how to get the most of out of the long weekend.

This is from last weekend.. I waited so long to post cause I wanted to get the pics off of my parents camera.. just never happened.

1. buy four pairs of shoes the first day
2. travel well... great kids, good border experience, good roads
3. step foot in supertarget before noon.
4. eat at Qdoba's... YUM. share steak burrito with dave and eat chips with queso.. could it get any better?
5. boys nap in van for almost an hour. awesome.
6. find killer jeans.
7. ride the ferris wheel (ok this was not my idea of fun) i took noah up and was so freaked the whole time. my knuckles were white and everytime he moved i told him to sit still. not good. but he loved it.
8. check into brand new nice hotel
9. the pool area was a bit old for our kids and a bit loud for most humans. the boys stood and stared for almost half an hour before one toe landed in the water. they did better each time but a small kiddie pool would have been better.
10. happy hour. nuff said.
11. Italian take out in hotel rooms shared with family. YUM.
12. Early bed time for kids who were so tired after a fun day. No chatting for them just sleeping.
13. more happy hour (s) the rest of the night in the adults room :) so nice to be able to just have a monitor and let the kids sleep while we hung out.
14. rock solid amazing sleep in comfy beds
15. two words contentintal breakfast.
16. worst coffee ever.. thankful to Chris for a Starbucks run.
17. more pool time. they liked it better.
18. stores open at noon.. shop all afternoon. great deals. only mistake i wore one of my new pairs of shoes and am still paying for it.
19. eat philly cheesesteak sandwhich at the food court. soo good. thanks crystal!
20. supper stop chilli's. raspberry margareta. so good.
21. more swimming. boys had so much fun.
22. after bedtime, watch Cosby marathan with the family taking a break to have some adult time in the pool (and hot tub)
23. another amazing night. not sure how we will get back to waking up early.
24. more last minute shopping. target, hobby lobby.
25. nothing would make the trip complete without lunch at Space Alien. So fun. The boys (not just kids) had a blast. Blow up Spiderman and Superman to prove it.
26. One last stop at Supertarget on the way home. Old Navy and Starbucks.
Defintly a new Feb long weekend tradition.

long weekends...

so i am seriously ticked that after three days i didn't even get one comment on my last post. hurt even. but i will get over it ... especially because in a few hours i will be walking into one of my favorite places on earth... supertarget. yep we are getting out of dodge for the weekend. have fun!
oh and happy love day.

with all my love to png.

1. What's your favorite dish your mom makes? well, it's more of a tag team with mom and dad.... dad's kick butt steak dinner.. potatoes, ceaser salad, garlic bread, mushroom..yum and mom's good old perogies, schmaunfat, farmer sausage and onions. OH YUM!

2. If you could be anywhere else in the world right now where would it be? I would like to sit and have coffee with Lisa in PNG on her front porch.

3. Who's your favorite character on LOST? oooh good one. If I can count the dead (as if we know who is even dead I would say Charlie but alive for sure... Siyid (the guy is always right)

4. What is the oldest item of clothing you own and still wear? Maybe a pair of pants I have from 5 years ago. Nothing special or cool.

5. Are you an introvert or and extrovert? Pretty sure I am an extrovert although I love being alone too.

6. What's your biggest pet peeve? Stinky dishcloths and BAD customer service.

7. If you could be someone else for a day who would it be and why? I would want to be dave, what the heck goes on in his head would be truely fascinating .

8. Write down the first fond memory that comes to your mind. I may have to agree with Lisa on this one that dinner party at C&C's was pretty good. I also recall a really good Coldplay concert in Seattle in 2002ish.

9. Do you like tupperware? Old School stuff maybe.. but otherwise nope.

10. If you could have any superpower what would it be? I'd like to travel through time.

11. Which countries have you all visited? (not including layovers where you were just in the airport) Mexico, USA, Ukraine, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Dominican Republic.

