spring program

We are in the home stretch. Only days left until summer vacation. It feels like we were just counting down the months and then down to the weeks and now we’re in the final days of this school year. Woah! And let me tell ya, middle school is not for the timid. We’ve had out shares of up and downs this year and we are quite ready for summer! 
Tonight we are headed to the school for the Spring Art and Music concert. The girls were looking lovely for their performance and I managed to get them to pose for a few pics for me…
Gwyneth still likes to get her picture taken, thankfully
Her hair is getting so, so long. She was pretty happy with those curls tonight.
Annabelle on the other hand is always irritated with me for the pictures. I like to take photos like this so I can’t understand why…
Ha! All that middle school emotion in one face…directed right at her mama. 
She got a good laugh out of it though and did smile for one picture for me. 
Tell us what you think about getting your picture taken Annabelle….
These girls…
These are my favorites. I love how they are together.
Gwyneth adores her sister…unless it isn’t obvious. 
And then off to the concert we went. 
The girls don’t like to make eye contact with me when they are on stage because I always make them giggle…
Taking a bow: 
That girl is not to be missed. She’s a tall one and I love it. 
And then it was time for the singing. You can see Annabelle made the mistake of looking at me during the song. I may make some fun faces at them. Just to ease the tension. Their friends find it hilarious. They think I’m annoying. Fine by me.
After the performances with their buds. 

awards ceremony

We were back at school the very next day for the year end awards ceremony.  This is one of my favorites of the year as they celebrate each and every kid who attends the school.They find a gift in everyone and it is applauded.
Our girls were horribly embarrassed to be called up in front of the crowd but we were very proud of them. Annabelle received the language arts award for 6th grade. She is an excellent reader, writer, speller etc. Gwyneth received the reading award for 5th grade. What an accomplishment for our little dyslexic gal. It’s been a good year, but we sure are ready for summer. 
We had a late night flight out to Dallas that evening. We were all pretty exhausted from the late night travel. We didn’t get to the hotel until after midnight, but we were all pretty excited to get our mini-vaca kicked off. 
These gals fell asleep for about an hour on the plane. I love traveling with them. They are such great travel companions.
The view from our room. Maybe because we looked so disheveled when we arrived, they upgraded us to a pretty great room with a view of the courtyard. Even though we were all dead-tired we had to spend a little time on that balcony enjoying our view.
After a great night sleep we were ready to tackle Dallas!

happy mother’s day

Oh boy, I don’t know how that husband of mine puts up with me! I was a bit of a mess this Mother’s Day. My studios were slammed and I was getting work messages through out the day. Not to mention,one of my employees sent me a text after closing the night before QUITTING. A text at 9:30 pm on a Saturday night. Absolutely no notice and she wasn’t showing up the next day — one of our busiest days of the year. You gotta love the work ethic of some folks (insert high levels of sarcasm). I like to think that I’m a fair and reasonable boss. I work around schedules and do my best to accommodate.  I guess some people will just take advantage and for that they just suck.  I don’t really take offense but I have zero patience when people are jerks and mess with the time I get to spend with my family. 
I did manage to turn my attitude around. Life’s too short to waste it being grouchy!
B and the girls surprised me with homemade scarves and air pods. I never would have purchased those airpods for myself and I’m really excited to listen to my books with them. How cool am I? Yep, I listen to books any opportunity I get. I know, pretty hip and happenin’. 
We had lunch at The Pig and The Sprout. It’s one of our family favorites but it was a little off today…or maybe it was my attitude. Ha! It was a gorgeous day and the walk to the ballpark was lovely. The streets were packed with people. Everyone was out for the ballgame, Nuggets game, and celebrating moms. It was a great day to be out and about in the city. 
It was a bright sunny day at the stadium and our seats had no shade. We ended up standing behind the bullpens most of the game and had a blast!! The Rockies got a big win while sadly the Nuggets lost and are done for the season. 
The girls went to the gift shop and bought this for me. 🙂 
My awesome crew!
Taking a stroll through the milk market after the game. 
We stopped and checked it out. It is essentially a food court with beer and wine. It was slammed after the game, but I think it would be more enjoyable without the big crowd. 
The girls got ahold of my phone and took some lovely photos of each other. 
Thanks for an amazing Mother’s Day. I’m one lucky momma!

happy birthday, jade

Our dear friend, Jade turned forty this week and her husband organized a surprise party for her. I’m always so anxious about surprise parties. I have a big mouth and have trouble keeping secrets.  I always seem to spill the beans. I managed to keep my trap shut and the surprise was pulled off beautifully. Jade said she had no idea and was all smiles. She’s such a great friend and momma. I’m so glad we could be there to celebrate with her!

