Friday Five

Good Evening!!!

Whew! What a week that was, and weekend that will be! Don't have much time - I just wanted to slap a post up for posterity since sometimes I trade living my life for blogging about it, OR take lots of pics of life, but never post them! This week has been a good balance (been a while since I blogged daily) and it has been great!!!! Lots of memories!

I was asked this week how many blogs I follow - hehe! I said the Dashboard feature makes my many easy to navigate, but I not been really reading other blogs this week. I love doing that though, but that is one thing that fell to the wayside in order to focus on family this week.

Now...for the FIVE:

1. This was the weekend I created my own home camp experience and blended it with a Summer Adventure! Today was the last day for the faith adventure (I'll continue our focused crafting and bonding time up until school starting) and it has been such a fun week for us. If I can make myself remember to follow through with pictures, I can show what we did together, and with friends, as we blended a fun home camp/VBS experience! It really makes me think more on homeschooling...it was so enjoyable for both of us! a BLESSING.

2. I'm on my 1st week of boot camp! So far, I'm managed to do all the assigned days, and honor the rest days (gotta love rest days lol)! It's pretty much cross training - strength, cardio, weights/bands, with some sports. It's all on my Wii Active, and I'm enjoying it. I'm doing a 30 day Challenge, so I'm interested in seeing if I can keep up the schedule!

3. Tonight is another family night. Hubby is cooking a spaghetti dinner and then we will be watching Inkheart. I hope we like it better than last weekend's Bolt (what a sleeper that was ZZzzzz...)

4. My plans tomorrow are going to practice some bluegrass tunes with a band I may join (depending on scheduling) in the morning, and then shopping outlets with a friend in the afternoon. I may actually divert from buying clothes for the girls and actually focus on myself! GASP!

5. I'm gearing up for next week when I start keeping my goddaughter on Wednesday. I'm really excited (and a little nervous too) about this new direction of my time. I'm really excited to spend such quality time with Baby E, and Baby Valiant LOVES her godsister and it will be so cute to see them grow together! Lovely will enjoy having her the 3 days we have E before she goes back to school and leaves my little nest!!

Ok - I'd better run, another fun evening awaits!! I love my family!!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday

Hey All!

I can't take too long with this today! We're on Day 4 of our Summer Faith Adventure and camp at home. It's been so fun doing all the VBS activities together and with Daddy and friends, along with other fun craft activities and summer fun with friends too. I really wanted to have a focused week with Lovely before school started to enjoy our faith together, family time, and friend time. It's been SO fun, and not over.



Successes for this week....

1. I've managed to keep the house straight, even with all the cooking activities in the house this week, crafting, and other activities going on. Now, you can't really eat off my floor (HAHA) but at least surprise visitors can stop by without risking their lives.

2. Did I mention the fun we're having with our special home time this week? It's SO wonderful!

3. I've managed to get back to working out again! I started one of the 30 day Challenges on the Wii Active game, and I'm loving it. I'm so glad yesterday was a "rest" day...it's kicking my bottom!!! I wonder what my "trainer" will have in store for me today. Does anyone have the Active? I find the in line skating SO HARD lol.


Thankful Thursday

Today I'm super thankful for...

1. my body - how it works, getting me where I need to go, being healthy. It's so easy for me to take my body for granted.
2. for my family - and I mean my WHOLE family - in good times and rough times, I have a family who loves me.
3. my little goddaughter who spent the morning with us - her smiles made my day!
4. little Valiant who made us all laugh this morning as she called her godsister "doggie" over and over!
5. Lovely being SO good yesterday attending what could have been a difficult church service for a child (a funeral) but it was such a joyful one that she fit in fine (in the back row with my parents) when the nursery fell through on being held. She was SO good and happy and brought a lot of life to the service.
6. Little Valiant, who also was super good at the same service yesterday.
7. that the church yesterday (not our church home) was so welcoming to my little girls being there.
8. laughter!! When my parents walked in with my girls (my dad is a youthful age 86, my mom age 73) an usher pulled my dad aside and said "Wow! Those are some beautiful girls you have there. What sort of vitamins are you both taking?" HAHAHAHA!
9. Hubby bearing with my mood swings this week. Wow - a good man....

Have a fantastic day!!! SMILE!!

I'm SO not good....

