i have to say...

just checking in...

...to say that our visit was lovely.

Our family members arrived early so we had a houseful for a couple of days, but it worked out just fine.  Everyone was a wonderfully easy guest (I am serious about that!) so it made the time pass by too quickly, and it seemed premature when everyone left. I suppose that is better than counting the minutes until a difficult guest leaves, right?

Our garden is beginning to produce some edibles.  Is it me, or are garden-fresh tomatoes heavenly? 

My basil is going strong and I am looking forward to making some basil pesto soon.  Usually we make spinach pesto and I am looking forward to trying it a different way.

The only other item we are growing is peppers---3 kinds---but they aren't even close to being ready.  The one little jalapeno that I can see is only the size of a small bead, but I do hope for enough to makes loads of salsa!

It makes me laugh to think of those early spring days when we were so excited to go to the nursery and pick out our plants.  Snow was falling softly on the day we chose, but that didn't stop us, because the change of season held too much promise.  Warmer, longer days filled with sunshine and laughter and lemonade.  It occurs to me that we are living the days that we longed for back then. 

It puts a smile on my face to think of that.

Our weekend, even though it was busy, was a good one.  We got lots of stuff done, but took some time out to play also.  A day of hiking and geocaching was perfect since the weather dipped down to 80 degrees; only the day before it was 95!  Funny how 15 degrees can make such a big difference.

As usual, my husband was more than willing to accomodate my need for good blog photos.  Here he is doing his best Nacho Libre pose---sans the white polyester pants:

When we got to the creek the kids wondered what the temperature of the water was, so my hubs tested it out for them:

Aubry, of course had to be just like daddy:

What was your weekend like?

does this mean that I have to quit calling her "snaggletooth"?

we're a little goofy--or at least that is what the pictures tell us!

We had a hot, fun summery weekend filled with lots of pool time and, of course, trampoline time.  I held my usual position of photographer, but I did take the time to get in on the fun.  My kids tell me that I spend too much time on the sidelines so I actually put on a bathing suit and swam, and after that, I jumped.  I guess I need to quit acting my age!

We cracked up when we downloaded this photo on the computer. My daughter said I needed to save it for future blackmailing opportunities when he is a teenager:

Imagine our surprise when this photo came up soon after.  Does he get his graceful moves from daddy?:

I about fell off my chair when this photo showed up.  Yes, that is me in a bathing suit.  Get a good look because I will NEVER show myself in such attire again!  It just seemed too funny not to post!:

Here is Maddie looking cool in some googles:

I know.    Poor dog!  At least we don't dress her up in people-clothes!

my dog and a recipe box swap!

Maddie is spoiled.  I bought her a watermelon this week---one all for herself. 

A few weeks ago we discovered that she liked frozen watermelon when she stole a piece from Aubry.  Since then we have been sharing ours with her, and this weekend I bought one just for her. I figure it is cheap and good for her and it lasts for about a month since we freeze it. 

Really, this just proves that she is spoiled, but I am trying to justify the fact that my dog has her very own watermelon.

Did I ever mention that a couple of weeks ago she ate a dead mouse?  One that had been poisoned by D-Con?  And that I had to induce vomiting by forcing her to drink hydrogen peroxide?

That was probably the most disgusting thing that I have ever had to do.  I won't give you the gory details, but I will say that I was tempted to hang a little "for sale" sign around her neck for a day or two after she did it.

Somehow she has managed to woo me since then.

This is probably a weird time to mention this, but Thursday is the Recipe Box Swap and the theme is "BBQ's---main dishes and sides".  Is there a dish that is a must-have at a BBQ?  It doesn't have to be prepared on the grill (although it can!), it just needs to be eaten alongside something from the grill.  A favorite potato salad?  A secret sauce for ribs?  How about grandma's famous baked beans?

Post your recipe on your blog and I  will provide an auto-link at the bottom of my post so that you can leave your post URL and others can visit and see what you have cookin'.

Who knows?  Maybe you will find a wonderful new recipe for the 4th of July!

