Thinking Spring, Big Time!!!

This is our backyard now. The view here is looking towards the back of the house.

This is looking from the back deck out into the yard, same side of the yard though.

This is the big plan for this years yard work. Work it will be but isn't it pretty. I'm sure ours won't look like that for a few years but since we are not going anywhere for a while this will help ease the discomfort of the cramped space inside. If you click on the picture you will see that there is a shed back there, that will be where the playhouse is now.

Well what do you think, like it?

Thankful Thursday

I love a new box of crayons. Coloring gives me a sense of peace and relaxation. It brings me back to those more carefree days of being a kid again. Coloring to me, seems more appealing when there is a new box of crayons to use. Maybe it has to do with the sharpness of them, being able to color in all of the tiniest details, or maybe it is the sense of a fresh new start filled with all colors imaginable. How about the memory of getting new crayons as a child, the excitement and question of which page to color first,what picture deserves the vibrant colors and detail that only new crayons can give? Since becoming a mother I have had the pleasure of using new crayons more times than I can count. Each time brings a new experience with my children. As they grow they are able to appreciate those new crayons a little more and the special times that coloring together can bring. Our crayon collection is quite large but so are the memories of us all coloring together, even daddy finds the child within on occasion. I have even been known to color a picture or two for my dear(grown) friends if the picture is fitting. So this week I am thankful for new crayons and the memories they can produce and the ones that I hold dear to my heart. Thank you Crayola for such a wonderful and inexpensive treasure.

The secret of happiness

I am currently reading this book and really enjoying it. I am excited to start putting these exercises into practice. I want , not only for myself but for my girls and husband too, a sense of thankfulness for what we have. A sense of feeling like this is what our lives are meant to be right now and not expecting or wanting more. Sounds nice huh? This is going to be very challenging for us, I admit we have been roped into the material world. A material world that is so domineering that even the littlest ones are hypnotized by it. I find myself wanting all of the new beauty products, clothes, shoes, home furnishings, clothes/accessories for the girls, and on and on. Where does it stop?? I'm hoping to figure this out while reading this book. I'll leave you with a few good thoughts from this book, Enjoy:)

The richest among you is the one who is not entrapped by greed...The miser is the poorest of all.
~Mohammad~

Satisfaction isn't so much getting what you want as wanting what you have.
~David Myers, author of The Pursuit of Happiness~

Love that last one!!!

Thankful Thursday

I have been thinking lately about life in general, the everyday things that are sometimes taken for granted. I have really been trying to connect with myself, God, and my family. I am amazed at how easy it has been, at least to reconnect with myself. I have been walking almost every night after dinner, sometimes with friends and sometimes with God. Yes I walk with God, he is right there beside me while I thank him for all of the wonderful things in my life and in my surroundings as I walk. So today I am thankful for the life I have been given, my children, my husband, my home, and every thing and everyone else that is a part of my life.

Against Separatism

" When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds vilolence."
~Jiddu Krishnamurti~
I really love this. If more and more people would just give this a little thought, I believe, the world would be a better place. Anyone agree??

Another inspiring Yoga moment

I am seriously hooked on Yoga, love it!! Amazon is amazing too because I found this for $2.00. So moving on with some more Yoga wisdom. At the end of the sunset session it says to not think of how sweaty we became from doing this workout because after we shower the sweat is gone and it is the serenity we look for in our daily lives.....Wow!! Aren't we all looking for that serenity to just consume us in our daily lives? I know I am and this just seems to make it easily attainable for me. To know that no matter how many "things" we think we need, or how hard we search for the "perfect" solution, it will never be as tranquil as reaching inside for that great feeling of serenity.

Sunday Sentiment

Better late than never right?? It is 11:52pm Sunday night, so here goes....

"Cheerful patience is required both for naughty children and your own mind"
~The Buddha, India~

This just fits perfect for me right now and I will be referring to it often throughout my days.

