Supper Club

A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our Supper Club for a North Caroline BBQ party. Eastern NC BBQ was shipped in from my husband's hometown of Kinston. We provided the BBQ, cole slaw, Shrimp Shooters, Crudite and "Upsy-Daisy lemonade" and our guests brought side dishes to share.

You will rarely see a picture of me but here I am serving Shrimp Shooters

"Upsy Daisy Lemonade"

from Southern Cocktails book

PaperCourt Press straw flags

"go hog wild"

Crudite display inspired by Martha Stewart

I didn't have a metal planter so I improvised

MIA

Excuse my absence. It's been the full-time mommy show at the PaperCourt household. I'm squeezing in a little work here and there but that's about it. I've given up exercise, personal time, Twitter, etc. to make the most of my boys' summer.

I'll be back soon. Pinky swear.

In the meantime, I leave you with the Catalog Living blog. It is hilarious! Enjoy and let's chat again soon.

Hiking in the city

I took the boys for a hike through an amazing 500 acre park near our house. They walked the entire 3 mile loop with very little whining - mama is proud! Here are some photos from our hike....

(yep..it's me..taken by big kid)

up a tree

moss

fire hydrant in the woods?

Substance

I apologize for the lack of posts these days and the lack of substance when I do post. I'm shocked at how busy I am. Between my business, exercise, school volunteer stuff, church volunteer stuff and mothering, I'm tapped out.

I'm hoping things slow down soon but I'm beginning to think this is how it's going to be for the next 14 years.

Blue Angels birthday party

My oldest is turning six next week and he was very specific about wanting a "Blue Angel" birthday party after seeing them perform this summer. Mr. Almost Six was also very sure he wanted the party to be at our house. That would be our teeny tiny house. I wasn't so sure I wanted a house full of kindergarten boys but it worked out thanks to Mother Nature giving us clear skies.

I started the theme with these invitations from yours truly, PaperCourt Press. Next, we rented a yellow and blue bouncy house for the yard. I made a sign for the light post that said "Last Name Field - Air Station Magnolia" (Magnolia is our neighborhood). I made a badge for each child and I bought Blue Angel airplanes and pencils for party favors from Airshow.com. The cake was from Whole Foods. I also had a Blue Angels DVD showing on the tv in our playroom.

A good time was had by all and I'm so thankful that it didn't rain!

Tagged!

mes petit choux tagged me and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I disappeared from blogland months ago and I'm glad I haven't been completely forgotten.

So here are the rules:You Can Only Use One Word!Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!Alert them that you have given them this award!Have Fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen


2. Your hair? blonde


3. Your mother? inspiration


4. Your father? quiet


5. Your favorite food? cheese


6. Your dream last night? forgot


7. Your favorite drink? wine


8. Your dream/goal? happiness


9. What room are you in? office


10. Your hobby? stationery


11. Your fear? illness


12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy


13. Where were you last night? laundryroom


14. Something that you aren’t? organized


15. Muffins? chocolate


16. Wish list item? frontloader


17. Where did you grow up? florida


18. Last thing you did? soup


19. What are you wearing? loungewear


20. Your TV? off


21. Your pets? none


22. Friends? adore


23. Your life? HAPPY


24. Your mood? happy


25. Missing someone? family


26. Vehicle? volvo


27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes


28. Your favorite store? jcrew


29. Your favorite color? orange


30. When was the last time you laughed? this morning


31. Last time you cried? forgot


32. Your best friend? many


33. One place that I go to over and over? school


34. One person who emails me regularly? husband


35. Favorite place to eat? bastille

And I tag anyone who still reads my blog and wants to participate.

Summer

It's been awhile. Don't say I didn't warn you. With only 4 hours a week of childcare, I've had little time to blog but of plenty of time to enjoy my boys. The days have been jam packed with activities -- swimming, beach, play dates, park -- and we haven't even touched our "things we want to do this summer list".