Ok - so I've had one of those days. I woke up with a dark cloud of too many "do's" on my 'to do' this today, did not sleep well, and....yadda yadda yadda. I've had a day speckled with an uncooperative 5 year old when friends were over and when daddy got home BUT, it was still wonderful...home VBS and camp mixed in with fun activities at home AND with friends. I can't wait to share some pictures!! It was so much fun. With our buddies next door (Thank you S!!) we made marbled paper, and summer fruit pizza. We also did our VBS activities with bible stories, songs, stained glass cookies and tissue/wax paper windows to let the sun shine in on. Time with our friends uplifted me. Those moments with Lovely uplifted me. At those times there was no 5 year old grouch (and yes, as a mom...I'm sure I could have handled it better and I sure felt grouchy too!!). It's funny - that balance as a mom of the hard and easy - I feel enriched even as I feel entrenched.

And then, I read this. Talk about enriched. I'm not sure I have the words to describe how touched I am. I also feel inadequate. To me, Kate has already become a friend who I met through a ministry at church and the children's liturgy. She's a part of my vocabulary (such as - yesterday's post when I mention a great day with friends! It was just natural to say without fanfare or introduction. It was just time with friends. An official blog post was milling around in my mind - but our visit was a natural highlight of my week). We had been chatting at church or an e-mail here and there, and I wanted to finally collect on that promise of "let's get together!"(you know we all say it, but actually doing it with kids, activities, jobs, housework can be another story). It was such a nice morning - sharing stories, laughing at our kids, discovering or revisiting things that are important to us we share or to enlighten the other with. It was fun, easy and well...so normal! I felt blessed to call her friend. I figured when I could put "normal" into words I'd thank her here and share how nice "normal" was....and I get on and see her post. WOW. Somehow, normal became extraordinary.

Her words, vision....how she captured Lovely's face...WOW. How do I thank someone for such imagery? How do I try to equal that...compare to that, or live up to that? I'm SO not good. I will say Kate says it BEST, and her other thoughts about living life....not just hiding in front of the computer...so TRUE!! I'm glad I'm so blessed to be able to have the REAL world, and that Kate, S, and others are IN my real world...not just here where I record my inner thoughts, and journal life experiences - but I can join on play dates with, do crafts with, "live" with. So thank you Kate, thanks for your super kind words (you are too generous, your girls gorgeous - but no surprise there) and really...God Bless you...

So, when's the next play date? :) hehe! I'm holding you to it!

Much love!

Day Book - Monday Edition

Outside my window…a dark summer night.

I am thinking...or rather debating doing the Wii Active Book Camp day one after I'm done (sometimes I work out at night), or get in bed with a good book I want to finish....hmmmm.

I am thankful for...the internet, and all information and planning help it gives me to do a week long home VBS for Rachael (go Summer Adventures, Crafts, and Cooking!) and friends who want to join along, with other crafts and cooking and such!

From the kitchen…Tonight was leftovers, and cookies from our snack venture today. Hmmmm, I should work out...lol!

I am wearing... comfy cargo pants and T-shirt

I am creating…and researching lots of fun things to do this week to bond with Lovely before Kindergarten!

I am going…to either work out or read...hmmmm. LOL!!! What will win?

I am reading… a new vampire series. I love Twilight and since I read all those books, I need to fill the void :)

I am hoping…that becoming my goddaughter's babysitter for 4 days a week (eventually 3 days) is a good idea. We're all on the same page now, and looking forward to it, but watching someone else's child, especially for pay, can complicate things and is such a responsibility. But, I'm excited to try!!

I am hearing...the sounds of my hubby crushing hard candy for me for a baking project later this week. Love my man!!!

Around the house…I'm enjoying a house mostly caught up with cleaning wise. I certainly have more areas to deep clean, but I'm content right now keeping up with things as I focus on my girls this week!

One of my favorite things…naps!!! I've been trying to catch up on naps lately....

A few plans for the rest of the week: Home VBS every day, play dates with friends, babysitting my goddaughter Thurs morning for a short while, and lots of reading!

Here is 'picture thought' I am sharing…

The Godsisters....Lovely, Valiant, and 3 month old E. in our yard. They are wearing matching dresses from my sister...hehe! I'm a blessed woman!!!

Have a rosey rest of the week!

Please Pray!!!

Hey Friends,

On the left sidebar I have a button for "Pray for Stellan" that links you up to McMama's blog (click on her name there for her Twitter). I've followed her before her 4th baby was born (Stellan) and her blog and photography and faith are amazing - now more than ever. Before his birth Stellan has been sick with a heart condition. He's had an episode again that was being managed, but it's been announced his heart is giving out (hopefully it will rebound!). They have decided to airlift him to another hospital.

Please pass along this story, and please pray and spare and thought for this amazing family. We don't always have to know each other personally to know how amazing people are. McMama is just that, as is her family. Please go check them out, and share the story for more support. I can't imagine....