Happy Valentine's Day

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

"I claim there ain't another Saint as great as Valentine"

~Ogden Nash~

Oh how I love Valentine's Day.

Not quite sure how to get these photos in here the way I would like to

so I am just putting them in how they will fit;)

I like them, they are serene, romantic, happy, and old fashioned.

All of the things that I love. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines day

filled with lots of love and affection.

"Love is the greatest refreshment"

~Pablo Picasso~

Just one more.....

"Love is an irresistible desrie to be irresistibly desired"

~Robert Frost~

Sunday Sentiment

Seriously.........

"Agenda for today: breathe out, breathe in, breathe out."
~The Buddha (c.563-c.483 BC), India~

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that our little Bella is now out of diapers!! She woke up dry one day last week and went on the potty, wanted panties on , and is now on her way to being a big girl. Kind of sad in a way, I feel like all of my babies are not babies anymore. That longing for a baby comes back, then quickly I tuck it away again. Not possible right now at all. So Big cheers for Bella and big sis who cheers her on everytime:)

Sunday Sentiment

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
~Anonymous~

Surrender

Here are some wise, meaningful words that spoke to me in a way that changed something in me. They are from a yoga dvd lent to me by a very good friend.

" Be active.....Surrender".

I love that!!! Sometimes it seems that we are all so active that we forget to surrender. Surrender our hearts to God, our children, and our mates. We skip right over all of the surrendering moments that come and go throughout the day. Moments when our children ask us to play hide and seek, play go fish, or get all fancied up with them. Moments when that favorite book is calling us, or even the couch for a 15 minute rest. Whatever it may be I've realized that it is important to surrender at moments like these. Take these moments, cherish these moments and just surrender, the rest will get done, when you are done.

Life is full of all that is good
if that is true than life to me is misunderstood
Good things are there yes that is true
but lately the life I live leaves me feeling blue
Find your rest in God, great advice I agree
I try and try to find that love from him to me
Is the prayer I pray not enough
To carry me through the challenging stuff
More prayer each day that is my goal
To see me to my inner soul

Thankful Post

I know this was suppose to be done yesterday and I tried, really tried and I was having technical difficulties...yeah that's it. So now I will try this again.

I must admit that I have the baby bug. Now I don't want all of the grandparents that read this to start buying baby clothes, there is not going to be a new baby any time this year, but I have been thinking of it and a way that it might be possible for next year.

I miss those little "quiet" sleeping babies and all of that cuteness that comes with them. I miss rocking a nursing baby to sleep, I miss all of those first milestones....first smiles, first coos, first, teeth, and steps. For those of you who know me personally you will remember this:

And this:

I am thankful for the sweetness and innocence of these little tiny creatures of God that I have them in my life. The sweet and always loveable qualities that were once a given are now a give and take chance to grab whenever possible at least in our house right now. The sweetness can trun to this in an instant: and this: But at the end of the day it's faces like these that just make my heart melt with love and thankfulness that God thought so much of me to give me two of life's greatest gifts.

Update

Here is an update on the big quit, suggested by Yellowmama. It has been 16 days smoke free!! I have now started to exercise to keep at least an even weight for now. I want to lose 5 lbs by my birthday in one month and then another 5lbs by Bella's birthday in 2 months. Overall I would love to lose 20 lbs by November, 15 year class reunion. I really will benefit from this and it is not just for the class reunion, it is for life.

Thankful Thursday, even though it's Friday.

I was going to do the Thankful Thursday with Ruth but I had to unexpectedly work so here it is today.
Not really that thoughtful but important to me especially this week. I am thankful for the willpower and new found energy I have gained when I quit smoking this week. Today is day 4 and the energy that has come from this is what is keeping me going. I love having all of this energy. Michael is still smoking so that makes it harder but I feel an extra ounce of pride in knowing that I can resist that temptation that is right in front of me. So there it is, my Thankful Thursday I promise that next thrusday will me more thoughtful:)

I love this photo editor program I have. I almost forgot I had it;)
Now if I only had ink in the printer.