12. Which country would you like to visit next? USA - going to fargs this weekend :)

13. Favorite icecream flavor? not a huge icecream fan but I love mint oreo.

14. Are you a rebel or do you follow the rules? i'd have to say rebel 99.9% of the time.

15. What's your favorite chore? Tidying..

16. What do you like about yourself? I like that I am fierecely loyal.

17. What would you change about yourself? just that I would learn to love my body no matter what.

18. What inspires you? Images, paper, fabric, depth of charachter.

19. What's your favorite fruit and your favorite veggie? Pineapple and Asparagus.

20. Last place you ate out? This is funny.. it was our first time at Smitty's last week ever!

21. Are you an early bird or a night owl? an early bird.

22. If you were on a deserted island and could take one person with you (not including your spouse) and one thing with you what would it be? I cannot answer. I have no idea.


23. What's your favorite smell? Vanilla

24. What's your least favorite smell? Total agreement over the Stinky dishcloths.

25. Are you a door slammer? No

26. Do you tell people when their fly is open? Probably, unless its akward I may just turn away.

27. Share something quarky about yourself. When I am in the car listenign to the radio and a song i like comes on I sometimes imagine that it's me and wonder what it would be like if everyone i knew was at a concert watching me preform. teehee.

28. Worst movie you've ever seen? The unedited first five minutes of forgetting sarah marshall... seriously?

29. Do you like the person who wrote this? more than she could ever know.

getting to know Ari & Noah - 25 ways.

Copied from facebook... 25 things about Ari & Noah.

1. Ari almost always wakes up first. And spends about 10 minutes calling Noah's name over and over until he too wakes up.
2. They have "stuffies". One is a puppy and one is a frog. These are probably the most important items in N & A life. Sleep would not happen without them. They go to them for comfort and play. Right now they have a fascination with their stuffies boomba's. Which is the new word for bum.
3. Noah savors things while Ari devours them. Example 1 - food. Noah is slow and meticulous (for the most part) and Ari scarfs it down. Take it they both get the equal amount just with a time difference.
4. Example 2 - A couple months ago they each got a mini candy cane at my dad's work. From the time it took to walk from the coffee room to my dad's office. Noah was still holding his in his open hand just gazing at it. Ari's was in a billion pieces as he spent the whole time crushing it trying to get it open.
5. They love watching videos on the "puter". They vary but the short list is Shrek, Bus ramping, Tractors, Baby Dancing and Thomas gets blown up.
6. They don't like to be messy. Yes I know this is partly my doing but they like clean hands and clean mouths. And I like it too.
7. They talk alot. They know a ton of words and how to use them in sentances. They also still dabble in their own language which I think they are both quite good at. At least they understand each other well.
8. They have an obsession with the Night Garden - now seriously what the heck is that show even about. It's creepy. But they love Mikka Pikka and Meka Peka or whatever. The boat is good too.
9. Fruit Bites - also known as those little fruit gummies you get in little packages. My mom buys them in big boxes at Costco and my kids would do anything for fruit bites.
10. Often I will find them downstairs on their ride on toys crusing around the ping pong table. When I ask them where they are going they usually say Mexico to find Papa. (they went there in January and apparently ari & noah want to go too)
11. Noah has a little birth mark above his right ear - good way to to tell them apart. Ari has one on his bum.. not as telling.
12. Pretty sure they will go to kindergarten in diapers. They have no intrest in the potty at all and are content to sit in their own pee. poop not so much that they want out as soon as possible.
13. People often ask if they have their own jacket. The answer is no whichever one sits down on the stairs first gets the first jacket I can reach. I don't have time or the energy most mornings to remember who gets what jacket. And their boots are the same.
14. They do however have their own crib and this is something we have always done. Some times after we have a babysitter it's funny to get them out in the morning and they tell us they are in the wrong bed.
15. They must sleep with noise. We have always had some sort of fan in their room. Now we have an air purifier and they always ask for it...
16. On that same note they have listened to the same CD since they were in my belly. Every night it plays. It's called Celtic Lullabyes. When they were little I would actually hear it in my head when I was out.
17. They still love cars and tractors and pretty much anything with wheels. They are very meticulous about how they play though and often things need to be in a strait line or they go crazy. And if something doesn't fit that they want to fit it can be cause for meltdown.
18. They love going to Shirlies. She is the best and they have their friends that they talk about. I love that they have this interaction and feel loved there. It makes going to work so easy. I would be lost withouth Shirly.
19. Over Christmas they had the cutest obession with Baby Jesus (from Shirly). They loved to drive by our local Co-op where the nativity scene was and call out Baby Jesus lives there. I didn't think ahead to the fact that they would eventually clean that up.. we accidently drove by when they were taking it down and now Baby Jesus lives in a dump truck. ooops.