Hope to see you on Thursday!

fun in the (hot) sun

No trip to California is complete without a trip to the beach.  We spent one day at Newport Beach and one at Balboa, both are my favorite beaches.  Since there was a heatwave the whole time we were visiting, the beach was a great place to be because of the much cooler temperatures.

Since my kids aren't used to the beach, I had to tell them a few times to quit shaking their sandy towels all over the place.  The people next to us where not enjoying their sand-showers for some reason!

My oldest son has decided to wear his t-shirt all summer long in an effort to......hmmm......not sure why he is doing it, except that it probably has to do with growing up.  Chest hairs?  Muscles bulging out?  Who knows! 

Here is a picture of my surfer-dude of a husband.  Woo-hoo!  My man is a looker, eh?

Boogie boards were a huge hit.  Every time Josiah rode a wave in, he yelled and cracked-up the whole way.  Pure joy!

Right near the entrance of Legoland there is a roller-coaster and Aubry mistakenly decided to go on it.  She was so brave and sure of herself until the first drop, as you can see:

Aubry and I rode the pirate-ship complete with squirt guns and I think that I got some payback for all of the squirting I was doing by getting doused by a waterfall half-way through the ride.  It was one of those water-spurts that only goes off about every 3-4 minutes and it happened to be waiting just for us as we went by.  I hoped that people knew that the back of my skirt was soaking wet due to the waterfall and not, well, you know!

All of the kids earned their driver's license on this super-cool ride.  It was so cute watching Aubry get stressed out every time she had to make a decision at a stop-light.  My poor husband could hardly stand it and ended up yelling helpful advice to her for most of the ride.  Thank goodness for daddies!

At the end of our trip I was glad to leave the heat behind!  We arrived home to a nearly perfect 85 degrees, which made us doubly happy to be back.  It is funny how at the beginning of a vacation I always feel so ready to be somewhere else, but the homecoming is always oh-so-right. 

Every time!

***Tomorrow is grand-opening day for my shop.  I have been open for a little while now, but I want to have a giveaway to celebrate!  Hope to see you there!

guess where we went for vacation?

Anyone?

Anyone?

California!

We traveled to see my niece graduate from high school and visit with my sis, my dad and his lovely wife and my grandma.  It was HOT, HOT, HOT as we seem to have arrived in the middle of a heatwave, so we made room for two days at the beach instead of just one.  We also visited Legoland, which turns out to be a giant advertisement for Legos, but we loved it anyway.

My hubs and I made runs to Jack In The Box every single night to pick up those crazy deep-fried tacos that, in spite of the fact that it is impossible to tell what they are made of, are quite scrumptious in a junk-foody sort of way.  For this reason alone I will be walking in the mornings to drop a couple of vacation pounds and maybe a few extra aquired prior to vacation.  Of course, my hubs didn't even gain an ounce, but I will try not to hold that against him.

Instead of taking our roomy minivan, we opted to take our small black Jetta and just squish all of the kids in the backseat for 1,100 miles.  That made for some extra contention from the kids, but the 35 miles per gallon was completely worth it!

Now that I am back I am staring at a gigantic mound of laundry and an empty refrigerator, both of which will be remedied today.  I guess this is where I should say that I need a vacation from my vacation, but I am way too happy to be home for that to be the truth.  Our time away was a needed break, but it made me ready to tackle my real life again.

Tomorrow I will share some more pictures of our adventure.

Until then, have a great Monday!

a day at the farm

Once a week my hubby and I have been dragging our kids to the farm to pick weeds.   Now, before you go awarding us the "super-fun parents" award or something like that, let me say that this has a purpose:  free food!  We were lucky enough to get a "worker-bee share" at our CSA that allows us to put in 3 hours of labor per week while receiving one free share of food.  This I like!

My kids do fine for about 1-1/2 of those 3 hours and then the complaining/when can we go/ it's hot and I am melting in this sun, starts.  But that is A-OK because we  believe that it is good to teach the value of hard work all while helping out the community.  (That was another opportunity for the "super-fun parents" award!).

The boys think it is great that we get to drive this very cool vehicle:

Aubry, of course, has developed some "working on the farm" fashion:

There is something relaxing about digging through the dirt and pulling weeds, except when I accidentally picked up a squishy toad.  Really gross.

