BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

See that cute boy in my blog header... it's his birthday today! Pepe is 11 years old and I can't hardly believe it.

I'm so proud of the young man he is becoming... we have definitely hit the pre-teen phase over the last few months, but I have to say that we are all handling it well (most of the time)... skinny jeans (purple and orange) and long hair... oh my! He's smart (really smart), talented, athletic... he's coming out of his shell, he's becoming less afraid to be himself and I am so happy and pleased to watch him go through these phases in life.

I had the opportunity to go to dinner with just him last night... he chose Izzy's... we talked, we had a conversation... he's getting that big. He made his own food decisions and I was an observer. A different role for me, but one I'm happy to take on.

Pepe is known for his quiet ways (don't get me wrong... he's very loud when playing)... he just doesn't need to be talking all the time. But I still enjoy his chats at night... he's always been a night talker... like when the lights go off for bed time and I hear him say, "Mom, can we talk." Oh, how I love that moment... when he doesn't want me to go and bear hugs my arm and just wants to talk.


For all the rough times we have, there a million more great times. It's never easy being a parent and it's certainly not easy being a child... but we are both doing a good job.

Happy Birthday Pepe!
(Kick bootie today at your soccer game!)

"Home-made" Pizza

Some of us love pizza, some of us don't... but we eat what's put on the table.

We've discovered the joy of making our own pizza... don't get too excited, I still buy pre-made crust. Our favorite is this... and I wish it came it whole wheat... I do want to try to make my own crust, but in the meantime we'll stick with this. (Best price Winco $1.58)

I topped it with 1/2 cup of sauce (I used Classico red sauce).

Pre-shredded Mozzarella and Colby Jack Cheese.

Half the pizza I covered in pepperoni.

The other half I covered in mild italian sausage (precooked... I used the pampered chef meat tool to get it nice crumbled) and black olives (which Pepe chopped for me using the pampered chef food chopper).

Baked for 13 minutes on my pizza stone and it was fabulous! The entire pizza was gone :)

We had a green salad made with butter-leaf lettuce, cucumber, red pepper and avocado.

A scrumptious family meal for a few dollars and a lot of taste and fun.

Bathroom Remodel(s)

Yes, we are moving forward with 2 bathroom remodels! The kids bath and master bath... we are over the moon excited, however, now we are forced to make decisions. We know what design we want and we thought we knew our color schemes until we stop at the show room with the kids. (The kids were great! and I really valued their input.)

The designer is fabulous... she talked with us for a few minutes and definitely got a sense of our personality and went with it. She will be coming out after spring break to look at our spaces and bring us product boards based on our conversation. Joe and I both wanted to go with a natural tone for the master bath and then he spotted marble... in subway tiles and he smiled... a really big smile... and then we came back to reality $$$, but we really like it.... decisions, decisions!

And then there is the question of the kids bathroom... it needs to last... needs to not be outdated in a few years... so now I'm consulting the internet and pulling together looks and ideas that I like... any input appreciated... any design blogs appreciated!

I love what August Field did with her master bath.

I like this... maybe inspiration for the kids bath?


Maybe I need to go retro? Love this floor.

Maybe something gray? However, not this modern.

Best of both worlds? Yellow and Gray... might be true love!