A New Year

As we turn into a new year so do a slew of resolutions. My husband and I are giving up smoking, something that we are not proud of, and if you do not know us personally I should tell you that we do not smoke anywhere around our girls...house, cars,etc. Anyway this is something that we have been wanting to do and just used the resolution thing as a set date. For me this new year is a chance for me to focus on my inner self and that of my girls and husband also. I want to LIVE each day and not just "get through it" . I want to this new year to be an opportunity for our family to become a close knit happy family. Not a family that worries about a dirty dish in the sink or whether or not dinner is "good" enough, is the laundry all done, did the girls clean their room?, etc....
Here is a short passage from a book called Busy But Balanced by Mimi Doe, a great read so far, received from one of my very dearest friends for Christmas.

Parents do lose their tempers, moms don't always
want to cuddle, dinner doesn't have to come from
a recipe, not every spiritual family goes to church
or synagogue each week, calm can be found when
dishes aren't done and the house is full of activity.

Now if I can only get my husband to understand this I will be all set, lol.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and I wish you all the best in 2007.

Thankful Thursday

I thought I'd join my friend Ruth and do a Thankful Thursday, you can see hers at My Woods
I don't know how to do those clever little links yet.
Well this is going to be short and sweet today because I am still trying to organize my house and make all of the stuff we recieved for Christmas fit and look nice.
This week I am thakful for friends who bring you Indian food as if they knew you have been craving it for weeks:) Thanks Ruth and Luke, it was great!! Yes, Michael and I shared;)

Tree Farm

We had a great time at the tree farm this year, despite the very, very COLD weather. Although I don't think we will be buying our tree from there anymore(very pricey) we will continue our tradition of riding the train to santa's cabin and buying an ornament. Here are some pictures of our trip, Merry Christmas.

Our new addition

Well after five years of listening to my husbands pleads to have a dog....I caved. Last night I let him talk me into "looking" at a litter of black lab puppies that had been left in a box on the side of the road, and rescued by the Humane Society. Well let's just start by saying that the people who work at the humane society must have the biggest and strongest hearts of all. I could never be there with all of those poor animals and not have my heart broken a hundred times over. So back to the puppy,the litter was named after the Grey's Anatomy cast, and I LOVE that show...never miss an episode. We brought home George, and he is so sweet and lovable that all of my anti-dog schemes are gone forever!! This little guy only messed on the floor twice and that was the night we brought him home. Don't misunderstand me here, it's not like he runs to the door when he needs to go out but, with a watchful eye he has only been messing on the snowy covered grass. Now if we can just get the cats and him to get along we would be all set;)

Opening Day

My husband shot an 8 point buck this morning and the girls were chanting "Daddy got a big buck" throughout the house. We went over to Grandma's and took some pictures. It looks like the girls just might end up following in their daddy's footsteps.

She may look sweet and innocent but.....

What do you get when you combine a load of laundry, soap, banannas, and paper towel??

That's right a big mess in the washing machine and an even bigger mess all over the clothes. Just imagine it...wet shredded paper towel and slimey, smashed bannanas all over your clothes, need I say more?

And of course pictured above is the culprit, cute and oh so sweet but not one bit innocent.

Jack & Gussie

The kittens are growing like weeds and they sure like to get into trouble.
That is all for now.

Bella in disguise

How in the world did she get a hold of a permanent marker? That is what I was thinking when Bella came out of the bedroom with this lovely black permanent marker mustache!! Luckily it came off after a few scrubbings:))

Cozy Cats

Well it seems as though all of our feline friends are getting along just fine. Here Thelma is taking to her motherly duties and caring for Jack. It is quite funny to see them play together too, Thelma jumps right in when Jack and Gussie are palying together. You might wonder why "Gussie" instead of "Gus"? Well when we took them to the Vet to get fixed we found out that Gus is a girl:0 But all is well and we love them anyway you look at it:)

Fun Day

Maddie's friend Samuel has been staying with us since Wed boy what a difference it makes having just one more child in the house. He is a great kid though, so sensitive to Maddie's needs of getting dressed and pretending to get married, dancing and all!! He even brought a red suit jacket and clip on tie knowing that this is her favorite thing to do, true love..ha ha ha. Yesterday we all went over to Grandma's house and had a scavenger hunt, the kdis loved it. They all worked together to find the things that they needed. Today they are going to help me with the yard sale, let's hope that this turns out as well as the scavenger hunt:)

What??