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Also - to update you on a friend's 2 yo great niece with brain cancer. Picture updates show she is getting chemo and starting to slowly talk again and walk some (getting rehab). Please please continue prayers for her too, and her family. A family can break apart under such stress without faith!

Thanks!!!

Beware....

some things are too cute for normal viewing. View at your own risk....

Friday Five - but in 7 Quick Takes

WOW! It has been so long since I've done my Friday Five!! I totally was getting on to do my FIVE (We've been out of town or swamped the last month, and today has been more relaxed) but I saw another blogger (Jennifer) challenge us to do her 7 Quick Takes this particular Friday, and...so I'll bite!!! I like doing my Friday Five because of how the F's go together...what is that called? Grammatically it has a name....lol. But I love the mystery behind this request.

So, I'll give it ago. Here is Friday Five plus Two :)


1. It has been an unbelievable summer. We've been so busy - and making memories. I've captured most on camera, not my blog. But it has been wonderful. My computer has not been uploading pics to my liking, or I would have loaded more Disney pics and beach pics than I have. I just can't upload more than one at a time, and I just don't have time for that. I need to LIVE my life (to blog about...lol) so one day!! But, Disney was incredible, and the beach was a needed escape for me and the girls.

2. Along the lines of #1, this past week we hosted family at my sister's. It was the first time since last November we've all been together with my brother and his family who live far away. It was great! Ok, there were some typical "family moments from sharing space together 24/7 with different ages, generations, and values" but we still laughed, loved, and lived - and that's way more than many have and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

3. This week we've recovered from all the travel and family and friends constantly with us. We had many PJ days, naps, and rested. We also went to the park with friends, met other friends at a local indoor play gym, and did more lazy days. I'm reading a new book series (I'm a total Twilight fan), and am getting hooked on a adult series in the same genre. I love getting lost in a book, a whole new world, and I don't read enough! My interests are so varied when it comes to reading...I so love books! Bring on the titles and suggestions!

4. Today we did venture out of the house and reconnected next door after being out of town for so much, conflicting schedules, and other things. It was so nice for the kids to play again in the sprinkler, for S and I to visit, and all of us eat lunch together. It was like old times in the neighborhood, and lightened my soul.

5. I'm blogging now listening to the sounds of Hubby playing around with Lovely. They are having time together playing a game just for the two of them. Once the baby is up from her LATE nap (which works out for tonight) I'll join them for dinner, and the start of FAMILY DATE NIGHT with a board game. Then, once it is dark, we will all cuddle once again in our king sized bed and watch the movie "Bolt" with homemade popcorn and dessert. I'm glad though to have this time to myself cause Lovely needed Daddy time, and I needed some time to process through blogging. I'm SO excited about tomorrow. FAMILY DAY! We're going to our favorite local nature park and just enjoy being together. We'll top a mountain, run on green grass, ride a train, breathe fresh air, maybe wade in a creek! I can't. wait.

6. I wanted to write cause once again....I feel like I tripped myself up. SARCASM ALERT: I just LOVE when I do that! Why is it I trip myself up with friends sometimes, and why I annoyingly can't let it go? Well...I am with this post. I've talked to the friend, all is well - just not in my soul yet. So annoying. I am my own stumbling block..BUT writing it here is such a release from the internal pressure. So, whew...I'm good now!!! It is let go!! Funny how I can forgive others, not judge others, etc....but letting myself off that hook? Well...that's a laugh! But I am...ongoingly...(ooh! I just made up a word!! But - hmmm - spell check isn't saying anything about it....so maybe I'm not so original). We're called to forgive and to let go, let God...and amen to that!

7. I'm really excited about next week. I'm creating some needed mother/daughter time. We will connect some of the time with other kids and activities, but I'm really looking forward to time with just my girl (and baby too). We're going to do Summer Adventures home VBS, and modify with some camp activities I found online as well since it will just be here and I some, and then some with our friends. I'm ready to do something constructive and planned and focused, so she has MY focus. I hope it gives me more experience with homeschool since I want to do that one day. But next week I hope is a blast before I lose Lovely to Kindergarten! WAH! hehe.

Ok, so a real post about life! Not just my bathroom! I wish a blessed weekend to you and as always,

Much love (and thanks)!

Two GORGEOUS Reasons...

for me feeling blessed this evening:




Ok - and FOUR reasons I feel blessed...FAMILY!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday

Hey - Good morning!!!

