made with love. and sparkle tape.

a little late in the game as most of you have probably sent Valentines to school with your kiddos, but this was our process in Drew's Valentines :)

I try to keep it simple with the little ones' projects. and as little clean up for me. ;) watercolor painting has been their favorite lately so it seemed obvious to use this for her Valentines. I simply drew a heart in a marker (gold, per Drew's request) ;) and the girls painted over them. easy.peasy.

all my girls love to write so when the "cards" were all dry, she wrote her name on each of them. probably the cutest thing ever.

instead of candy, I convinced her she wanted to give tiny erasers. and on second thought after fishing aboutttt 5 of these out of Will's mouth in the last couple weeks, this may not have been the wisest choice for her treat. we'll get it right one of these times! so we got ourselves some pretty, sparkly tape and taped those buggers right on there :)

Casey and I had sort of similar ideas for the kids' cards. not surprising. but I feel as though Drew may have pulled hers off a little better. I suggested to Casey maybe to use paper without lines next time. and it makes a huge difference when the little ones write their own name, probably makes the cards! Homer is a bit younger so I'll be expecting some pure awesomeness with next years cards :)

sooooo I'm here to keep it reallllll. yo. Casey, here:)

i'll admit a few things here.

1. this project was above all else...a distraction. Have I mentioned how I'm obsessed slightly into, Felicity?!?!? SLIGHTLY;) I kid...mostly:) 

in case you thought I was trying to pull off that "she's a SAHM and has all the time in the worldddddd to hover over Pinterest and sit down and 'help' the kids with the most adorably-perfect Valentine's EVAAAAA"....even I have enough sense to admit that that's not what these are screaming;)

2. after Courts sent a photo of what her and Rowdy were working on (which was completely random that we were both working on something so similar!) - while she cared for 7 other children...is she still breastfeeding one???;)...making supper and organizing a corner of some part of the house and helping one with homework and bringing Dave a beer and just being calm and collected in all ways of life - I started to doubt whether Homer would be accepted into the Gifted and Talented Program...which Courtney informed me, she was a part of. Hmmm. 

3. i found a little book of those pro Valentine's, way back in the closet. Some Star Wars ones, even!! And I almostttttt turned into that mom. I almostttttt redid them all that morning before school. 

luckily, I came to my senses. Homer's are perfect! He can't write his name quite yet...we did manage to get a few letters on some, in case that isn't obvious;) And that additional crinkle has an adorable story behind it...of Theo grabbing hold of the entire pile and bolting and us then having to hold her down to pry them out of her irrational/screaming paws!!!! Good times;)

rowdy and Homer did such a great job and seriously...homemade or Target-bought...you're doin' good mama:)

now...back to what Court's was saying;)...

she snuck some candies before I could feed her after school, but she thoroughly enjoyed all her goodies... and even shared!

wishing you all a happy valentines day!

read it.

februarys book pick was:

i was super excited about this book. I'm a huge fan of Drew. I love love her vibe and laid-back/no-effort, yet pretty style. In life and fashion:)

the book was good...but...meh?!

I will say that it was enlightening! I learned a lot more about her than what meets the eye. Her incredible work ethic and dedication to helping and serving others. And her commitment to a family she's built...after never having that structure earlier in her life with her own mother and father.

a very quick and easy read!!:) Easy breezy! If you're headed to Chicago by train or Jamaica by plane...this should be on your lap:)

next up, for our March pick:

review to come:)

coffee mornin island

photo taken Tuesday, February 2

this was a particularly productive coffee mornin. blog planning. banana bread. brownies... (lots of B's, as in the letter. not BS) ;) ran out of eggs while making those brownies... shocking actually as we buy them seven dozen at a time (no joke!)

this seems fairly boring to me actually... maybe we should have the kids dancing on the island for this series instead... hmm, something to ponder ;)

14 kids. 4 adults. 2 dogs and puke. We went sledding.

if you follow me on Instagram, you know that my Mac is currently out of sorts:/

i 'tossed' it onto the floor in a fit of rage and am now waiting the longggg 4 days to find out if it's salvageable or if I just spent up part of our tax returns on a new computer:/

those few days you go without your link to the outside world - and by outside world, I mean: DO BEN AND FELICITY GET BACK TOGETHER?!?!?!?!?!?!?;) - are quite eye opening. Day1: Regret. HUGE regret. I NEEEEDDDD MY COMPUTERRRRRRRRR. It's EVERYTHINGGGGGGGGG! Will I need a replacement?! Am I prepared to spend $1500 on a new computer? Am I prepared to spend $230 to fix my already shitty one?!!?!?! Day2: Fuck it.