It is ridiculous that I take my camera, but at least I don't wear make-up.  You could find me in the fields if you looked for the gal wearing the giant-brimmed straw hat and the long-sleeved shirt.  In other words, look for the gal who is old enough to be concerned about preserving her appearance!

The colors of the plants are perfect:

Aubry suggested that I show you her choice of shoe for the farm:

One cool thing about having lots of kids is that when you go to the farm they notice that you accomplish more work than most of the other people who help out and they offer you a free share.  Awesome! 

These days I take all the free food I can get!

Have a great Monday!

Thank you so much for the sweet response to my last post.  I am humbled by the words of encouragement and all of your prayers, and I am glad that I shared with you all.  Just letting off some steam helps to make the weight seem lighter.

Some things for me to think about

***Figure out how to be loving towards my girl with out accepting her behavior.
***Let her make mistakes and accept her own consequences.
***Release her to God's care--He is able.
***Let go of trying to control things.  Deal with situations as they arise and then move on with life.
***Don't let this become the main feature of my life.
***Talk about this situation more because the feedback and encouragement is so helpful.
***Don't get stuck in "WHY"!
***Don't let things between Em and I get emotional and heated.

I know these things will go a long way in making this path smoother for all of us.  This period of time is temporary and doesn't need to define all of life right now--for myself or for Em.

Again, thank you.  Your encouragement  is a treasure to me.

Today I am sewing with a friend and tonight I have some free time with my hubby.  Needless to say I am looking forward to both of these things!

I hope your day is a good one!

prayer request

Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what is OK to share here on my blog, and what is best left unsaid.  I do try to keep things upbeat and positive because I can have a tendency to be negative about things.  Blogging keeps me looking for the good in life.

Lately, however, life has thrown me some curves that I am not sure how to deal with.  And, honestly I feel like a lier not saying anything about what I am struggling with.  Because this situation involves a particular person--my child--I don't want to be too open about things because I want to protect her privacy as well. This is a topic that I may not talk about very much in the future, but I have a desire to post a little bit about it so that you will pray for me.  I don't know if I have ever felt more unsure of what to do and I need some wisdom.

One of my teenage daughters is pretty much in complete rebellion against my husband and I.  She doesn't want much to do with us, and she has rejected our lifestyle and beliefs.  This has been coming slowly over the last couple of years, but now it is fast and furious.  She consistently proclaims that she is going to do things her own way and that we have no authority over her anymore. I feel like we have a ticking time bomb in our house and we have no clue what to do about it.

The reason I am saying something about this is because it is starting to affect me negatively. I feel myself slipping into a depression.  I can't sleep, I eat too much, I don't want to be around people, I am impatient with my other kids, my feelings are numb and my stomach hurts much of the time.  When it comes to my other kids I am lacking the desire to be with them and enjoy them, so our time together hasn't been all that great.

How do I deal with Emily in love and kindness, but then separate myself from the situation so that I can deal with and enjoy the rest of my family.  They deserve it.

My main concern is Emily and the direction she is going. It worries me to death.  I am plagued with the "what-if" scenarios that keep playing over and over in my head.

I also feel very hurt.  Em and I have been very close in the past.  We are a lot alike and we have tons in common, so this separation of hearts just tears me up.

I don't know what to do.

I hope I don't sound too self-centered in listing all of the ways this is affecting me, but it does dawn on me that I need to deal with this differently before I end up like a heap on the floor.

I covet your prayers.   If you have any suggestions or wisdom to offer I would appreciate it.

I know this post remains vague, but I already feel like I am saying to much in this public place, so I need to stop for now.

Thank you, friends.

***I am going to remove this post at some point because my daughter does occasionally check my blog.

a few things about me and cars...

1. I love going to carshows

2. I don't really know anything about the cars, I just like the way they look.

3. Driving a muscle car seems like a fun thing to do, although I would be worried about the poor gas mileage it gets!

4.  My dad loves going to carshows, but when I was a kid I thought they were dumb.

5. Now I wish I lived closer to my dad so we could go together some time.

6. I drive a mini-van and I also drive a Volkswagen Jetta.  The Jetta is my favorite, but I can only drive it when a couple of my kids are staying at home.

