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friday.

i didn't mean to miss a day of blogging….it just got away from me.
i left at 7 AM for the school bus and didn't stop till bedtime.
it was a good and busy day.

although i prefer the lazy hanging out kind of days much better.

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wednesday was indeed Sonic Day.
whoop!

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DYING over the rainbow quilt that arrived in my mailbox from a super special california friend that lives way WAY too far away. i almost cried when i opened the box.
if she had been here i would've.
i felt so loved.
don't you love that kind of moment?
when you FEEL super loved even when you are all alone in your messy kitchen.

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i ran as soon as the kids went on the bus.
i won't keep telling you if i run or not but it was such a good one!
i never stopped to walk!!!  i ran THE WHOLE 3.5 miles!
big day for me.
😀
and i will share my playlist for yesterday….meaning i kept hitting >> till i got a song i liked.
Miracle Drug – U2
Rehab – Amy Winehouse
Beautiful Day – U2
La Ti Da – Marcia Ball
Creepin' In – Nora jones/Dolly Parton
Yahweh – U2
Jackson – Walk the Line Soundtrack….so Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon 
Read My Mind – Killers
Long Way Around – Dixie Chicks (i looooove that song….LOVE)
Home – Edward Sharp &the Magnetic Zeros
Hey Mama – Mat Kearney

Late in the Evening – Paul Simon
 
 

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i treated myself to a french manicure.
am i the only person who has terrible luck with this?
it was not a great manicure…
and i was there f.o.r.e.v.e.r.
i know these are not big life problems i have…i know….but i was annoyed.

then i got an email that could be the best email EVER from someone awesome.
and my mood changed.
🙂
i hope i get to tell you about it.  
but not yet.

i went to kimberlee's house and had a meeting for craft weekend!!!
i will tell you about that soon.
VERY SOON. 

i drove straight to the bus stop from kimberlee's.
on the drive home after school annie asked "can we PLEEEEEEEEASE do a craft when we get home?"

i said "YES!" 

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i sent her outside for step one.
she collected acorns from the driveway and counted them.  
84!! 
and we didn't make it much farther….the plan is to make THESE.
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but painting them was harder and messier than i thought so we will need a longer craft time to finish.

we ate a super fast dinner of pasta and sauce.
nothing else.

and out the door to football and soccer.

when we got home and got the kids to bed i ran a HOT HOT bath with bubbles and Stress Relief Bubble Bath
and sank up to my nose and watched Parenthood from Tuesday.

and i cried.
because i love it all.
i love childbirth…i love people realizing about autism….i love seeing crisis in family and how they portray it.
I know it's a show.
and they are actors.
i know this.
but i just love how they do it.
i like good tv and movies.
a lot.
🙂

then i was OUT like a light.
and my kids are off school today so i got to sleep in!!!!

today….we clean.
and make a craft.
and chill.

happy friday.

making THIS for dinner. 
pumpkin waffle recipe soon to come.  :) 

Salma - sandhya Aaji – Dear Ruta & Marc,Great photos and great pearonslities. Ayanna is growing so cute. I know Sameer& Deepa have tough competions to keep the attention on them with two little wonders around the place! Your friend has done great job of capturing all good moments. Enjoyed every single picture.Also was impressed that you are able to fold mandi’ and take Ayanna on the lap. That was my favourite way of putting Zoya to sleep. I miss her! Grand parents are so happy to witness family extensions. I know they had to wait for a month. Enjoy the function on 5th. All the best

Dawn W. - Oooh, my goodness! The rainbow quilt. I confess. I ended up loving them so much I bought THREE. I bought a full for my bed & a twin as a throw, but when I went back one day there was one more full one for sale… I like sales. Especially when I’m in love with the blanket. o.0

jeana - Hey Meg, I wanted to chime in and say thanks for your appreciation in people realizing autism. Living with this in our home, it melts my heart when our boy has someone around that truly cares and is interested in him. I cry every week when I watch that show. It’s my favorite EVER. AND your quilt is beautiful, what a nice friend you have. It’s nice to be on someones’ mind and heart. Have a blessed week!

Debbie Hargadon - Thanks for the inspiration for dinner tonight! My brain is dead and I need make ahead treats due to kid’s sports – like you.
Great nail salons are really hard to find — we are lucky in California as there are SO SO many — but it always amazes me that there are not that many who do a truly great job, where polish lasts 1 week or longer, they work on problem nails, etc.
Loved the 4 kids with the HUGE dark eyes!