anyhoo...it's nice outside and I'm finally feeling less than complete shit since my surgery but still tired and weakish - or maybe coffee, pop tarts and 2.25hrs of sleep just aren't enough fuel for an entire day?;) 
So just good enough to not need 3 naps but still shitty enough that we can't really get outside and enjoy 36 degrees in February. Boo.

so we'll reminisce on some beautiful Wisconsin winter weather from just a few weeks ago!



only those living in Wisconsin...in January...can appreciate a rare 39 degree day! 

so sledding!!!!!:)

14 kids. 4 adults. 2 dogs.

it took a fewwwwww too many casualties before the kids realized that walking back up the hill, into on-coming sledders, was a terrible idea;) And my dog puked - PUKED!!!! - directly on the sledding path. Twice. 

once the kinks were worked out andddd puke was cleared...it was a blast!

this Wisconsin winter has been SO mild. Good grief, I don't want to jinx it by even mentioning that. BUT it's been GLORIOUS!!! And 42 days till Spring. Totally.Doable.

coffee mornin island

since lots of our followers love our coffee mornins, we thought a series about my kitchen island would be fun. we spend a lot of time here. uhhhh lot. our best ideas come from this very spot!

not too long ago, my dad built me this beautiful kitchen island because I begged him relentlessly we congregate here all.the.time. and now we do coffee here! 

photo taken Wednesday, January 27

a few things to keep in mind when you see these posts:
unfortunately for you, none of this is staged
we may not be able to explain any of the nonsense
it ain't always puuuurty
one of those halos may or may not have been rotten

#reallifesmiths

so, I did not have an ovary removed from my uterus.

i may have goofed and told a girlfriend that I was having an ovary removed from my uterus. Wrong. 

this morning, I had a cyst removed from my left ovary. The put you under, stick a breathing apparatus down your throat and make 4 incisions in your abdomen kinda surgery.

surgery is so weird. This was my first experience with this type of thing and on those few occasions that I wanted to cry from fear, I reminded myself that my 3-1/2yr old has done something similar...twice:/

by the time It took Jacob to leave the room and the nurse to wheel me around the corner...I was feeling all sorts of special! A speciallll special little kite;) And then I was being told everything would be okay and to breath deeply and boom...I was waking up in recovery! I never even remember drifting off. Nada. Not too bad;)

so this post could be all: yada, yada...I had surgery. Everything was good. Thank Jesus. 

but shit just isn't that boring around these parts...at least I don't allow it to be;)

keeping in mind that you can't 'un-read' things or pluck them back out of your head...or stop yourself from visualizing things because I'm explaining them in a way that doesn't allow you NOT to wonder;)...this is your 'heads up'.

so...this:

- jacob informed me, right before I was to roll into surgery - aka. be sliced/lasered?? open - that while in the waiting room, a pretty girl had taken a liking to him and Rocky (can't blame her;). Her name was, Stormy. Stoooorrrrmyyy.

Just one more time: STORMY.

not that there's anything wrong with that. Seinfeld! Anyone?!;)

my husband isn't the type to know better than to make a joke about your future girlfriend - girlfriend because Jacob also informed me that being married once...to me...was MORE than enough and he'd NEVER do thattttt again...this conversation 10min before having a a laser cut into me! - who's name is STORMY, raising my children because I don't make it out alive from the removal of a damn cyst - that we later found out did NOT have teeth...yeah, we're the type to be bummed about that and Jacob asked if he could still take it home. Good grief.

where was I?! 

Oh yeah...Stormy's livin' in MY house, raising MY children!!!;)

*jacob later informed me that he never even spoke to Stormy, only heard her name when they called her to the front desk. Idiot;)

- the good thing about having a 'baby vagina', as Courts calls it...

Let me explain;)

once, back in those shady drinkin' days...I may have - DID - showed Courts my lady bits, in the bathroom of a bar that's cool with lady bits being out for purposes other than urinating;) The reason was to compare 'hair styles'.

I'll add that I, for the 2nd* time in my life - in a big way - was told WE would do something, I went first and no one followed. Hmmm.