I believe that my 4 year old daughter is really picking up on alot more of those little conversations between my hubby and I than previously thought.

The girls and I are on our way home from Maddie's last ballet class and she wants french fries from the "golden arches". Mind you I am trying to lose weight here so I come up with "Sweetie we just don't have the money to buy french fries right now, and besides they are not good for you to eat all the time". We turn the corner and head for home, end of conversation right?...Maddie comes back with "Don't they take credit cards?". I just laughed and held firm on my answer all the while thinking that we are in big trouble when she becomes a teenager and asks to borrow the credit card:0.

The new adventures of "Gus and Jack"

In case anyone was wondering how the "cute little kittens" are coming along....Let's just say that they have managed to get themselves into a little trouble and rely on the soothing commfort of Barbie after a hard day.

All cats are now getting along much better and the hissing fits are almost a thing of the past.

Nature, the way God intended it to be

I believe that sometimes we all take the simplest pleasures right before us for granted. It is in moments like these that we really need to stop and take a moment to reconnect with our creator and enjoy his beauty that surrounds us.

That is exactly what I did on a nature walk, I took a step back and just stood in awe at the beauty that surrounded me. A time to give thanks and remind myself to enjoy life and all that is has to offer.

Rocky Raccoon

We have been camping with Granny and Papa Steve(Thursday-Saturday), and this year we encountered a new friend. His name just kind of slipped out of our mouths and it fit perfectly. After getting the girls to sleep we were enjoying some much needed adult relaxation time, only to be interrupted by "Rocky". My mom heard something, looked over behind Papa Steve, and just about jumped out of her chair!! There was "Rocky" about a foot away looking for a little midnight snack. so we decided since we had two bags of marshmallows, that we would see what would happen and how close this coon would actually get. Well as you can see by the photo, "Rocky", and Michael, were pretty laid back. This Raccoon actually took the marshmallow right off from Michael's shoe!! We sure had some cheap entertainment that night, and I think "Rocky" probably had a stomach ache from all of the marshmallows and Doritos:"(

As cute as he may look he is still a mischievous raccoon.In the middle of that night and the one after, he came back with a couple of his friends and really made a mess of our campsite. They tried to eat a bar of soap, tore open a bag of charcoal, knocked over a tote of empty cans, and tried to take of with small bottles of propane, they really are not that cute.

What a gardener!!

While doing some spring cleaning in the garden this year, Maddie decided to throw down some carrot seeds. A few here and a few there, wherever they landed a carrot sprouted. Mind you this happened in the flower garden where the carrots were surrounded by roses and other pretty big perennials. I'd have to say that Maddie has a pretty green thumb and she is just thrilled to see that those seeds she "threw" down have turned into very tasty carrots:)

Meet Gus and Jack

Maybe we are a little crazy or maybe it is our love for animals, but we have added two new kittens to our family. Gus and Jack are twin brothers, not twins like Thelma and Louise(who you can tell apart) but like identical twins with no distinct differences. It should be interesting trying to keep them straight but boy are they cute!! I know, I know all kittens are cute and they grow into cats but, I think cats are great too. Now to only hope that our house is still intact when we get back from our camping trip next week:0. I will keep you posted on that one.

Bella's garden adventure

It is hard for me to believe how fast the flowers in one of our gardens have grown!! Bella decided that it was time to go in and take a peak. Usually she is leary of walking all the way through, it is jungle like to her. Bella had a fun adventure in there and I was able to capture some really great pictures, all was good that one day in the garden:)

Are you ready for "Maddie Ballerina"?

