And the winner is...DAVID COOK!!!

Yeah!!! So excited David Cook won!!! He is amazing, and I can't wait to get his CD when it comes out! He's very deserving!!

Looks like Colton and I are the family winners too! Woo Hoo...we're the winners...we won...we knew it...na na na na na! Oh sorry...got carried away! ;)

Spring Cleaning at the Briners!

Well, I started out the day...motivated and inspired to get organized. I told Eric last night, that this weekend, I was having a Memorial Day Makeover, and was getting some Spring Cleaning done!! This morning I started my Things to Do list on Outlook. I also checked out http://www.flylady.com. Not quite sure how it is going to be...but I did go over some of the e-mails they sent. (Yes, I said some...I think they sent about 10 within the first 10 minutes!!) One of the things was a shiny sink! Sounded good to me. Here are the directions for a shiny sink:

1. Clear dishes out of sink
2. Fill basin with hot water, add one cup of bleach. Let set for one hour
3. Rinse thoroughly, then scrub with comet
4. Rinse thorougly, then spray with Windex
5. Wipe dry

I never knew how nice it is to have such a clean sink! It has been motivating to keep the dishes out of it today too!

Another thing that I read is collecting 10 things that you can get rid of. I included the boys in this one. I gave them each a "Blessing Bag", (white plastic bag) and told them we were going to bless 3 children with toys. I had them each choose 10 items to get rid of. Here were the rules:

1. It had to be their toy :)
2. If it was not the size of their hand, (happy meal toys) it only counts as a half
3. I had to approve all toys

It was actually kinda fun! It was interesting to see who the sentamental boys were, and who just wanted to be done! They also found some toys that were buried in their toy boxes, that they were excited to play with again.

I'll be posting more of my Spring Cleaning ideas soon!

My Mother's Day gift!!

Some may want flowers, chocolates, balloons...me...I wanted tennis shoes!!! Pink Ones!!! Can I say how much I love these? Not only are they super cute...(you know that matters!) but these Women's Nike Air Zoom Hot Shot (aren't you inspired already?) shoes are so comfy!! You can wear them without socks, no laces to tie, they breathe...and wait for it...it even has a place to sync your ipod to track your running, calories, etc! Now...if I could just put down the chocolate!!!! ;)

Pineapple Party Girl Rentals is now up and renting!

I am so excited about starting my rental biz. I just designed my website, and it's great! (The link is on the right side of my blog) Not only will I be renting, but also available to decorate centerpieces, set up, etc. So fun! I'm offering 10% off all rentals through June! Pass it on!

My life as MOM!

As Mother's Day nears, I started to really think about my role as "mom". It's amazing to me. I didn't think of the hours of labor, the four nine plus pound births, the stretch marks, sleepless nights, stained shirts and dirty diapers I have changed in the past 10 years. I am so thankful to God that he trusted me to raise the most wonderful four boys on earth. What a privilege it has been to be the one to watch over them. I'm the one they run to when they skin their knee, want to snuggle, and yes, for a snack. As a mom, we wear many hats, teacher, nurse, cook, playmate, coach, disciplinarian, and most of the time...maid. Sometimes were wearing many hats at a time, and it's easy to lose sight of our true purpose. So, this Mother's Day, (and everyday) don't worry about the dishes, piles of laundry, and phone calls. I would not trade one day with my boys to look like a supermodel or have a spotless house! Look into those sweet faces, and see a pure reminder of God's love.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Dawson Speaks!

Our little Dawson is now talking more than ever! At 17 months, he is so much fun! Of course he has been talking in his language for a while, and loves pretending to talk on the telephone, but now is on his way to out-talking us all! ;)

His latest words are - "Sit" which he loves to pound on the glass slider and tell Chester. (Chester isn't so thrilled about it.) Or he'll say it as he's running on the couch!! His newest little phrase is "Thank you mom", which really sounds more like "Tankooma". Hey, I'll take what I can get! This morning as he was cuddling with me after he woke up, I asked him like I do every morning if he was ready to eat breakfast, and he sweetly replied, "noooo". Ethan and I cracked up laughing, so of course the word of today is, "noooo"! Oh great!

A Pirates Life for E! Ethan's 5th Birthday!