*1st being that time I was 17..in London..smoking clove cigarettes..staying in hostels (before you feared being murdered;). The drinking age was 18 and I was traveling with all 18yr olds (before you feared being murdered:/) and getting a tattoo on the top of my foot..on day 2 of our 12 day trip, seemed So.fucking.cool. 7 of us went in to get tattoos..I went first. 1 of us came out with a tattoo. Me:) I still love that tattoo.

Side Note: to all you underagers reading...best way to break it to your parents that you got your 1st tattoo..while underage - cause the owner of the shop 'believed' you when you told him you were 18 (back when there was TRUST;) - is while in a different country. 

okay...there's a point in there.

I didn't have to be 'prepped' for surgery. They came in, took a look and said: "ohhh...we're good!"

so there's that:)

so this is definitely, normally, something I would have talked and talkeddddd and talked about in the days prior but such is life. I have a couple kiddos at home and coffee mornings to be had and yada, yada, yada;) So I didn't really remember to fill anyone in. BUT here ya go...the play by play:)

but thank you to the Clinic. Good gosh. They made it almost enjoyable!!!;) Eric was a nurse that helped and also has a daughter with the middle name, Daisy! As you can probably imagine...receiving this information, as well as knowing my husband was in the waiting room with Stormy...I figured it was just my time. Jesus was all: you can go now, we got this;)

so they were fantastic. They found a freezer for my milk for Rocky. They went above and beyond to accommodate me nursing and pumping before and after the surgery. And I had a familiar face by my side, telling me how good I was doing and that it was all gonna be okay - thank you, thank you, Jen:). 

and the nurses who helped me get dressed and didn't even flinch when I told them I was going to pass on wearing a bra home...even when we all knew how frightening that was;)

my mom watched the older 2 kiddos for the whole day. SO helpful, although, Theo rushed home to meet her cuddling quota;)

courts made us dinner, pizza and brownies:) And now I'll never be able to eat a strawberry without thinking of an ovary. Thanks?! - see below.

and Jacob. Jacob is Jacob. I couldn't ask for a better, better half:) He is always one step ahead of what I need...which is why I can chuckle at the fact that he's been passed out on the couch since 845PM because, apparently, me having surgery is exhausting;)

absolutely NOT trying to show off the lady bits in these photos...justtttt the surgical site(s) andddd the sauce I spilled on my shirt from my Chicken Sandwich...andddd apparently, my nipples because I hadn't put my bra back on at this point;)

so what I'd love for you to take away from this post is mainly, the news that there's someone living out there with the name Stormy. 

totally kidding. Kinda?!

and now we cuddle and blog post and eat brownies with a side of Extra Strength Tylenol;)

goodnight, Friends:)

casey m. smith

hi, I'm Casey. The other 1/2 of this blog collaboration. Courtney, the older one...with all the kids...and her old love and old baby making parts...that's my sister:)
I'm the younger - by 19 months - tighter, more in love version of this Smith+Zimmerman Combo;)

oh yeah, we're sister's married to brothers. So that makes things wayyyyyy fun;)

no, you didn't ask, but I'm gonna tell you a bit about myself anyways;)

jacob and I have been married for 5 years in September. Like Courts, I found myself a Smith;) 

One day, abouttttt 13 years ago?!...I said to Courts: "I thinkkkkk, I knowwww, I like Jacob?!" I lived with Courts and Dave for a short time after High School and spent a ton of time there playing, or watching Jacob play, Grand Theft Auto:) Definitely spells romance;)

I won't open the ginormous can of worms that is the list of reasons why I love Jacob. I will say that I love Jacob and he loves me right back, in a way I always dreamed of. I never don't love Jacob. There are times I want to punch Jacob in the head but before/during and after that punch...I'd be loving him;)

The past 13 years of Jacob and Casey hasn't been all good. The past 7 years, though...the ones we've spent together and with our shit together, have been the happiest of my life:) 

I make me happy but Jacob makes me happier. 
Not loving Jacob, is not a possibility. He's my best friend and we're annoying and in love and I'm so okay with that;)

i love watermelon and all the rest of the foods that there ever were or will be and traveling and road trips and all-nighters with Jacob and bonfires and walks and the sunrise and the sunset and lazy Sunday's with us all home!

i love hugs and holding hands and getting lost and making people laugh and hanging another memory on our walls and dancing with the kids and dancing with my husband and listening to good music and lighting candles:)

i like taking Art Class and Water Aerobics and Yoga and buying $50 treadmills off Craig's List, regardless of the facts that I'm neither gifted in arts, physically fit or athletic.