Hannah - love the craft….we have about 3782 acorns on our deck…so guess what we can do today? 🙂
parenthood is my fave also…i cried during the baby scene…but laughed my tail off at his hip-hop outfit! ha! hilarious!
i so hope to come to your craft weekend one year…because i just learned to sew! whoot! 🙂
happy monday!

Heather G. - YAY for your happy quilt! I’ve never seen Parenthood….seems like a show I’d probably love, but now I think I’m too behind to get caught up.

Alicia - Long Way Around is my favourite song ever! I even taught myself the violin part by ear because I love it so much! LOVE the Dixie Chicks!

Donna - So, I have to know………are those your nails or acrylics? I removed my acrylics after many years and am trying the Shellac route. Is your french white tip painted on?
Love your blog, by the way. Wish I had half of your creativity!

JustMommer - Parenthood – Best show ever!!!!!!!

Kat - Love your blog and love Parenthood. My fav show atm.
We haven’t gotten up to the birth yet here in Aus though. I am looking forward to that!!
Thanks for sharing a bit of your every day-ness. I adore that about your blog.

Kate - 1) I love the tile on your floor from the previous post – it’s the same as we have in our bath.
2) Your new rainbow quilt is the quilt my daughter has in her bedroom. It’s so cheerful!

Selina - That is a fabulous day. I think you are allowed to skip a day of posting when you come back with such a great post!
I adore your rainbow blanket and if you were closer I may attempt to steal it! LOl

Lori - Parenthood makes me cry every week. Seems so real to me. My other favorite show is Modern Family. Makes me laugh so hard!
Good job with the running…keep up the good work!

Lisa - I bought that rainbow quilt for my daughter at college last year, we loved it so much we used it again this year, it held up really well. I love it so much, when I visit her I can’t stop looking at it, lol! Parenthood is my absolute FAVORITE show on TV right now, Tuesday’s episode was sooooo good, I watched it again w/ my daughter on Thurs. She and I both love it, and she is only 15, she’s kind of an “old soul” I think 🙂 Have a greaet weekend!

Jolie - I just wanted to say what a great inspiration you are – I love how comfortable and confident you are in your own skin, and I must say (from someone who struggles with self esteem and body confidence) visiting your blog is always uplifting and aspirational for me (just add life coach to your list of careers, lol!) Ditto on the running (woohoo on no walking!!!) – and I love seeing your playlists – if it helps for you to write it down here, no complaints from me!!
And oh my but that quilt is making me drool!!!

Megan B - I also really love Parenthood. I am not a crier at all (at ALL), but gosh darn it, that show makes me tear up a little. It is just a great, great show. Every time my husband and I watch it, I’m like, “Is that it? It’s over? Why can’t this come on every night!?” haha Such a great show.

Liz - Things I love: Parenthood. Crying over Parenthood. The photo of your kids enjoying cones in the rear view mirror. The scrumptious quilt. Great friends. Your creativity. Your humor. Your soft new pj bottoms. Your invitation to get some and be your twin. Your blog. Thank you for brightening your corner of the world, and mine.

Mel - Totally get the tv show thing…these days we become so entwined with the characters they feel like friends, and you like , miss them when the season is over.
Have been thinking about this the last few weeks, ( just finished watching Season 1 of Treme, Davis, i miss you 🙁 )
Why do we feel so close to tv characters? Is it us, or are script writers becoming better us giving us what we want/need emotionally?
Have been pondering this, any ideas?

michelle - you are pure awesomeness! seriously.
in so many ways. we have GOT TO meet in person one of these days! congrats on the 3.5 miles. xoxo-m

Janie - I love Parenthood…it is my most favorite show. So real and these days hard to find something that is so good for the soul. I have to tell you about Nail Envy for your nails. It is the best stuff and you will have long nails in no time. It is worth the price.
Love your posts…just have to hear about your days.

Katygirl - I just watched p-hood. Amazing.

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - LOL ~ i am not good at the manicure either. After my last one, I had ugly, ugly hangnails for two weeks. What is WITH that?

Kari - Those pumpkins are super cute. My boys LOVE pumpkin muffins so pumpkin waffles I must try. Hope we get to hear about the email sometime – have a fabulous weekend!!

Kiersten - That playlist is flippin awesome!!! I have already loaded it up and am ready to run tomorrow! Thanks for the inspiration!

Lisa - I have recently stumbled on to your blog and I love it! You make me smile. I enjoy your details like your run or the music you listened to, the crafting and the photography.
I have recently fallen behind in my blogging but now realize that I miss it so especially while visiting your blog.
Thank you I am off to update and will be back to enjoy your daily updates!

