace, and Esther's girls all came & learned some new tricks, and generally had fun being silly! And, to show that I have officially become a blog dork, my first thought after inviting everyone was, "I have to make sure & take a lot of pictures for the blog!" Man, I'm bad...

Here's my beautiful little kitchen, covered in bowls, pans, and ingredients. As usual, I bought too much stuff...

Here's Jill working so hard on the Almond Toffee. She did a wonderful job on it!

Sommer decided to be a smarty pants and try to take a picture of me while I was photographing the candy, so turn about is fair play!

I actually got Celine to pose & smile for a picture. Is the end of the world imminent?

The ladies enjoying a little down time & Guitar Hero inbetween batches.

The Almond Toffee (by Jill) and the Peanut Brittle (by Stephanie)

The popcorn balls (by Celine, Katrina, and Grace)

The Martha Washingtons - my favorite! (by Jinny, Jo, Jen, and Esther)

The finished trays - each lady took home a sampler plate, and we still had about 12 extra plates! Perfect for the neighbors who are so understanding about how many people are at our house on a weekly basis!

The finished product - millionaires - created by Sommer

Chocolate Rum Balls - Jill, Tiffany, & Celine

Holiday Fudge - Stephanie, Jill, Celine

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls - Jen, Jo, Jinny, Esther

Martha Washingtons - Jo, Jinny, Jen, Esther

Peanut Brittle - Stephanie

Almond Toffee - Jill

Popcorn Balls - Celine, Katrina, Grace

Next Christmas, if you weren't here, consider yourself invited! Making candy was way more fun with a bunch of great friend to share it with!