i have a tattoo I hate (I hate the word hate...so when I say hate...that's a pretty big deal - this from the girl who's fav word is the Fword;). I'm actually in the process of having it removed. ARGGGGGGGGGG - long story. I'm sure I'll document that now that I'm putting it out there. 
I will say that I'd rather birth 5 more babies - wait, I like birthing...um...;). I'd rather spend 10 minutes PER DAY at the dentist having them blow that air gun on my teeth than have a tattoo removed. It.don't.feel.good:/

i love and will continue getting tattoos.

my fav word is the Fworddd...or any variation of the word. Sorryyyyyyy, I have a legit potty mouth:/ I don't know when this came about or why but it's seriously become a part of who I am. When happy, sad, excited, scared, stressed, birthing;), running on the treadmill, running late, burning making mac&chs....you get the idea;)
My dad has said in the past: "Butch, when did it become okay for you to talk that way?" He says this with a smirk on his face cause he doesn't approve but he loves me too hard to get after me;)

let's see here...what else...I'll dig a little deeper.

i used to drink too much. Ew. My apologies to those who had to deal with me after dark on the weekends...or during the day on a Tuesday, who are we kidding;) from 2002 to abouttttt 2006?

i ran a mile for the first time, since High School, in 2013...and not since. I'm working on that with the help of my new-to-me $50 treadmill;)

i love the color black. I wear some variation of it almost every day. I'm currently contemplating getting rid of 3/4 of my wardrobe. I mean...I seriously don't wear any of it. And IF I do that...you're all invited to come dig through my give-aways! For reals.

i love being pregnant. I love that moment you think you might be pregnant and the moment you realize you are! - I'm crying:) 
And I love the anticipation of the baby's arrival and wondering what the birth will be like! - Still crying:')
And picking out a name and looking pregnant and gaining the most.weight.ever and having heartburn so soooo bad but continuing to eat SO.MUCH.SHIT cause waking up puking in my mouth is TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!;)
And when the baby is here. When you see whether it's a girl or boy - cause it just don't matter one little bit - and you hold them and nurse them and spend 3 amazing/sleepless days in the hotel hospital and your husband stays with you, cause that's our thing and he holds your babies and - CRYING - your heart is like...your entire everything:):)

i cry a lot.

i want more babies - I won't include my husband's opinion on this because this post is ALL ABOUT ME;). I want more babies. I don't know how many more we'll have. Maybe just one...maybe 3? What I do know is that Rocky is perfect. And he's the lucky little brother of 2 amazing/exhausting/confused/irrational/brilliant toddlers, Homer (3-1/2 brother) and Theo (1-1/2 sister). But we're not complete. I know there's more to come for our family.

so this is the 'blog post' version of me. If you continue to follow, you're going to find out a heck of a lot more, probably more than you'd ever care to know:) I'm an open book. If there's anything about me or my family, personal/daily life, the kids or food or my toes or closet or yard that you're curious about, please feel free to email/comment and I'll for sure get you ALL the info.:)

bottom line: I love my husband, my babies, our family and our life here. It really is that simple:) 


and because I ask ridiculous things of them constantly: 3 words that Mom & Dad, sisters: Courtney, Pigg & Mal and Jacob, would use to describe me...which turned into a prettyyyy amazing mass text, try it some time;)
Here's what we got:

Pigg
Pain-in-the-Ass, Unique, Optimistic

Mom
Funny, Pretty, Shopaholic

Court
Witty, Genuine, Hot-Mess

Jacob
Compassionate, Gregarious*, Helpful
- and because he can't help himself;) 
Honest, Intelligent, Powerful, Romantic, Sympathetic, Warm-hearted
- I'm adding Sexy for him because I believe that was an honest oversight;)

this is about the point where Pigg and Mal were gagging and wanted to be excluded from the mass text;)

Dad
Entertaining, Imaginative, Tall

*gre·gar·i·ous

/ɡrəˈɡerēəs/

adjective (of a person) fond of company; sociable.

"he was a popular and gregarious man"

1. synonyms:

   sociable, company-loving, convivial, companionable, outgoing, friendly,affable, amiable, genial, warm, comradely; informalchummy  "he was fun-loving and gregarious"

i'm not at all embarrassed that I had to google the definition for Gregarious;)

*if there's anything troubling about this post, it's because Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day was playing in the background at one point and that had me completely distracted in the most awful way:/*

"I'm a big believer in accepting yourself and not really worrying about it." 

- Jennifer Lawrence