you can actually see him mouthing the words baby jesus. he looks for him in all books.

20. They have the crazies memory. Especially when we drive places. They only have to see something once and they know when it's coming up again. They remember places we have eaten once and who we were with. We drive by places I've picked things up from and they can tell me exactly what we did there.
21. They are super goofy. Silliness oozes from them.


22. Before napping they like to have soos, stuffy, blanket and watch Comfy Couch. (another really strange show). They love to cuddle and read books.
23. They don't like things tight around their neck or rubbing on their face. Especially winter jackets. They freak out if it's too tight.
24. They love routine. They go to bed usually around 7:30 and they sleep till about 7:30. They ask to go to bed and I think they enjoy the time to just settle and not be stimulated by someone else.
25. Since writing this I find it odd that they are still sleeping at it's 8:15.

makeover saturday

this is the difrans version of how to loose 10lbs in 1 day.. for real.

the little ones before.

and after

mom in desperate need of someone to fix her well coloured but blah hair.


and the after... resulting in what seems like at least a 5 lb weight loss in my face.

LOVE IT!

saturday

-wake to sounds of the boys chatting to each other mixed with singing
-stay in bed for while dave gets them up
-roll out of bed after being smothered in little hugs.
-make coffee
-check email
-dust
-go downstairs and play bus driver where of course i am the passenger. we're going to the bank.
-sort laundry
-finish dusting and pick up the bedrooms
-eat breakfast - oatmeal
-clean kitchen while the boys shower
-dry off boys and get them dressed
-start sweeping all floors and get dave to vaccum rug
-cuddle with a sad ari who banged his head.
-get the kids out the door with daddy who is taking them to the car wash.
-mop floors
-hand wash stairs
-spend some running time on the treadmill
-shower
-start lunch in time to greet some excited kids who did really well at the car wash and brought mommy coffee from tim's (and timbits for themselves)
-eat lunch while listening to play by play of the car wash - i definitely know soap was involved.
-make mexican lasagna for friends coming for dinner. take out frozen pie shells to make a yummy dessert.
-put kids to nap
-head to MCC and find the coolest shelf that i am going to paint yellow.
-stop by MSS and drop off Marcy's Harry Potter book that I have had forever.
-come home. and it's only 2:00 p.m.
Happy Saturday.

sixteen

16 random things you want to know about me.

1. I love sesame street. My kids do too but sometimes when they have lost interest and wander from the tv I still watch.

2. I have an obsession with pillows. I dream of making lots and lots of pillows and buy yummy fabric to make pillows but rarely get around to actually making them.

3. I loved Mama Mia and have added many songs from the movie to my ipod. (My boys love to bounce to them too). My fave is "Lay all your love on me"

4. It's been one year since we moved into our new house... it feels so homey to us. I love coming home.

5. I hate to empty the dishwasher

6. I also hate to floss my teeth. I know I know I should do it regularly but I just can't. Hate it.

7. I secretly wish I could have an underwear rotation like my friend Crystal. Actually there are many things about her I wish I could do. I heart.

8. I am fiercely loyal and get most hurt when people are not loyal back.

9. I love HGTV.

10. This isn't really about me but Noah & Ari talk alot.. all the time. And they have the best way of calling "HONEY" from downstairs when they need me (they repeat everything and this is how dave gets my attention.

11. I hate socks. Would much rather be barefooted all the time.

12. "I think we're alone now" by Tiffany is one of my fave songs and yes I know the dance too.

