Happy Tuesday!

1. Have you been to Brady’s SITE? He is having a blog contest. Is it bad that my son has blog contests and I don’t? Is he a better blogger then me? Maybe because he is a computer hog! Anyhow! He’s giving away a brand new David Crowder CD! And its a good one! Click HERE and comment to enter!

2. I so want to do one of these craft weekends! Check out HERE and HERE! So fun right? If I had a few sponsors and a bigger house I’d totally host a Craft Weekend here in California! OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! Instead of a bed and breakfast when we retire we can buy and run a Bed & Craft-fest! Wait! WHY WAIT? Oh. I have to win the Lotto first. Its always coming down to a cash flow problem!

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

3. Did you know… “The overall odds of winning any prize in MEGA Millions are 1 in 40 and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 176 million.” ~ Calottery.com

4. I’m still loving my fish! The little Neon Tetras by the ship… gone. Mace Windo (the purple guy) ate them. I couldn’t look at him for DAYS!

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

 The blue and purple guys are actually inhumanly dyed. I didn’t know this till after I bought them, so no hate mail. Please.

5. Color or B&W?

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

6. I’ve made THIS dish a few times and everyone has loved it! I use the taco seasoning packet form Trader Joe’s. I’m lazy. And I love Pintrest!

7. I was worried about these ears at first… No need! They are perfect!

©Sharon Sossaman

8. I was going through my images and I missed a few…

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

©Sharon Sossaman

8. We’ve been trying to take advantage of this weather, by walking as much as we can. The big kids went to Jeramy’s folks and we had a quiet weekend with just Jillian. We walked to dinner one night and after lunch we walked… we are a walking, strolling family!

©sharon Sossaman

9. Speaking of Pintrest… Did you know you can find out if your site or blog has been pinned? YUP!

I’ve been pinned once… And I didn’t even pay her to pin me!

They didn’t.

I was trying to NOT talk with my hands. And I tripped and stumbled over my words. (((SIGH)))

Well, Hopefully someone will be blessed with our story…

OH! I am so thrilled that they used some of our images! The NICU can be scary, if you don’t look for the good stuff  thats all around you!

1. I found my glasses… and lost them. Whats wrong with me?

2. Please pray for my one of my dearest friends, Lisa and her family. Lisa’s mom, Karen, is in Seattle getting ready to get her bone marrow transplant. Karen is the kindest, most loyalist, most sweetest person you’ll ever meet. And Lisa isn’t so bad herself! Karen will be in Seattle for a few months and I know how hard it will be to be away from Lisa… and the kids. Not to mention the stress of the medical cost associated with this nasty cancer!

3. Speaking of cancer… its nasty, but I and so proud of the people I know who are FIGHTING this battle. Check out the auction for Lil Blue Boo’s Ashley HERE! Isn’t that cool? AND they have tee shirts to order HERE!

4. A daily occurrence at out house…

Humm… I’m kinda board. Who’s the most fun person I know? Bubba! I know where he is!

Bubba? Bray-ie?And then her brings her out.After a  little snuggle… he puts her down…And then back in she goes!

5. We had a pancake breakfast at church on sunday… Maggie was sad about something and to cheer her up I told her were were having a Pancake Party at church. Well, Mags and Jane were way super excited! They got dressed up for the occasion! Complete with bracelets and purses. I made them leave the purses in the car… they were filled with Sing-a-ma-jigs, dinosaures, a part of a recorder, a camera and a phone. While I think those are wonderfully stocked purses… not so sure they’d work in service. AND considering they would be sitting with Miss Myriam… I decided to have the little ladies leave them in the car. Myriam… you’re welcome.

6.Have you played Temple Run yet? I tried to resist. I tried hard. Amanda was obsessed. Like to the point she wasn’t pinning… or texting me! And when I’d text her she’s give one word answers… I thought something was up and then I figured it out… Temple Run. She was playing Temple Run… And then Nate Watson posted that he and all his buddies at Skywalker Ranch were playing. I happened to mention that to Brady, and then it was over. I gave in when he asked me so sweetly with his hazily sweet eyes. Now we are all addicted. And just to make it clear as of right now… I have the highest score in the house! 551,712 BA-BY!