fruit salad and avs game

My Avalanche mug came out of the kiln today. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty great!
The day was sunny and warm and then it quickly got cold and dreary. Gwyneth came right home from dance and got right into pjs. That girl does not mess around. 
While Annabelle was at dance Gwyneth and I decided to make a little marshmallow fruit salad for our lunches tomorrow.  I have no idea where the recipe came from originally but it always reminds me of my mom. It was one of my favorites growing up and it makes me happy that my girls enjoy it. What’s not to enjoy – canned fruit and marshmallows?! 
The Avs game was so late tonight. It didn’t even start until 8:00. We watched as much as we could but the girls both decided to head to bed at 9:30. I retired to read around 11 pm and missed the end. The word on the street is that the Avs won it in overtime. We’re loving this playoff run and hoping we can stay awake for their future wins!

happy 50th mr lansing

I had an event at work this morning for Dads to paint Mother’s Day gifts with their kiddos. It was a pretty big hit and I needed to run down to Aurora to help out a bit. Gwyneth finished Harry Potter #6 yesterday and is eager to read #7 before the end of the month. If she can finish the last book, #7, (which I have no doubt she will) she will have read the entire series over the course of just one school year. Pretty darn impressive! She decided to ride around with me today to the studios and we started #7 in the car. We are already 3 hours into the final book — only about 18 more hours to go! 
We arrived home in time for lunch at La Fogata. It’s our absolute favorite Mexican restaurant near home and never disappoints. Happy Cinco De Mayo!
Gwyneth and I sat on the patio and enjoyed a little sunshine, more Harry Potter, and painted her fingernails. I tell ya, that’s a pretty great afternoon in my book. 
We grabbed the gifts straight from my kilns and headed down to the Tyler’s. Wyatt and Rhys celebrated their confirmation today: 
And Mr Lance is turning the big 5-oh!! I made him this Bronco mug and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. 
We hopped on down to the Tyler’s house for the fiesta. 
Sheila outdid herself! Everything was decorated and so festive. What a bash!
The girls found Steph’s little guy and couldn’t get enough. They sure do love babies. 
Happy, happy birthday to Mr Lansing!
I found these quirky little hooks while at IKEA last week. I had no idea what I needed them for but I thought they were too cute to pass up. I have found them all over the house. I may not have found a place for them yet, but they are keeping the kids entertained. 

After the Tyler’s party we weren’t quite ready to call it a night. It was a beautiful Colorado night – definitely perfect for smores.

beautiful may • terrifying book

What a beautiful Colorado day! I made a quick trip down to my Littleton studio while all the girls slept in a bit. I got back before breakfast and no one even knew I was gone. I love those days. 
We got the house all picked up for friends to come over that evening and B made all the food. I had nothing to do but enjoy a beautiful May day on the patio with a book. 
I have tried reading The Shining twice in the past and could never make it past the first chapter. I scare easily. This time I am determined to finish that frightening tome. 
I’m several chapter in.
It’s better to read on the patio. 
It’s not allowed in my bedroom. 
It’s so very, very scary!!!!
Wish me luck! I have decided that sleep is way overrated…. 

sleepover friday • ellie and kierra

B had another Friday night of parties at the Kitchen so the girls each had a friend sleepover. This is becoming quite a trend around here. The girls seem pretty happy about it.

Annabelle had her bestie from school, Kierra over. They are just thick as thieves. Gwneth invited her friend Ellie. They use to go to school together, but haven’t been at the same school in 2 years. It was so nice to see them right back in step together. They were all smiles and sweetness. It’s so great to have a house full of happy, lovely gals.

The girls made pizzas, played shuffleboard and Foosball, and watched Hidden Figures before heading off to sleep. Ellie had soccer practice after school while the other 3 participated in their fun run so they were pretty worn out. They were all asleep by midnight which has to be some kind of sleepover record.

math celebration

Annabelle has been struggling with math this year. She’s quite good at math but seems to have lost her confidence. She’s had a few rough tests and felt defeated. She had in her head that she just wasn’t good at it.

Her teacher has been so supportive. She has encouraged her and given her a bit of extra help. I received a text from Annabelle’s teacher this evening saying she had just finished grading tests and Annabelle had received a 94%. That A was a triumph for our girl and we wanted to make sure we celebrated it.

Annabelle was at dance and Gwyneth and I came up with the idea to have a little root beer toast waiting for her when she arrived home.

When I shared the news this girl was over the moon!!
I think we were all pretty happy for this girl!
Yessss!
I love these little goof balls!

colorado love

I had the best day at work. I opened up the studio nearest to home (love when I don’t have to manage the long drives) and hurried through my commitments. I had several customers that were sneaking in before the snow arrived and the studio was hopping and happy.

Before I took off for the day I was able to paint a few pieces. I’ve had some gifts I’ve been wanting to make and finally made the time to paint them. I’m excited to see them fired.

Feeling the Colorado love today:

As I pulled into the garage big, fluffy snowflakes started to fall. I love it! I love the snow and can really appreciate a good spring snowstorm. While everyone else curses the weather, I bundle up, turn on the fireplace and love every minute of it.