13. I have 5 books sitting beside my bed waiting to be read. Someday.

14. My head is swirling with crafty ideas all day and sometimes it's hard to concentrate on anything else.

15. Today I went through my old room at home so my dad can make it his study now that he's retired and I wrote ALOT of stories.. we're talking binder upon binders full of handwritten stories.

16. I have a cold and my mouth is so dry I have to go drink water.. NOW!

Ok now you are it.

the end result

so my blankets are done... don't look too close because they are nowhere near perfect but it doesn't really matter because they love them....


ALOT...

fridgid

i have a confession. i'm usually ok with winter. often i get annoyed at people complaining about how cold it is... i mean we choose to live here in the most frozen place on earth and yet we can't get over how cold it is. we know every summer that the warmth lasts a moment and the cold is coming and will hit hard yet we can't believe it. so i have always chosen to try not to complain and just suck it up and remember i choose to be here... so with that said I AM FREAKING COLD!!! seriously i have done really good and now I am sick and tired of -40 to -50 every day!!! the wind takes your breath away and sometimes i shiver so bad i think my teeth will shatter. thank goodness gas is cheap cause i use my command start like i use underwear and leave the van running as long as possible. although nothing beats my good friend who once went to the gym for a couple hours and just left her car running so it wouldn't be cold. love that.
so now that i have gotten that out of my system i will go back to being a good little prairie girl, get my boots and gloves on, pry open my frozen door and get on with my day.

what's in a name

My 9 Names:

1. Your Real Name: Heather

2. Your Gangsta Name (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle): Heaizzle

3. Your Detective Name (favorite color and favorite animal): Grey Owl

4. Your Soap Opera Name (your middle name and street you live on/or your apartment #): Marie Duster

5. Your Star Wars Name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first): DifHe

6. Your Superhero/Criminal Name (your 2nd favorite color, and favorite candy):
Green LaffyTaffy

7. Your Iraqi Name (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your mom's maiden name, 3rd letter of your dad's name, 1st letter of a sibling's first name, and last letter of your mom's first name): Efdertt

8. Your Witness Protection Name (parents middle name): Elizabeth David

9. Your Goth Name (black, and the name of one of your pets):
Black No chance of ever having a Pet.

work in progress...

to my most faithful blog commenter eva i give you a sneak peak of the quilts i am working on for the boys. don't look too close. just need to give them a nice border (will be done in the same dark grey). the boys love the vespa's. and so do i.


and yes i took the pics upside down.

our christmas in lists

I got
~gift cert for the spa
~green starbucks mug
~domino's decorating book
~scarf
~wii (our present to each other this year)
~earings and necklace from sil


I gave
~cars, trucks, cement mixers and fork lifts
~camera strap for friend overseas from this lovely shop
~homemade journals/photo albums and ipod covers
~dave a wallet cause I washed his a few weeks back
~time


I listened to (my top songs right now)
~Free Fallin' new John Mayer live version
~Human by the Killers
~Last Train Home by Ryan Star
~You found me by the Fray
~Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson
~Lay all you love on me - oh my word from the Mama Mia soundtrack
~Winter Song by Sarah Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson
~Lost by Coldplay


I ate
~ALOT


I went
~to an ugly christmas sweater party
~to holly's house with my little women
~to amanda's to celebrate with her and Jenelle
~to a costume gala dressed up as a maid.
~to mom and dad's more times than i can count.

I thought about
~chocolate
~good red wine (that also could have gone under the I ate (drank) catagory alot.
~what 09 could hold for me
~what 08 didn't
~good friends
~old friends that i don't see anymore
~love
~what i thought i always wanted and know maybe don't
~guilt (see above)
~family far away and wishing they were here
~how sad i was that my favorite pair of jeans have officially worn out and cannot be mended again.