7. I’m working on another sweater. IT IS SO CUTE! I love knitting! After the kids go to bed I sit with Jeramy and knit. It’s so calming and there is something so wonderful in creating something out of a LONG ball of yarn.

8. I have a project I’m working on… its going to be fun! And I need to hurry up! I’m planing and getting ready this week and next week I’ll be building! And I’m going to need models! Keep checking back! I have photoshoot ideas I’d like to try out and I’m not sure my kids will be up for modeling for all my ideas!

9. I like to call this next set This Apple Walked into a Bar, Ran into Jillian… and Then the Phone Rang.

Ha-Da?

10! Please if you can, donate to our March of Dimes team. And if you are local join our team! This is an issue that is incredibly near and dear to my heart. Having had our twin girls so early and losing Anne so soon… knowing what its like to have a baby in the NICU and caring for a preemie at home… I have a desire to help others so that maybe they WON’T had to go through what we had to. Please help us remember Anne and support all the babies that are born prematurely… Donate today! Go Team Anne and Jillian!

Jillian Brooke 2lbs 4oz

Okay. I’m done.

Jeramy worked on the hard drive issue and loaded the pictures from my card. Yeah!  Whoo too! Jeramy is the best most hottest computer guy I know! Thats why I hired him to work at here at Homegrown. And I’m sure he thinks I’m the best most hottest photographer and thats why he works for me.

So how about a quick little slideshow? This is Miss Maggie on the very last day she will ever be “free”

This isn’t the song I had planned to use. As I was editing the slideshow she sat on my lap, (which was being occupied by Jillian at the time) and proclaimed that that wasn’t her favorite song, and asked if I could please use her favorite song. So, I did.

2. It’s Maggies 4th birthday today! How is she FOUR? I’d post pictures from her very last day as a free year old, but….

3. My hard drives are all wonky and for some reason all the USB ports are being used so I can’t plug in my card reader. I’m afraid of unplugging anything on my computer! I’ll wait for Jeramy to load the images and Mags will have her own post this week.

4.I just went to my iPhoto library to load up some iPhone pictures… it can’t seem to find the library!

5. This ToT is LAME!!!!

How about this…

6. I made a sweater that could actually be worn! Too bad its too small for Cyrus!

7. I love reading. I’ve worked really hard on trying to get my kids to be readers and for the most part they are. Only they are really good readers, and I find that the books for their reading level don’t match their maturity level. The books written for 5th graders are all dealing with issues that I feel my 5th grader doesn’t need to be reading about. But I think Honey for a Childs Heart is going to be a great resource for me.

8. Have you seen this YouTube video?

“But they’re SO comfortable!”

I’m not going to lie… I want Uggs. Amanda bought me Ugg slippers for Christmas. I had them in my greedy little paws, but they were the wrong size! I used my store credit and my gift card I had been sitting one for a LONG time and bought boots, just not Uggs. I hear they are wonderful… I just don’t like how they look on me. Anyhow! I bought a pair of Keen boots… I LOVE THEM!!! And for sure I’ll be getting the slippers in my size!

9. I love Lil Blue Boo clothes! Jane and Mary Rose have done some modeling for a friend who is an affiliate photographer for the company. The clothes are fun and funky and full of sass! But, it’s the owner and designer of Lil Blue Boo that inspires me EVERYDAY! Read her blog and be prepared to be amazed. You can follow Ashley’s Cancer Chronicles HERE and watch her video HERE.

And finally…

10! Another blog I follow… Under the Sycamore. Not only is this a great Mom/DIY/photography blog… They are adopting a little girl from China! If it wasn’t so wonderful I’d be so jealous! I’d give anything to adopt a little girl from China! Ashley-Ann blogs about the process in such a real and completely wonderful way! I’m going to be a mess once she blogs that she is holding her darling girl in her arms! I am so excited for them! Its crazy considering that I don’t even know this family… or the little girl waiting for them in China, but I pray for them all the time!

I did it! Ten on Tuesday… DONE!