Meredith@count it all joy - What a productive day Meg! I love that song, Jackson…I remember when INXS did a version of it back in the early 90’s and I bought it on a….cassingle! Do you remember those? A cassette tape, but a short one. Remembering made me laugh.
Haven’t watched Parenthood yet, but a girlfriend of mine with a son with Asperger’s finds it very inspiring and encouraging. Must make a note to watch it. Hope all is well with you and your lovely ones. Meredy xo

Meg B. - hmmm…realizing autism….I hope it’s well done and showcases the incredible gifts of autistic children, maybe it will inspire some to reach out to the often isolated families of autistic children? My son is a an incredible gift that many, many won’t take the time to get to know.

amy jupin - posts like this are why i love this blog of yours so much.
because i cry watching parenthood too,
because happy mail is the best,
because i can’t believe how much annie looks like talby now,
because i am so proud of you for sticking with the running–it’s so hard!,
because i LOVE the pic of the rearview mirror,
because i hate manicures,
because i would give anything to sit in kimberlee’s house with y’all and have a cup of coffee right now.

Tracy Fisher - I am hooked on Parenthood now. Thanks! I had watched it once or twice flipping through the channels… but the other night it just grabbed me. Powerful. I know what you mean. Love, love, love the Sonic photo of your kids through the rear view mirror. Ok, I am much too sentimental now.
Tracy Fisher

christine - I started watching Parenthood this month on Netflix. Only because of you 🙂 And, oh my. I just love it. Love! I cry so much during that show. Good tears, sad tears, this is life and it is so amazingly beautiful tears. I actually didn’t realize that the show was still on until the other night when I saw a preview for the new episode that you mentioned. I seriously squealed out loud! Cause…hello! A baby! EEK! And, more importantly cause I get to keep on watching this fun show.
Have fun with your little punkins 🙂 We made those a couple years ago and totally enjoyed it!

Astrid - I just love reading your posts. They make me HAPPY! Right now I’m in the middle of moving our family to China for three years. My head is spinning and i don’t know what i should be doing. Stress????
Anyway, be sure to bake those acorns (google for oven temp and time…not sure on either) to kill off any bugs living in the seeds. Then you won’t have a nasty surprise!
I am so impressed that you jogged 3.5 miles! I totally need to do that! It would help with me keeping my sanity. Or what is left of it anyway.
LOL! Have a great weekend.

Ami - Parenthood and PMS equals a lot of deep breaths to prevent crying. But then she had the baby and that’s all she wrote. Such a fabulous show.
And I have to think as fabulously crafty as you are, you can totally do your own french manicure. I do mine and save trips to the nail spa for my toes.

Kimberlee Jost - I have no idea what we’re eating tonight.
Can I come to your house? 😉

Lindsay - I’m not even a parent, but I adore Parenthood the show! I truly have wanted a family like that forever. Never going to happen- mine is crazy, but I love the Bravermans. 🙂

Stefanie - So glad to discover I’m not the only one that cries at Parenthood every week!

nicole @ deliajude - i cry EVERYTIME i watch parenthood! everytime.

Mindy Harris - love these posts that are just like having a chit chat with you. you have such pretty hands and your nails look good. pretty wedding ring, too.
also, i am a parenthood diehard.
i go to the gym every night now (thanks for inspiring me) so i hafto watch it a day or 2 after i work out, but, it just builds up the suspense.
i love watching childbirths, too. except the baby they picked looked 3 months old…but i guess it’s probably hard to find newborns in hollywood…they are all with their nannys. 🙂
xoxo I SO WANT TO COME TO CRAFT WEEKEND!

happygirl - Such an adorable craft. And 3.5 miles running the WHOLE time. AWESOME. No wonder you look so good. I’m glad you have friends that know JUST what you love. 🙂

Kristi - glad I wasn’t the only one crying through parenthood. loved it.
and I love that quilt.
and I am so impressed with your run! good job.

Julie - Despite not being your pajama twin, I am your quilt twin! Its so happy.