I love
~my husband
~my two goofy goofballs that keep me busy but full of love
~my family and that most of them are here and my boys get to experience a close family.
~my friends who get me even when i don't
~red wine
~drinking coffee out of pretty mugs
~my house
~having people in my house

one little word

well 2009 is officially here. I have been thinking all week about how I want to live life this year. Last year I wrote about my one little word HERE. after much thought I have chosen the word Choose for my word for 2009.
Life is all about choosing. In my day there are a million moments that collide. I can shape each one - all based on a choice. What kind of day will I have? How will it affect those around me, especially my family. Looking back over this last year I have made a ton of choices; some good, some bad. But each one shaped me. My attitude on any given day was just a product of how I chose to live.
This year I want to be constantly aware and always choosing life for myself and those around me.
I choose to live positively
I choose the golden rule.
I choose to be AT PEACE WITH MYSELF
I choose salvation and to walk out of the prison I have made for myself and into the palace
I choose to make a difference and live outward
I choose to be happy in my body
I choose to be myself and I choose to wake up each day with the intention of living each moment with the best choice I can make.

a socially conscious purchase

I have been wanting a new wallet for some time now. Mine has been broken for months and not to mention kind of ugly. Not only did I want a new wallet but what I really wanted was a Matt & Nat wallet. Drawn to their not only ridiculously good looking accesories but also drawn to what they stand for.

(this is taken from their webpage)
It started with a challenge, almost 2 decades ago, to forego animal products for thirty days. Unbeknownst at the time, a chain of events was set off culminating in the founding of MATT & NAT: a collection of design-centric, fashion-forward accessories that is also vegan. Armed with this vision, creative director Inder Bedi created a brand that goes beyond fashion, invoking our own human experiences and the environments that surround us.

Now eight years later, from the Montreal headquarters, he works closely with the creative team to redefine the MATT & NAT aesthetic, hinging on a blend of underground and mainstream elements. Modern art and architecture particularly influence collections with color, structured silhouettes, and an emphasis on heavy hardware.

MATT & NAT is widely recognized internationally by press and buyers alike for its unique styling and innovative materials. Spring 08 saw the launch of a nylon collection made entirely of recycled plastic bottles. For Fall 08, the recycled plastic bottles have been converted into felt. These forays into never before seen materials have intrigued and challenged the creative team, who continue to comb the globe for what's next.

With new fabrications and concepts each season, MATT & NAT seeks to surprise, question, and provoke. The positivity message, found on every design, is the MATT & NAT ethos, it is meant to be personalized and to inspire you on your path.

The message found on the box of my wallet reads:

Choose Life. Choose Positivity. Choose the Golden Rule. Choose to be at peace with yourself. Choose Salvation. Choose to make a difference. Choose to be different. Choose to be a rebel. Choose to be funky. Choose to be yourself. Choose to create a fashion statement.

And not only that but she is so pretty...

merry christmas from the difrancesco's

what's under your tree

me nothing. dave and i decided to buy ourselves wii for christmas. we have been having tons of fun and most mornings i am sore. but.... just for your viewing pleasure this is some etsy love for you and what i will most likely dream of and wake up thinking of christmas morning..

TastySuites shop is full of great vinyl art. I particularly love these trees and this hello.

EverydayBeautiful's shop is full of gorgous hand made baby items. Little toques and Baby papoose.. it doesn't mean i am pregnant but i love it anyways.

Love THIS necklace from CT2Designs. Simply Stunning and would look so good around my neck.

Now by far my favorite etsy shop to wander around is fabricshoppe. so many delicious things i want here. like this and this and i would love this for all the little projects i am doing.

Want THIS.

and oh my these gocco hand printed moleskine journals are adorable.

Found this shop by accident and i have been drooling ever since. LittleOvercoat repurposed children's clothes. Oh my word amazing. Like as if A & N don't need THIS shirt that their dad would love and then this one. Come on someone buy it quick. ok and this one. seriously!!

and of course we can't leave out a good purse or two or three.

ok so that's enough over stimulation. must sleep. loves.

move over martha..