First off, the last time I posted on Small Successes, I was not feeling strong, and was low, and had the kindest comments and perspectives offered to me by my reader pals. I just wanted to say Thank YOU and I am better! Getting away out of town last week to the beach helped so much, as well as talking to those I needed to talk to - honesty is wonderful! Add a dose of "I'm sorry" and a big pinch of forgiveness and you have a recipe for saving your spirit and getting some grace! So, thank you for your thoughts and prayers! Thank You!

So, onto my list. I can happily say I've actually done some things this week - and am about to do many more. I have family arriving today staying through Monday, so we've been doing, and will be doing, a lot for them and with them! I can't WAIT!! So without further adieu:

1. I've finally caught up on all the laundry from both pre and post beach trip, cleaned the house, straightened, and organized!! I hope somehow it stays that way!!

2. Hubby and I worked together and painted and redecorated our 1960s guest bathroom (it is blue lol). Hubby stripped the old wall paper when we were out of town, and we did the rest when we got back. Paint can do so much when you can't renovate everything!!

3. Hubby and I then decided on a whim to then do the same (except strictly PAINT, not replace anything - that has to wait for another paycheck) to our tiny master bathroom. It feels so good to accomplish some home projects together, and feel we could do something of value to our house, without breaking our daily budget. I'd love to do more, but we can't currently, and this felt great enough to do! Also, I love color, and always get too scared to try it, and this time we just went with the stuff we picked...no help - just us...and it felt great to just GO FOR IT! :) Hubby is excited too!!

I hope your week was wonderful too!!

Thankful Thursday
This week I'm so thankful for....

1. My wonderful Hubby for all his hard work!!!
2. having had the chance to escape to the beach, even as a single mom for a week, with wonderful generous friends to give my kids another memory and myself some too!
3. My whole family, and us having the chance to be together for the next few days!!!
4. Those who read my random thoughts here
5. Incredible friends!!!
6. Healing...
7. That Baby Valiant (almost 13 months!) finally mastered the sippy cup, and LOVES table food. She'll eat anything!!! It's really helping her growth!
8. That Lovely is just such a joy and helper every day. I'm blessed!

Tons to do today...gotta run. I'll try and read others as I can!! Have a fantastic day!!

Why paint one bathroom....

and not another??

So, after finishing the guest bathroom at like 10pm the other night, Hubby and I looked at our tiny master bathroom and its blandness and decided we were done living with that too. Sure, we can't really do new fixtures and vanity right now, but paint changes a room! so we went for it. In the below pics, you can see some areas painted in a neutral we had on hand (and we hated it!) and then we decided to go more bold, and use colors from the beach trip to inspire us.

First...here is our tiny master bath in its original state:



So, we hated that paint. In trying to decide what color to pick to go with the tile color, we got inspired by the color scheme of this picture:


And so we went with this:



Overtime, we can update more - but the color is growing on us. It cheers us now when we the room.


We also have some green in that violin/flute picture that is right by the bathroom (hey - ViolinMama has to have musical pictures lol!)


It was fun to work on these projects!! I'm sure we'll keep finding more and more....it never ends! But, we're so blessed to have a home to enjoy!

Off to find more work to do....Ciao!!

a little home project - UPDATED

So...we've lived in our house almost 4 years. In that time, we've SLOWLY done cosmetic things to the house. When we first moved in, we barely had time to maintain it and the yard (we came from a condo). I was teaching full time, going to school at night, mommy to a 2 year old, and Hubby was busy too. Then, when I quit work to stay home, I had another baby...WAH WAH! Excuses! In any case, we have an old house, but we've never done much to it than cosmetic changes - paint, elbow grease, sewing, updating. We haven't really made the budget bigger yet, and we're not sure what we want to do and if we're ready for it. I would LOVE to do more work in the kitchen....but one day!

So, in the last 4 years, we've managed to tackle each room in some way. Both Hubby (especially Hubby!) and I, and friends and family joining in! The only room left untouched was the infamous BLUE BATHROOM. It is our upstairs guest bathroom.

The Blue Bathroom is caught in a time warp. It has the original 3 shades of tile from floor to ceiling that was so beloved of the 60s - in blue. Hubby and I were grateful it was not 60s pink or or yellow!! In a way, the blue endeared itself to us. We kinda liked its retro feel....but it was so much....especially with the flowery wall paper. Words are NOT needed. Just see below:


Doesn't it just leave you feeling......speechless? The flowers, the glowing fake marble light fixture (see next pic), the 3 shades of blue... ...... ........

uuhhh huhhh.

(you can see in above and below pics, the wall paper is coming down!)