What can I say? It was a blast! After doing this same party for Colton and Zac for their 4th and 5th birthdays, we were excited to plan one for Ethan! We visited the Salvation Army, and found a great outfit for about $8! We found some black dress pants, which we zigzag cut, a mens tie for a belt, a ruffled white puffy shirt, and even black shoes! I added gold buttons to the shirt, and also got some red velvet fabric which I made into a vest. I glued on some gold cording, and wore tall red socks, and a red and white striped bandana, and he was set! Captain Ethan was a hit!
We opted for a Pirate bounce house this year. We had never done one before, but everyone was entertained and kept busy!
The kids also searched the yard for gold. (Rocks that I spraypainted gold) And then yes of course a pinata!


What a great way to celebrate Ethan's birthday!!!

Party Details

Every pirate has to have a ship! I used the Family Fun recipe for the pirate ship cake. Cut 2 round cakes and connect them with frosting. I froze the cakes to help. I cut 3 sets of alternating sails, and connected them with skewers. I used kitkats for the railing, and Whoppers for cannon balls. I used a section of a Hershey's bar for the plank, and a Lego pirate to tie it all together. Gummy sharks "swam" beneath the ship. We used Piroette wafers coming out the side of the ship where we lit gold candles. So much fun!!





This is the island cake. I frosted 2 9 x 13 cakes, in between, and on the coast and the island. Next I used crushed graham crakers and sprinkled them on top of the frosting. I used a pastry brush to remove excess crumbs. Next I used a blue gel on top of the cake to create the water. Last I frosted the sides of the cake, and decorated with toy palm trees, a lego treasure chest with mini m & m's, and a red gel X to mark the treasure.





All pirates love to eat, so we had a variety of snackies! Fruit and veggie trays. (For the veggie tray I made a palm tree out of a carrot, and bell pepper strips.) Olive cannon balls, Golden popcorn with jewels (m & m's), and a tropical trail mix. I had also bought the Costco goldfish...but forgot to put them out.





For decorations I used SLAH Hemingway hurricanes, filled with white sand and then gold rocks, jewel necklaces, gold coins, and different color rock marbles. I have to find that picture! Then I'll post.



Goodie bags were black sandwich type bags from Michaels. I downloaded the skull, and glued it to red cardstock, then attached with glue. I hole-punched the top, and tied ribbon. Inside was a telescope, pirate pencil, ring pop, chocolate coins, rootbeer barrels, shark gummie snacks and a candy necklace. The "wee-little" pirates, got a bag with pirate Little People and Nemo fruit snacks, and goodies.

Who will it be???

Well, if you ask me, this year has not been a great year for Idol. :( I really don't think this years contestants have been anything spectacular. I do think that David Cook has come a long way, and will be successful for sure! David A., was cute in the beginning, and other than a lack of self esteem, he does have a great voice. Jason Castro has a unique voice too, but might have lost a few too many brain cells. Sayesha will do great on broadway! (Sorry...was that a little too Simonish???) :)

Here are our predictions from the Briner household for the 2008 American Idol winner:

Eric - David A.

Johnna - David Cook

Colton - David Cook

Zac - David A.

Ethan - Sayesha (of course...he's always the opposite!)

Dawson - Jason Castro (Just to cover all of our bases!)

We'll see!!!

Southern Living at HOME Spring Idea Showcase

Filigree Iron Candlestand with white washed clay pots, and fresh tulips.



This Spring I opened my home up, and shared a few simple decorating tips. It was a lot of fun!

Alexandria Centerpiece - took a six pack of flowers and left them in the container. Cut the container so there were 3 packs on each side. Lined the container with seran wrap, and then set the containers in the centerpiece. I filled in with Spanish moss around the sides to hide the container. You can also use this piece with permanent flowers by sticking them in floral foam.











This centerpiece was done with the Madeline Hurricane, on top of our new Madison Mirror. I lined the mirror with seran wrap, then placed moss on top, and a satin ribbon around the edge of the moss. The hurricane was filled with different sized rocks, and also pussy willow that I had made with a criss cross design in the hurricane. Fill with water, and I placed white orchids out of the top. You could also use lillies!

Easter at the Briners

This is the closest to a good picture of the 7 boys. Can't say we didnt' try...and try...and try! :) Table set and ready for dinner.
Dawson get's into the egg hunt this year!
The race is on!