7. My hubs drove a car like the one in the picture below when he was a teenager, although by the time I met him he drove a blue Ford Escort.

8. I think he would have looked really great in the Camaro.

9. I wouldn't like it if he drove the Camaro now because of the poor gas mileage.  :(

10. I love all of the cars in the pictures above, but in reality I would have to drive something more like this because I have so many kids:

11. I think my guy and his buddies are quite handsome and funny:

Have a great Tuesday!

***PS--When all of my fabric arrives I will have a grand-opening for my shop complete with give-away's and stuff like that.  I can't wait!

small things

My days are filled with small things:

***Making granola

***A watermelon-lovin' dog

***Aubry's plans and designs for a store called Fresh-Squeezed Flowers

***Cleaning--but not quite spring-cleaning

***Weeding the garden (it only takes me a few minutes at this point in the year!)

***Baking bread

***Sewing aprons with a friend

***Josiah telling me all about the exciting book he is reading

***Organizing things for my fabric store (I haven't even gotten the fabric and I am unorganized!)

The small things are where memories are made...

...and I wouldn't have it any other way!

miscellaneous

Many thanks for all of the sweet, encouraging comments yesterday!  I was very nervous about unveiling my little plan, but your response made me glad that I did.  When it comes to hatching plans, I can handle it, but actually doing things is another story, because I obsess over the possibility of failure.

Tell me I am not the only one who does that!

This has been a lesson in patience for me, because everything has taken twice as long as I figured!  Getting the fabric is not happening fast either, but I did manage to place my orders late yesterday and I am hoping the ladies I am dealing with will be able to fill my order before they leave for Quilt Market.  If they can't, I will have to wait another week.  I hope they realize that I want my stuff NOW!  (Read that last sentence in your best Veruca Salt voice--with all of the attitude!)

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self‑control."Ephesians 5:22

Things are starting to grow around my house and I love it!  This is the most exciting time of the year for me because it seems so full of promise.  All things are becoming new!

As you can see, Maddie is becoming a beast.  She is going to be the size of a small-ish bear, I am sure of it!

Have a great day!

***I updated my shop with some hostess aprons.  Click here to see them!

a mother's day wish for you...

I hope that all of your days are filled with smiles and laughter and wonderful memories.  Mothering is a tough job, but the benefits are amazing as the kids grow and mature.

Lately, my job as mother has felt especially difficult in relation to one of my kids.  It is truly heart-breaking to watch a child stray and to feel as if there is nothing that can be done about it.

I am thankful that mothering is not a job that I do alone.  I have a wonderful husband and the love of my God to guide me each and every day. He will see us through.  I am sure of it.

Being a mother is a work of endurance.  Keeping up during the hard times helps to build strength and wisdom, even during those times that feel impossible.

Do you have too many dirty diapers to deal with?  A wayward teen?  A child struggling with schoolwork?

Hang in there.  You are not alone.  Seek Him...

Happy Mother's Day to all of the lovely mothers who pass this way. I hope your day is special.

setting him loose

My son loves to bake, among other things.  For the longest time he has been asking me to let him do something in the kitchen all by himself, but my perfectionist nature hesitates to let children in the kitchen by themselves due to messes and mistakes, but I decided to set him loose anyway.

There was much mixing and scraping and laughing and I stayed on the sidelines when the eggs were cracked.  He took it upon himself to check for shells in the batter which made me very happy.  Is anyone else grossed out by the texture of egg shells left in food?

The pouring was perfect and he even remembered to spray the pan with oil to avoid sticking.  Aubry was selected to lick the potato masher, a utensil I wouldn't have chosen, but it seemed to do the job just fine.

"Mom, do you have to take my picture eating the bread?"

"Absolutely, Son!  I want to post your handsome face on my blog for all to see!"

I love his "smirking bite" in the photo!

Here's to lots more time in the kitchen for him!

my baby girl is 20 today!

20 reasons my girl is awesome:

1. if you need help, she will be there for you

2. smarts.  my girl is one smart cookie!