Lovely loves it because it is the color of the ocean....so it has the imagination factor going for it! She loved her Ducky towel in the blues and flowers :)

So, we're not ready budget wise to gut it...so what can we do? Attempt to tie it all in with paint, color, fixtures, pictures, etc! (EDITED to ADD that I think I'm going to switch out the striped big towel, trashcan, and soap dispenser for solid colors, just to avoid TOO many stripes. I had to live with it some to decide. I like the small striped hand towel)



Too many stripes? Hmmm.

(sorry, when taking pics of the lights, the pics got really dark)

UPDATED! Here is a new pic of some of the changes I made to more solid accents....such as knobs, trashcan, dispenser, towels, etc.



We're close friends with major DIYer's, so we're always feeling the pressure to do something lol. Maybe one day we can get to their status! Until then, we will dream in our heads LOL! We move so slow. I can't believe we lived 4 years with that wall paper LOL!

So...tips, viewpoints...what can we do more or less of for now?

I think we'll get some new ceiling fans next in a few rooms budget wise. Fans can make a huge change, even to the eye...especially when most of our fans are from the 80s! It never ends does it? Then, maybe more to the kitchen? lol.....and then the couch.....

hehe!

Many thanks to Hubby for all his work painting, caulking, scraping, dry walling, drilling, attaching, etc. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back from the Beach!

Just a teaser....more pics and recap to come of the girls and my trip to the beach (sorry, Daddy could not make it)! I'm still behind posting pics of our Disney trip too! But there is something so peaceful about the beach....it was a restful, refreshing, nourishing, and needed trip.

Later gators!

Nighty Night (the girls and I in bed....)

Happy Fourth of July!!!

And it truly is happy!! Thank you to all who have served to make this such a wonderful birthday for our country!!

It is also happy because I've had a huge weight off my shoulders. I feel like the last 2 weeks melted away thanks to a "hug" of sorts. It was an answer to prayer!! I'm very grateful.

Last night we celebrated the 4th early, and it felt so good to be happy about something for once. We went to a friend's b-day BBQ and a local town's fireworks display for the fourth, early. It was a fun evening. The fireworks were great, and Lovely cracked us all up by singing her own medley of much for the show (HAHA!). Here are some pictures from our evening (I know, I still owe you pics from vacation, etc.....SOON!)

These are from the B-day BBQ...



Here we were waiting for the town fireworks to start...


And the cutest thing of the night? Baby Valiant discovered the moon! Here she is waving to it....


And I love this one....really reaching for it!

"I love you to the moon......and back!"

It was a great night!! Now I'm about to go pack for the girls and I to take a beach trip this week! Daddy sadly stays here to work from home and work ON the home (nice vacation). But, we'll enjoy part of the week with my sister and her family (we're caravaning together) and part of the week with friends. I hope we just get some extra rest, relaxation, and more peace with the sand, sun, and surf.

God Bless! Much love! Stay Safe!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday

I don't really think I have many successes this week. Since coming home from vacation I haven't done much aside from VBS (which I already blogged about). I've been under the weather. As for everything else, I have not brought my A game. I have not been the best communicator lately, let things build, and lost perspective. Sure, feelings are valid, but honesty is better. Oh yeah, and having a little faith. It's funny, I feel I can tackle BIG things in life - I'm prepared for, and been through, really hard events and come out with a positive attitude and faith. I think I'm seeing a pattern this year that I break down over smaller items that add up. It's like having your house foundation chipped away by termites or settling, you keep on pushing on but you are starting to fall apart. I could have acknowledged both faster in my daily life. I've been sick again, tired, and am preparing for a busy July. I also have some hindsight that along with all the energy used with a baby in the house (most moms get that I think) I was also going through PMS for the 1st time in 2 years (hellooooo crazy woman), but how far can I use those excuses? Along with all the above I haven't done much housework, taken or processed pictures from past trips and family time, and felt at odds with dealing with a situation in my life that has worn on me for a few months. I got stressed over Valiant's doc appt Friday where had it happened today I would have been fine! I feel out of control emotionally. So, really I'm not sure I have successes for this week, unless finally being honest was one, both with myself, and others. Otherwise, check back with me next week. The good thing is that I know every day is a fresh day, and I can approach today with a smile, new faith, and trust. I do control how I feel and react - I just need to remember to let go and Let God.

Thankful Thursday

Today I find myself thankful for...

1) Good health and strong body when I have both.
2) Faith...when I remember I have it, and when I don't. It's always there waiting, like grace is.
3) My family and friends.
4) Lovely and Valiant's proactive pediatrician.
5) the members of my mommy group - their help, time, and support in addressing concerns I had - what an amazing group of ladies!

Much love!