TinaM. - love the acorns 🙂

Jen - Hi, Meg! I love your blog. It is happy and colorful and it is clear your heart is in everything you do. You inspire me!
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about my own children (ages 6 and 2) and chores. You wrote that you were going to clean on their day off from school. I’m curious to hear more about that — how do chores/cleaning/etc. work in your house?
Have a great day!
~Jen from Missouri

amber - Okay…have you seen the comedian Anjelah Johnson talking about manicures? If not, here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o
It cracks me up, & seeing as how you didn’t enjoy yours so much, you could get a good laugh about it. 🙂
Your kids are too cute & Annie did look like Talby in that picture!
Oh! And last thing…someone told you about worms in acorns. I read on the MADE blog last fall that you can bake acorns to kill the worms. Can’t remember how long or what temperature though…helpful, aren’t I? Have a great weekend!!

nora - I think I’ve been reading your blog for forever now b/c I did a double-take when I realized that was Annie – not Talby – in the photos.
They picked the best name for the new baby on Parenthood in my humble opinion 🙂

emily anderson - when will the next craft weekend be?! i want to go so bad!
and i totally feel ya on parenthood. ugh, gets me everytime.
okay, that’s all 🙂
love.

Laura - Thanks for the playlists. I’m always trying to find some new music, and we seem to have similar tastes. Glad I’m not the only one who hits >>> repeatedly!

amanda fuentes - 2 things: 1, your husband was suggested as a friend on my Facebook….how random is that?! Or perhaps we know someone in common?! And 2, be aware that acorns are full of worms! I’ve been displaying them in a mason jar and every few days have to dump them out and remove the tiny worms that fall to the bottom…..ick!

Kim - you got the rainbow quilt! ack-ity-ack-ack! that is a whole lotta happy that headed your way! 🙂 it makes me smile just seeing a glimpse of it.
you are a running rockstar. still working on that whole running without stopping thing.
kind of a problem that i’m running a (totally untrained for) half marathon this weekend. YIKES 🙂
you are my running hero today!

Meredith Salmon - Love this craft. I have been looking for acorns that size forever. Our tree has baby marble size acorns. I wanted to make owl ornaments for my sorority family tree for Christmas. I have even been looking in stores for them, but think they need to be recycled not bought. If I sent you paid packaging could Annie pick 20 or so for me? The pumpkins are adorable.

Terri Christian - I cried at Parenthood too……

Kerry - hey meg – your dinner looks Scrummy!!
I didnt know acorns had worms in them…hmm…*rushes off to throw acorns out the window* but that craft looks uber cool!
3.5 miles, wowza…. I cant even walk that far 🙁 maybe i need an ipod filled with awesome music…xxx

Mae - Awesome craft idea 🙂
I won’t have kids for quite a while but reading your craft posts makes me want them sooner. Haha.
Have you thought about spray-painting the acorns? It might be faster.

Heather - I’m totally stoked about your 3.5 mile run! I have been exercising regularly for the last 6 years and only last summer began to try to run. This fall I have made it to running 2.5-3 mile routes, but I can only run about 1.5 miles without having to slow to a walk for a bit. I am wondering, though, my whole area I run is hilly – and by hilly I mean like large hills – the kind it’s even hard to bike up. I’d LOVE to try running on a flat surface….I bet I could go much farther! But hey – this isn’t my blog – it’s yours and you totally rocked that run!

Lori Bowring Michaud - Umm, Meg, do you know that most acorns contain a grub? Yep, they do. I collected a hand full last week because I was going to use them to decorate for fall. My 21 year old said, “Gross, why did you bring those in? There are worms inside them.” I said, “Yeah, right.” The next morning, I had 3 small, whitish grubs curled up on my dining room table and one on my dining room rug. Well, let me tell you there was lots of swearing, gagging and cleaning up. You might want to leave them outside until the grubs have worked their way out. There’s usually a hole in the acorn where they’ve eaten their way out.

Kori - How funny was Adam after walking out of the store??!? 😀

Nancy - I watched Parenthood this week too. I totally bawled too. I might have been the mass amount of pain killers the hospital gave me, or the hysterectomy induced mood swings or the music they always seem choose for their episodes (which I always love!. But, I love that show. NO matter what state of mind I am in. Happy weekend to you.

Holly - One of my girls has that quilt in her room. It is my favorite! I think it is from Target but I could be wrong. I am still only on season 2 of parenthood. I keep hearing about the new episodes and it is killing me to not watch but it is so hard to find time to catch up! Have a great weekend!

Dana @ Bungalow'56 - Megan, I’m in love with your kids in the rear view mirror shot. Honestly I would blow it up and frame it. It’s such a perfect slice of life. Love the burst of colour in the top right too.
Dana

Krista - Can’t get over how Annie is starting to look like a little Talby in some pictures! Those little faces in the rear-view mirror after Sonic are cute cute cute! Have a great weekend!

seriouslysassymama - I LOVE reading your blog. I miss the Dixie Chicks. I love hearing about your running. It makes me want to get up and talk about my exercising. Your days sound like mine minus the great emails, and sports. I am in Texas Rangers mode, so that is all I am watching right now. Well that and Forks over Knives. Have a great weekend.