( I didn’t take the images of the boots and books… my watermark just gets put on everything. I’ll fix it later. Just want to be clear. You can’t ever be too careful these days!?

~Have I mentioned my fish tank? I love it! And I’m bitter that Jen has a bigger one then me!  I MUST blog my frog story! Or better yet… video Maggie telling the story!

~ Have you been to Brady’s Awesome Blog? Its Awesome. And so is he!

WAIT! This is turning into a Ten on Tuesday post! I’m saving the rest for tomorrow! How about a slideshow of some of my favorite images from my last few sessions I haven’t blogged yet?!

image2random image3random image4random image5random image6random random0.5 random7 random10 random14 random15 random17 randomblog randome8 Randome9 randome12 randome13 randome16 randome17 randome176 randomeblog8 And I’m guessing in the spirit of randomness the images have uploaded themselves very randomly! Odd… But, I’m just going to go with it!

Thats what we learned in school, right? You’d tell the teacher, “I don’t know what to write about!” And they’d say, “Just WRITE!” So, I’m just going to write! Or just share pictures and let them speak for themselves!

To quote The Awesome Brady.… Here we GO!

I’m addicted to Instagram. If you have an iPhone you need to get this app. I love it and I will be making a book of our Instagram pictures. Instagram is a fun easy app. that helps you create really great pictures. I really want to do a picture a day with it, but EV-ER-RY TIME I say I’m going to do a picture a day thing… I don’t. I do think that with instagram I can do it… Thats it! I’m proclaiming that I WILL be doing a photo a day with instagram and for Christmas I’ll make a book. How fun would it be if me and Jeramy both made our own books! So, here are a bunch of pictures I took last year… I’ve already stressed about how many more images of Maggie and JIllian then the rest of the kids, but they are ALWAYS with me!

IMG_3538 IMG_3635 IMG_3638 IMG_3709 IMG_3750 IMG_3923 IMG_4042 IMG_4067 IMG_4171 IMG_4201 IMG_4229 IMG_4232 IMG_4244 IMG_4277 IMG_4305 IMG_4344 IMG_4418 IMG_4425 IMG_4447 IMG_4450 IMG_4540 IMG_4612 IMG_4832 IMG_4879 IMG_5089 IMG_5223 IMG_5255 IMG_5263 IMG_5321 IMG_5383 IMG_5426 IMG_5447 IMG_5462 IMG_5579 IMG_5611 IMG_8720 IMG_8789 IMG_8800 IMG_8811 IMG_9018 IMG_9083 IMG_9142 IMG_9143 IMG_9151 IMG_9163 IMG_9176 IMG_9215 IMG_9240 IMG_9276 IMG_9356 IMG_9360 IMG_9377 IMG_9384 IMG_9391 IMG_3538 IMG_3635 IMG_3638 IMG_3709 IMG_3750 IMG_3923 IMG_4042 IMG_4067 IMG_4171 IMG_4201 IMG_4229 IMG_4232 IMG_4244 IMG_4277 IMG_4305 IMG_4344 IMG_4418 IMG_4425 IMG_4447 IMG_4450 IMG_4540 IMG_4612 IMG_4832 IMG_4879 IMG_5089 IMG_5223 IMG_5255 IMG_5263 IMG_5321 IMG_5383 IMG_5426 IMG_5447 IMG_5462 IMG_5579 IMG_5611 IMG_8720 IMG_8789 IMG_8800 IMG_8811 IMG_9018 IMG_9083 IMG_9142 IMG_9143 IMG_9151 IMG_9163 IMG_9176 IMG_9215 IMG_9240 IMG_9276 IMG_9356 IMG_9360 IMG_9377 IMG_9384 IMG_9391

A few years ago we made time to take the kids to Union Square, but it seems mostly life gets in the way and we can’t make the trip.

THIS year however!!!! Jeramy surprised me with tickets to ride a Christmas Cable Car!!! A cable car tour of the City! The car was decked out in lights, they gave us Santa hats, played Christmas Carols and taught us some fun San Francisco history! IT WAS SO SUPER FUN!!!