3. she has an inner drive that will get her where she wants to go in life

4. respect.  for herself and others.  people matter to her.

5. this is one brave girl.  she will try just about anything.

6. she takes her role as sister very seriously.

7. loves God.  knows who she is in Him.

8. knows how to listen.

9. expects respect from guys--and lets them know it!

10. encourages me daily.

11.eats ice cream as if it going out of style.  doesn't gain weight.

12.wants to adopt a small passel of african babies someday.  plans her school/work plans around this goal.

13.doesn't get caught up in fashion, but still manages to look adorable all the time.

14.her laugh.  makes me smile every time.

15.gets along with people of all ages.

16.studies like crazy because she wants to get into vet school.

17.has wisdom beyond her years.

18.acts like a little kid quite often.  knows how to be silly and have fun.

19.has thoughtful opinions on a wide range of topics.

20.because she is my baby!

Happy, happy birthday, sweet-pea!  It is such a joy to be your madre.

i promise i won't turn this into a "puppy blog"...

...but that doesn't stop me from posting some more pictures of our new babe!

On Sunday we took our girl on her first outing.  The park, of course!  She sat in the back of the Jeep and spent the entire time trying to make us feel bad enough to let her get in front.  No chance, but she sure was cute peeking over the seat!

We used to have a fabulous dog named Chuck, and Maddie has inherited some of his stuff, including this chain for walking.  I know it looks bad to have such a wee dog wearing such a huge choke-chain, but we can't bring our selves to pay for a new one when we have a perfectly good used one.  We are cheap!

Did I mention that Maddie likes to bite?   Even the leash is a great snack:

Those eyes get me every time:

I am still taking pics of the family, of course:

My faux-Chucks are looking pretty trashed.  Maybe a new pair is in the future?  I would love to buy these (in pink, of course), but I am too cheap.

With dog food on the grocery bill now, I am sticking with the faux-Chucks!

Have a great day!

there is a tiny reason for my busyness

Meet Madeline.  Maddie for short.

Puppies take about the same time and effort as newborn babies and I forgot this fact when we brought her home!  My eyes were soon opened.

Maddie seems to be housebroken already (lucky us!) and she has learned the command "come".  The boys have been working with her everyday and they are in love with her.  She is going to be VERY spoiled!

Our problem is biting.  She bites everything, all the time.  Is this normal puppy behavior?  Any suggestions on stopping her from doing it?

Here is Maddie playing basketball with Micah:

She helps Craig with the lawn-mowing:

This is where my cat can be found these days:

I am posting a little earlier than I had planned because I accidentally made my "be back soon" post sound like something was wrong, and I wanted to let you all know that we are fine, just preoccupied with an adorable pup.

We will be fixing our fence this weekend so that Maddie has a place to hang out where we don't have to supervise her 24 hours a day.  We will also be working on "sit" and "stay", and making sure that we keep our shoes away from our resident biter!

Have a lovely weekend!

 

good things

This weekend was warm and sunny. Perfect for:

**Capris and tank tops
**An early morning walk along the river
**Starting the flip-flop tan line on my feet
**A trip to the zoo
**Sewing--lots of free time on Saturday morning while my kids were at a friend's house!
**Washing the cars
**Making a compost pile (crossing my fingers that it works!)
**Planting nasturtiums

Mr. Sun, keep on shining!

Snow on Pike's Peak:

The cat rolling in the dirt:

Lovely flowers:

An "oops" shot, but I still like it:

Have a lovely Monday!

***PS---You will find a post at Me and My Girl today!

she's a lot like me

She caught me sorting through my fabrics. 

She knew that one pile was destined for the thrift store. 

She found a box. 

She folded. 

She took. 

She now has her own fabric stash.

Sewing days are now on Wednesday. 

She will be learning to use my sewing machine.

Oh my.

it can get rocky out there

In case you have ever wondered, the Rocky Mountains acquired their name because they are so very, well, rocky.  Technically, they could have been called the Big Rocky Mountains since they are big as well. 

Rock climbing is very popular here m Colorado, and in the winter, ice climbing is another nutty sport that outdoorsy types like to engage in. Personally I like to keep my feet firmly planted on solid, flat ground where it is safe.