Well Maddie is all signed up for a six week summer ballet class and I've got to tell you, I'm pretty sure she's ready:)

Just smelling the roses

Finally all of my hard work in the garden is paying off. All seven of our rose bushes are full of leaves, and a few are even producing beautifully scented roses. Being out in the yard this year weeding,transplanting and watering has really brought me closer to our creator and the amazement of his love for us. I feel as though I am growing spiritually right along with the treasures God has provided me right in my backyard.

I think I'll be staying in for a while.

On Thursday night Maddie was running from the Bella kitty(who was trying to lick her big sister) and as Bella went in for the kitty lick Maddie moved leaving Bella face to face with the metal stripping in the doorway!! Well her forehead(right above the eye) instantly swelled up. Over the next few days her eyelid and inside corner of her eye turned black and blue along with the lump on her forehead. Oh but that is not the end of Bella's boo-boo. Saturday my Dad and his wife came over for dinner and as we were getting ready to go outside, Bella tripped over her own feet and fell right into the puppet basket, same eye!! Now she has a scrape one the side of the same eye. As we woke up this morning we noticed that her eye is almost swelled shut, black and blue and red form the scrape. Needless to say we are not going to church today.

Maddie

Bella

I really can't get over how fast time goes by once you have children. It seems like it was just yesterday when we brought Bella home form the hospital. Now she is sitting on a bike and saying new words everyday. I'm trying not to dwell on all of the things I wished I would have done with the girls and enjoy them to the fullest each day. Sometimes it is hard for me but everyday brings more beauty and wonder through these two little angels of mine.

Fitting room question

Does it bother anyone else that when you are shopping for clothes and get to the fitting rooms you are told; "only six at a time!! What, you mean I (a mom of a 2 & 4 yr old), will have to try six things on and then proceed to put my terrribly out of date clothes back on to go outside of the door, grab the rest and then start over again!! While the fitting room attendant is standing right outside the door! Please leave a comment if you have figured out this fitting room mystery. This really is a pet peeve for me, am I the only one??

A day at the Spa

Wouldn't we all love a day at the spa?? Well today was picture day at Madison's preschool so of course I am frantically running around this morning trying to get both girls dolled up and stay that way until picture time. I have not yet been out sandal shopping for them so the only option that will work with their dresses is bare feet and polished toes. Taking one look at their springtime(mud stained)feet I realize that a morning at the foot spa is in order. My girls love getting a foot bath in the foot massage/soaker, with the silky foot cream and pretty polish afterwards. As to how much they really value the effort that goes into it on my part, well just take another look at the picture I took this afternoon, only 3 hours after we returned home from preschool:0. My girls are girly enough to enjoy a day at the spa, but easy going enough to believe that "God made dirt and dirt won't hurt":))

Treasure Tuesday

My treasure today is a Precious Moments figurine from my dear husband. We had only been dating about two months and things were just starting to become deep between us. He told me that he was leaving on a fishing trip with his father and grandfather for a WEEK!! At this point in my life I was living on my own for the first time and Michaels daily visits would brighten my day. Now he was going to be gone for a whole week!! On the day that he would be leaving he stopped by my work and gave me this treasure, knowing that I love Precious Moments and the fact that it is a little guy with all his fishing gear is just what I needed to seal the bond that started between us. He put a lot of thought into this token of love and that is not something that I had been used to. I love him very much and I will always treasure not only this figurine, but also his love for me.

Daddy loves his girls

Ahhh the little corner store and all of it's treasures. Maddie wanted to buy something when we went for our walk and she used her own money to buy some really bright colored play make-up. Oh how delighted she was when Daddy said she could make him beautiful. I think we will keep this picture:))

I Love all the cuteness today

Happy Girl

I love this Picture, pig tails & all:)

Saturday Morning

Maddie & Bella just enjoying the new found umbrella:)