Jen - I LOVE LOVE LOVE Parenthood. Even my hubby LOVES it. I would even consider moving to California if I could live IN the Parenthood set. It’s so good!!!
And, I am planning to do those acorn pumpkins too. I am going to spray paint mine orange though. And then put the faces on with Sharpies?? Is that cheating or just smart?? HAHA
Have a lovely lovely Kansas weekend!

sarah w. - 3.5 miles is so super! You should be so proud.
I love Parenthood.
I cry at every episode. It’s such a good show. So real.
…but this past episode, oh man.
Kenzie said ‘OH she has a baby!’ and I said yes, your brother will be here soon, and he’ll be a bit like that. And then I just lost it.

meghan - this is my second comment this week. woot.
jackson is the best running song ever. johnny cash comes up a lot on my shuffle. one of my go to songs when running is jim croce’s leroy brown. the beat is perfect for my pace.
parenthood is my favorite show. when christina had her baby i burst in to tears and blurted out that i wasn’t done having babies and it was still in my heart to have one more. my husband was like a deer in the headlights…i heard crickets…:) that show moves me something fierce.

shelly - Keep sharing your running journey!!! You are inspiring 🙂 I’m headed to my second day at the gym…focused, gonna keep on movin down this road!
Love Parenthood…I.Always.Bawl!!!
At least bad mani’s can be fixed with polish remover….much better than a bad haircut!

Gemma @ Musings of a gem - Love the happy quilt and looking forward to hearing your news!
Gemma x
http://www.homemadegems.com/

Nikki - I’m absolutely swooning over that quilt!!

Chelsea in MO - Wow, I am impressed, 3.5 miles is no joke! Good job! Keep going!
I LOVE Parenthood, oh man did this weeks show get to me too. I cried twice or maybe even three times, but I’m pregnant so that’s okay, you know, I cry at everything these days : ) . I second how you explained what draws you to the show. It is AWESOME! The “thank you” from Christina to Amber and the Crosby situation with Christina, Adam’s clothes! This episode tied up a lot from last week that I felt like was hanging out there. It was SO good to watch.
Have a great Friday and Weekend! – Chelsea

Kirsten J - I get the nail thing – seems like everytime I find someone I like, 2 months later they’re gone. The gal I go to now has been there for over a year. I tip her BIG, hoping she’ll stay. And I get the sunup until sundown thing (and beyond). And Parenthood. So cute with Haddie getting Max to apologize. And I admit even though it was stupid, I laughed at Adam’s outfit. 😛

michelle - Oh girl, I am so jealous of your running. I’ve never been able to distance run and want to SO bad. I’ve always imagined it would be a great way to clear my mind. 🙂
And that quilt? I have TWO of those! One in a full size & one in a twin size. I bought them at Target 2 years ago on clearance with the hope of one day using them for my two littlest girls bedroom! Just did that bedroom last month & FINALLY got to use that quilt! I love it! And it’s such a happy quilt! Your friend is good people for sending it to you!
Enjoy your day of cleaning & chilling …. those are the best. 🙂

Ashlyn@Pinecone - You had a crazy long day…not much to say as I really need to get to the grocery store (but no I just had to look at your post) but I LOVE LOVE Jackson with Reese and Joaquin. We used to listen to it all the time in the car. Thats it…happy friday! Ashlyn

Jenna@CallHerHappy - pumpkin waffles! mmmmmm!
Also, those acorns are so cute!
And, if I would have seen that quilt somewhere, I would have totally though of you 🙂
Jenna
callherhappy.com

Jessica - just a little FYI… I made that crockpot italian chicken last night and it was DELISH!!!!

Carrie - Thanks for sharing your day. If it encourages you to run, then you should post about it as often as you like. Great job going the full 3.5 miles with no walking. I have tried to start running so many times and never stick with it. I give you credit for sticking to it. I remember the post about your first 5K.
I stopped going for manicures and pedicures. I had too many bad pedicure experiences. So, it seems you are not alone. And while, yes there are bigger problems in the world, it is disappointing to look forward to something and not have a good experience.
Have a great weekend – enjoy the day with your kids.
PS – We have our nieces next weekend and we are going to do one of your crafts. I think the ornament with the little pom pom balls. The girls are 11 and 13 and I remember you mentioning that even Lauren liked that craft so we are going to give it a shot.
Thanks for the inspiration

Trish - 🙂

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