My husband, however, is not of the same mind as I am, so he decided to climb the above pictured rock/mountain while we were geocaching this weekend.  Since he is the super manly type,  he didn't anticipate that a loose rock could fall to the ground when all of his weight was on it.  Of course, he could have consulted me and been forewarned, but that didn't seem to enter his mind. 

Once he was about 15 feet above the dry, hard ground, the rock that I alluded to above broke free and left him falling until he hit the ground with a thud.  From the midst of the dust swirling around him came a labored "I'm fine!", but I wasn't so sure that I believed him since he was covered with cactus needles and he was limping.

As this point, he felt that the best solution was to continue on our hike so that he could "walk it off".

***Ladies, I just want to know where men get these ideas from!?!?!

We walked on, he limped, and we all tried to act like nothing happened.

Here is am hugging him right after I gave him a good "talking to":

We skipped rocks:

Aubry posed with her official geocaching kitty purse:

What would a hike be without a bit of sister-ly love?

Green:

A lovely sky:

In the scheme of things, all of this is just small stuff:

Yes, my hubs is fine.  And I am pretty sure he will think twice before attempting rock climbing again! Have a happy Monday!

just one more day

My daughter Emily was going through her old "childhood" stuff and found lots of treasures to pass on to Aubry.  So far, Aubry's favorite is the Laura Ingalls sunbonnet and gingham dress that Emily wore over 10 years ago.  In typical Laura-style, Aubry wears the bonnet hanging around her neck, rather than tied as Ma would have had her do.

Watching my kids grow up is a lesson in acceptance.  I have wonderful memories from all these years God has given us together, and as the days draw to a close, my tendency is to hold on too tight and I get caught up in the fear of releasing them to the world.  It is not so much a fear that they will do something wrong or that they will be hurt, it is more the fear of what I will feel like after saying "good-bye".  Good-bye to the days of homeschooling and spending all of our hours together.  These days have been the best years of my life.

On the other hand, I am enjoying the relationships that I have with my kids as they are maturing.  My oldest daughter will be twenty in May and time with her is like time spent with a best friend.   There is no pressure to perform or to impress, just the two of us enjoying, laughing and sharing our lives.  My head knows that the transition will not be so terrible as I am imagining, but my heart  resists shedding the sense of loss that lingers much of the time these days.

My oldest will probably be heading to Vet School in about a year, and my 17-year old will be waving good-bye next February.  It just amazes me that the days have gone so quickly and that we are at the point that I thought would never come.  It is almost here.

Admittedly, I do still have a lot of years with kids in my home, but the reality that full-time parenting is a temporary job is staring me in the face.  Sometimes I wonder if I feel the same as my girls as they are looking at the beginning of their adult lives:  excited at all the possibilities, but fearful at doing something entirely alone.  Looking forward to launching out while peering into the past and wishing it could last just one more day.

Just one more day...

why it's worth it

Saturday morning was beautiful for hiking, breezy warm and early enough not to feel the snow coming. 

The first part of our trek was on this hill where Craig pointed out that he had just driven up this same road yesterday in his Jeep.  I bit my tongue and decided that he was man enough to make his own decisions.  But when Josiah started talking about the time he drove on this road with Craig last summer, I unfortunately didn't keep my mouth shut for that one.

This is the point in the hike where the downward spiral of events took place.

What could have been a great time turned into a disaster, complete with tears and hasty words.  To be honest, the thought of my kids being on this road in a vehicle just seemed ridiculous, and I wasn't about to sit by and act like everything was OK.   

Both of us being stubborn, we continued our trek in silence, walking much faster than normal from all the adrenaline pumping through our veins.  It was one of those time where I wondered why I choose him.  What was I thinking?  Why do I waste my time?

All things of consequence in this life will have us asking these questions at one time or another.  Is the work really going to reap anything of value?  Should I just throw in the towel and do something else, something easier?

Amazingly, it is worth it. 

Marriage is a journey.  A trek across time that you commit to take with another person.  There are never any guarantees, and often the vows taken in the blush of love become hollow when the tough times come. 