Some tips if you decide to go…

~We got a great deal from Groupon. Make sure you check them out for deals.

~Sit in the front and on the left side of the car. Thats where the good views are.

~ It is really cold. Dress warm and gloves are a must!

~ Don’t be afraid to ask your driver to stop so you can hop off for a good picture.

~ You stop at the Fairmont to see the HUGE gingerbread house … they have a direct  mailbox to the North Pole. Get in and write those letters! You have 10 minutes!

EDITED: Mary Rose wrote a letter at the Fairmont and dropped it in the Direct to the North Pole mailbox and just got an e-mail back from him today! She is freaking out!!!

On another level I was sad, I was missing Anne so much. Jillian was singing and doing “The Beenie Bop” and I always wonder what Anne wold be doing… and I always have a hard time taking family photos without Anne. And then, driving through the Financial District I couldn’t remember the building my Gramma worked in… It was across from the Trans-Amercia building, but I was sad I couldn’t point it out anymore. I did feel pangs of sadness, but I didn’t let those feelings take over the happy excitement of the evening.

Real quick about these images… I am still so excited about our trip last night! We’ve had these tickets for a couple weeks now, not to mention that I’ve been wanting to take the kids on a cable car for a very long time! I handed my camera over to the lady who worked with the cable car company which was really scary… for many reasons, but I didn’t want to have bunches of pictures and not have me in any of them. They are perfect! In all their blurry brightness, they are completely perfect. I let go with these pictures and backed off on my quest for the most perfect image and just captured the spirit of the day. I did edit a few… changed them to black and white, but for the most part these images are just as I took ‘em and I am so excited about them!

How about a slideshow??

CCblog1 ccblog2 ccblog3 ccblog4 ccblog5 ccblog6 ccblog7 ccblog8 ccblog9 ccblog10 ccblog11 ccblog12 ccblog13 ccblog14 ccblog16 ccblog17 ccblog18 ccblog19 ccblog20 ccblog21 ccblog22 ccblog23 ccblog24 ccblog25 ccblog26 ccblog27 ccblog28 ccblog29 ccblog30 ccblog31 ccblog32

A day later we found out that our cousin Joshua Corral was killed serving our county in Afghanistan. He was 19.

And then days later, right before my  granmas memorial service, we found out that her baby sister passed. My Aunt Donna was an amazing woman. I spent countless Summers, Thanksgivings and Christmases up in the mountains at Aunt Donnas.

So, needless to say my life has been a bit rough. I’m doing good though. I keep looking up. I do have my moments. FOR SURE! I even just have bad days, but for the most part I’m doing well. I’m getting really good at feeling my feelings, acknowledging the issues and then putting them into perspective. And if I’m going to be really honest… retail therapy has been a major help!

And on top of all that, we’ve been passing a lovely cold around to each other! Jillian has an inhaler and that makes me so nervous. Since we brought her home she hasn’t been sick! Just a drippy nose from teething, but not a single cold. Until right before Thanksgiving. And now she can’t seem to shake it.

Another reason I haven’t been able to blog much is because Brady has been occupying a lot of my computer! He figured out how to do some pretty cool movie tricks as well as stop motion animation. You should check out his blog! HERE and HERE are my favorites! Leave him a comment and it will make his day!

I have so much to blog about! A few family sessions… Mary Rose got to do a play with a real Theater Company. And there was drama with drama! Thats for sure! Although there were ups and downs she completely loves it and is working hard on getting her laundry down so we’ll sign her up for the next play.

Jane and Maggie have been singing and playing and really just enjoying life. Jane is counting down the days till she is 7 and can do a play up on stage with Mary Rose. I can’t seem to figure out how to upload a video to this blog, but as soon as I can’ I’ll post what Maggie wants for Christmas! You’ll die! Its too dang cute!

Hopefully I’ll get blogging into my schedule. It’s going to be hard to catch up! Up next I’m going to be blogging about a family that is always a blast to hang with! Mainly because They have one son who thinks I’m about the funniest thing EVER and one who makes me work for his love… I like a little bit of a challenge. And I win every time!

Because  a blog post seems lonely without pictures Here are a couple…