Sewing is the name of my game lately. I have really started to enjoy it again and have been busy making all sorts of thing. Most of which I can't post pics of cause some have not been given this Christmas yet. I have been really enjoying the process of making things come together and being able to put my own creative flair on to it.
If you come over this Christmas you will catch glimpses of my holiday craftiness all over. I think this has been the most fun I have had with Christmas yet....
I am looking forward to this week of just hanging out with my family. We have been a bit sickly these last few weeks and I feel we are all on our way to recovery. The boys are getting over a pnemonia infection which resulted in many sleepless nights. After finally getting some antibiotics they seem to be better. Just wanting to wish you and yours a fantastic Christmas! Just another reason to love the holidays.. as I sit here the boys are just waking up from their naps singing Jingle Bells mixed with Happy Birthday. Does it get any better than this??

reserved number 6

I am not sure I have expressed how much I love my job. I work part time (half days) at a Middle years school as an Administrative Assistant. It's such a great place to work. It brings me life. The people I work with are amazing and I love what I get to do everyday... I have been filling a term and dreading Christmas Holidays as it would mark the end of my term. This week has been stressful to say the least. It started off with the fabulous news that the girl I was covering Mat leave for decided not to come back. I was happy and eagerly applied for my job when the posting went out on Monday. The rest of the week I was a bundle of nerves waiting for Friday at 4:00 when the posting would close. Being unionized has it's advantages and disadvantages... what if someone with more seniority applied... serious case of nerves. It was kind of awkward at work too you know people are rooting for you to get the job but there is little you can do but wait. I left Friday at lunch feeling nervous and knowing I would have to wait out the weekend for my interview.
4:30 the phone rings and it's my principal.. take deep breathe... He offers me the job.. ME. I got the job. I am assuming no one else applied cause I had no interview just the job. My job. So I will now be a permanent fixture in parking spot number 6.

festive

Thats how to sum up how I feel lately. I am really into the holidays this year. I am not sure if it's because last year the boys were still small and so much work or maybe it's because I feel I have so much time now but I am really enjoying baking, creating, gifting and listening to music. It is all helping me feel festive. I finished my baking and ended up with 6 different goodies in my freezer. This also double duties as having a happy husband. I have been making a lot of my gifts this year. Lots of sewing going on over here. I am really enjoying the process of making things. I have had time to up my house holiday decor as well. I took the idea from Leigh at MSS and made this to hang my Christmas photo cards on this year. I love the way it turned out. I also made some paper stars to hang on their too.


We did put up our tree a couple weekends ago. The boys thought it was fun and got in on decorating.

We got to spend some time with some dear ywam friends for an evening. It was so nice to catch up with them. Randy got the kids all riled up and they had a blast! Thanks so much for coming


Enjoyed having some of my little women over the other night. It felt like family. We sat around my island and ate and drank warm drinks. It was lovely. I am such fans of theirs!


I have been making a December daily album just documenting in words and pictures what we are doing this month. I will post some pics of that this weekend.

I am just enjoying the process... trying to not get all wrapped up in details but really taking the time to enjoy. I have more to share but this will have to do for now. I'll be back this weekend.

curtain

All good things come to an end… we did it. Little Women was successfully preformed on stage 5 times in 4 days. It was amazing, each time got better and better. It was exhilarating to get up on stage. Each audience was different and gave off a different energy as did we. I can't say enough about the honor it was to play such a dignified, graceful woman. I have learned so much through my role as Marmee. She is just the kind of mother I want to be. She cares deeply for each of her daughters and the others she comes in contact with. She never speaks down to anyone but puts a positive spin on everything. She desires those she loves to be truly happy and to never compromise that happiness for anything.

It was an amazing experience and although it was hard work, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I worked alongside of some of the best people, was led by gracious leaders who poured themselves blood, sweat and tears into our every move. I am just so honored to be apart of such a great cast. I have some pictures although not the official professional ones which will come in January... I hope all of you who came enjoyed it.

I have also been held up by an incredible support team. I could not have done any of it without that. Dave and the boys have had the most to loose and they blew me away with their constant encouragement and the grace they had for me. My friends.. my family. I am never complete without any of you and you all never cease to amaze me with your graciousness.
That is enough for now. I will try to put up pictures this weekend...