And the tough times do come.

Craig and I have had our share of ups and downs.  We have had times when I have sincerely wondered if we would make it through to the end.  Would our differences in personality and opinion push us so far away from each other that we would lose our grip and drift apart? 

God's grace is the only thing that has gotten us this far and my hope is that we continue holding tight enough to Him so that He is able to get us to the end of the road where the view is best.  It is after all of the trudging and struggling and feeling incapable of moving higher, that you reach the point in the trail that reminds you why you do all of this.  The place that whispers softly that there is a reason for all of the hard work you put into your marriage each and every day.

Clinging to Him, clinging to each other.

Our hike continued on its course until finally, we got home and talked.  Funny how a little communication changes things.  We decided that the kids could go on any easy or moderate trails and that I would trust Craig in his choices when it came to taking the kids 4-wheeling.  It was after talking that I realized how thankful I am to have a guy like Craig, one who listens and makes a sincere effort to do things as one, the way the Bible says to.  There are things that drive me crazy about my guy, but somehow those things have an endearing quality that keep me by his side.

The road of marriage is not easy, but I am thankful that Craig is the one hiking by my side.

...a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:12

a girl's day

A "girl's day" consists of a few important things:

--giggling and lots of it!
--talking, talking, talking
--telling jokes
--running around the house like crazy people
--crafting, of course
--tears.  OK, with the little girls it was because they were fighting, but still the tears matter.
--food. yummy food that speaks of warmer days to come:

The reminder of warmer days is so welcome since it looks like this outside:

--The girls made the aprons in the first picture by themselves, except for the ric-rac that was already sewn onto the fabric.  They were mighty proud of themselves!

happy

I hope your weekend is filled with happiness!

this is what laundry day looks like at my house:

we are geocachers

We needed a new family hobby.  As kids grow bigger, it is easy for mom and dad to miss the clues that reveal the need for something new, something more adventurous and fun.

Thankfully, we have discovered geocaching.   A friend recommended this site where we searched our area (there are over 1,700 geocaches within our zip code!) and picked an easy destination.

Because we had no idea how to use a GPS, we ended up going in the wrong direction and walking about one mile more than necessary, but we got it figured out and headed back.

In the tunnel my kids said, "Hey, Mom, you can't take our picture in here!"

I guess they forgot about the flash:

Once we had our bearings, we were able to spy the treasure under a rock:

Aubry got to pick from the stash--a fabulous piece of sidewalk chalk!:

We neglected to bring an item to leave, so we ended up leaving a pen.  Next time we will plan ahead and bring something fun:

Signing our names in the book:

We already have another geocaching adventure set for next weekend, weather permitting.   A packed lunch,  a better gift to leave in the box, and friends will accompany us this time as we set out on our treasure hunt.

I wonder what we will find!

reading to my kids

Today you can find me at The Heart of the Matter talking about kids and books.

Hope to see you there!

***Don't forget about The Recipe Box Swap tomorrow!

i dropped a few hints...

...and I ended up with this:

Craig and Micah spent most of Saturday making a potting bench for me.  I have wanted one for a couple of years now--every serious gardener (and wanna-be, like me!) needs one--so when we found this how-to and some scrap wood, it was a "go".

I love watching my hubby work with the boys.  He is very skilled in doing home-improvement type projects and I am glad that he is passing that wisdom along to the boys.  In case you are wondering, yes, he passes the wisdom along to the girls, too.  I have a nineteen year-old girl who could tile your bathroom or put hardwood in your living room as long as you provided something to eat and good music. 

The bench is supposed to go outside, but for now I am keeping in our "green room".  (Any guesses on why we call it the "green room"?)   Seed starts and some herbs will be making an appearance any day now, and when the time comes, I am not sure that the bench will make it's way outside.   Since it is my bench, I can keep it wherever I like, right?

The thought of getting my hands dirty and watering plants is like a dream!  I am sure that I have said this too many times this month, but I am so ready for spring to be here.  A pair of capris coupled with flip-flops sounds like the perfect combination these days.  Is anyone else tired of winter clothes?

Have a lovely day!