Also, I finally have a diagnosis on my Achilles issues. It's actually my ankle joint and ligaments. Something about the fibula and tibia not fitting tightly in my ankle joint and the ligaments and Achilles being stressed. I don't get it either. However, a little athletic tape across the front of my ankle that holds my bones together and weekly PT should fix me right up. I'll be running in no time (fingers crossed).

Ta ta for now.

What I should be doing tonight....

Tonight, I should be carb loading, hydrating, resting and laying out my new running skirt for tomorrow's race. Unfortunately, I won't be doing any of this. I hurt my Achilles and after a painful 10 mile run last week, I came to the realization that I won't be able to run the inaugural Seattle Rock 'n Roll half marathon.

So instead of doing the preparations listed above, I think I'll relax and drink wine with Mr. PaperCourt. And I'll think good thoughts for the other 24,999 people who are running tomorrow. Go runners!!!

Preschool graduation

It was today....and I made it through the entire thing with no tears. Woo hoo for me!

Now let's talk about kids' attire for said event. Seattle is known for grunge and preschool graduation did not break any stereotypes. I know I am super anal about what my kids wear (i.e. no athletic shorts to school, etc.) but t-shirts and sweatpants for graduation? Seriously?

Sorry if this sounds snobby but I think it's important to get a little spiffed up for special occasions. I'll step down from my soap box now.

On hiatus....

I'm taking a break for a month or so. Summer is upon us and I need to focus on my daily life with my family.

I'll be back...pinky swear!

Sick day

The crud has invaded the PaperCourt household. I have one feverish boy and one coughing boy. Not fun! We're on day two so hopefully they will be better for their St. Patrick's Day celebrations at school tomorrow.

To pass the time on this icky day, we made Irish Brown Bread from Family Fun magazine. It uses everyday ingredients (and no yeast...I suck at using yeast). I didn't have buttermilk on hand so I used this trick to make my own. It worked like a charm. I may never buy buttermilk again.

The boys watched Madagascar 2 and I cleaned out their drawers. What a great feeling! I plan to list a few shirts (mini boden and crew cuts) on ebay in the next few days.

And about that "jeans" post. I'm having a hard time writing about something so superficial during these hard times. After reading Ashley's post about losing her house, I've decided to focus on other things right now.

And to add to my earlier list of random stuff

A blind man just fell on the hood of my car when I was parked outside the dry cleaner. I did my good deed and helped him back on the sidewalk. He was headed to the local watering hole. Poor guy.

Goings on....

• My iphone is dead. I mean really D-E-A-D. Due to this unfortunate event, I will be lugging both kids to the Apple store this afternoon for a new one. Free, of course....or they better fix mine ASAP.
• Who knew that finding a kindergarten for my child would be harder than finding a college for myself?
• I really need an oil change....like 2,000 miles ago.
• I get to observe my 5-year-old at his Montessori school this afternoon. He is so excited and told me that he will be serving me tea.
• My 2-year-old is kind of a control freak and I'm scared he got it from me. Actually, I'm sure he got it from me. Sorry, kiddo.
• I outed myself as a "closet Republican" on my Facebook 25 things and you can't imagine the shock of most of my friends. It's been quite hilarious.
• I'm training for another half marathon...in 6 weeks.

That's all I can post about my not so exciting life! Have a great day!

How would you answer this question?

My very curious 5-year-old asked me today....

"What was more important - when Jesus was born or when Jesus died?"

He also corrected our priest in front of the entire church on Christmas Eve when she said we were celebrating Jesus' birthday "today". He said, "Actually, it is tomorrow."

I'm not sure what to think of all this.

Welcome!

Welcome to PaperCourt Ponderings! I'm not new to blogging just new to this pseudonym. In a moment of frustration, after a long writer's block, I deleted my old blog. I'd had enough and wanted a new look, name and direction.

Come with me on my journey as a new business owner, mother, wife, sister, friend, amateur photographer, food lover, shopper, etc.