A mid July Day Book

Outside my window . . . 
The rain is falling once again. Haley asked me this morning, "Is it still summer Momma?" I said, "Yes." She matter-of-factly responded, "Then why is it so raining?" Good question.

I am thankful . . .
For ten incredible years of marriage . . . ten years ago today I married my best friend, funniest person I ever met and most handsome man on the planet.

I am thinking about . . .
How and when the new swing set will be put together. It was delivered today in a huge semi truck and sits in our garage in multiple boxes awaiting some little shoemaker elves to arrive in the night and miraculously put it all together.

Learning all the time . . . 
That giggling is so important with your kids . . . especially when they are making you crazy. A little silliness can break the mood for everyone and turn the day around.

From the kitchen . . . 
Fresh crab awaiting a delicious dinner. Our generous neighbors brought some over and I can't wait!! My dad owned a boat as a kid and some of my best memories are heading out for some fresh crab then making crab sandwiches when we got home - croissant roll, miracle whip (don't get me started on the mayo/miracle whip debate - there is no debate to be had), avocado, and crab . . . nothing more incredible!!

I am creating . . .
A sanctuary of a bedroom to relax and refresh . . . we were given a beautiful bed frame from some friends who changed their bedroom set. It is fabulous and so inspiring to keep decorating and organizing and truly enjoy the space.

I am working on . . .
Loving well. It's amazing how little changes in attitude can make big changes in the day.

I am going . . . 
On a few day trips with the girls and some friends in the next couple weeks . . .  Daddy could use the time to himself as he refreshes from last school year and plans for the year to come and we could use the fun adventures and trips out of the house . . . I'm thinking the zoo and a beach day.

I am hoping . . . 
For more exciting results from my weigh and measure on Saturday . . . update to come!

I am reading . . .
Glastonbury Tor by LeAnne Hardy . . . I got this amazingly cool opportunity to start reviewing books from a publisher and posting reviews on my blog . . . look for this to come!!

I am praying . . .
For a contracting Momma . . . God has a perfect plan on timing for this little one's arrival but I know how hard it is to wait patiently for the reveal of that timing . . . and the feeling of holding that new born miracle in your arms . . . hang in there sister!!!

I am hearing . . .
The Secret Garden . . . it was one of my favorite books and movies as a kid and now it's so fun to watch my girls enjoy it too . . .

Around the house . . . 
There are plenty of tidying that could be done but who wants to spend time doing tidying?

One of my favorite things . . .
Sitting down to a family game in the evening and laughing together . . . our favorite right now is Hands Down (found it at a garage sale for $1) . . . it's noisy and crazy and silly and sure to bring giggles to the whole crew!

A few plans for the rest of the week . . .
Reading stacks and stacks of library books we got on Tuesday . . . there is nothing more exciting to me then new books . . . I love sitting with the girls for as long as we can stand it reading as many new stories as we can until we have to stop to have a snack . . . is there anything better than escaping to your imagination for awhile and sharing that fun with your kiddos? (And where can you spend a fun afternoon for free with your kids exploring the rows of books at the library searching for just the right one . . . or ten . . . or thirty)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you . . .

Happy Anniversary my love!! Thanks for ten years of standing by me, making me laugh, loving me, accepting me, encouraging me, amazing me, giving me two beautiful children, and making my life so full of meaning and purpose . . . here's to the next sixty years!!

Don't Turn your Back . . .

As I was upstairs folding laundry, my two beautiful daughters came and asked in their most angelic voices, "Mom can we do makeup?" For Hannah's birthday, Haley gave her a set with eye shadow, blush and light pink lipstick. It is few and far between when I let them play with this and only before a bath (as personally I don't think it's appropriate for little girls to walk around looking like mini-adults . . . I digress . . . ) Anyway, I thought through the situation and said, "I appreciate the nice way you asked and Mom has to get a few jobs done so go ahead." They jumped up and down in excitement over my permission and were off. I enjoyed listening to their giggles and sweet sibling bonding as they took turns and took orders, "What color eye shadow would you like today madam" . . . and then I went to look at the glamorous progress and this is what I discovered . . .

They laughed their heads off when they saw the look on my face. I was speechless as this wasn't quite the makeover I was expecting. Moral of the day . . . don't turn your back and assume that the sweet voices mean good choices . . . such is life.

Sunny Summer Days

We've added a $20 addition to our backyard and it has brought so much joy on these sunny summer days (as few and far between as they have been sometimes . . .)

Love those girls . . . and who knew how much fun $20 could bring?! Hope you're finding fun ways to stay cool (or dry depending on the day!!) . . . Happy Summer

A Fun Day as Farmers

The girls and I took the Luna family with us for a day of strawberry picking. It was so fun this year now that the kids are so much bigger and able to pick so much . . . our basket filled up so fast!

I especially appreciate Farmer Melissa in her hat and outfit (complete with cowboy boots!!) . . . and yes - that is a latte in my basket . . . we're in Seattle right?! We have loved each day since full of fresh strawberries on our cereal, strawberries by themselves, strawberries in a smoothie, strawberries on ice cream, strawberries cut up, strawberries whole . . . yummy - there is nothing like eating what you have picked!!

Photography with a Five and a Half Year Old

Haley got a hold of the camera again and enjoyed a sunny summer day photo shoot . . . and she's gotten quite good!! Enjoy the latest gallery . . .

A New Pet

Last weekend, as we were out exploring garage sales, we came across quite a find . . . a brand new hermit crab habitat with sealed bags of sand for only 50cents. How could we pass up such a deal? With all my asthma/allergy fun, a "real" pet is out of the question . . . and we tried the fish thing . . . didn't last to long. So, we bought the habitat, headed to the local pet store and bought some hermit crabs . . . let me introduce you to Gem and Houdini . . .

And yes . . . they came in these ridiculous painted shells to look like they are carrying a penguin on their back at all times . . . I don't get it. In case you can't read the sign Hannah made and hung below the crabs it says, "THE BEST HERMIT CRAB HABITAT IN THE WORLD - Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and hermit crabs are too" . . . such a creative child. Houdini was originally called Mia until it figured out how to climb to the top of it's rock, grab onto the corner of a towel that was hanging behind the cage, climb up and out of the cage and cling for dear hermit crab life onto my candle holder . . . hence the name change. (And don't worry - I've cleared the area of all towels - no more escaping for that guy - I hope) We're all still in a bit of awe . . . they're definitely a little creepy (they look a bit like a tarantula to me) and yet also quite mesmerizing . . . they don't require more than a speck of food and a drop of water per day and you don't have to clean out a litter box or take them on long walks. I guess in the long run, they are the perfect pets for now . . . who knew what 50cents would get ya at a garage sale!!

Golfing with the Girls

Summer is here and we are thrilled. We are so thankful that Travis is a teacher and therefore, has the summer's off to rest, relax and make some family memories. We decided this year is the perfect time to get the girls interested in golf. Travis has enjoyed golf for years and is quite good . . . he had a set of clubs made for me when we were newly married and has been working on teaching me how - I'm not perfect but can have fun at the range and work my way through a Par 3 . . . so now is the time to pass on the fun and make this a family fun activity. The lessons started in the back yard . . .

And then we moved on to the driving range by our house. It's owned by a sweet older man who turned his back yard into a range because he loved golf so much. He was thrilled to have the girls trying it out and even gave us a left handed club for Haley!! (my camera batteries died so you'll have to squint to see the cell phone pictures!)

We had such a great time . . . for only $5 a bucket of balls, I can see us hanging out here a lot!!