Source: livebreatheinsanity.tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Busy Busy

My goodness, I just saw that I haven't posted in 2 weeks. Yikes! That may be a record for this blogger.

The honest truth is that...I've been busy...swamped...overwhelmed...overworked...wiped out...and then I did it all again the next day. 

We've been working on our school room for weeks...months maybe and phew - just put the finishing touches on it this morning. It's DONE. Finite. Finally. The relief is just as overwhelming as the work was and I'm honestly beat.

Unfortunately, there's no time for rest. School has begun and I.have.no.time. to myself. It's weird. But good.

For those of you that don't know and aren't pickin' up what I'm putting down, I am homeschooling 2 of my 3 kiddos this year.

Today was day 3. Can I tell you that though I am worn down to the bone and have massive dark under eye circles, I.am.LOVING.this. I just told a friend today that in all of the weeks and weeks in the last 6 1/2 years that I have been a mother, this has quite possibly been my favorite week EVER.

The first day of school, after our big room reveal for the kiddos (they lit up like their best Christmas morning, I swear - it was AWESOME), Natalie said to me, "This is the BEST DAY EVER!" and Nicolas said, "Homeschooling is so much FUN!". Seriously? Could I have sweeter kiddos? Oh my goodness. I got teary.

I'm exhausted, so these days it does not take much to make me cry but good Lord, I am so thankful that my kiddos hearts have been touched. If nothing else gets accomplished this year, that will have been enough.

Well...I AM hoping something else gets accomplished...

After all...we bought a lotta books...

So, please forgive me...if you are a regular follower and you've been checking in wondering what's up, I promise to return soon...don't give up on me!

I have a big school room reveal for ya! I'm tellin' ya what...it's awesome. I'm not sure it's kosher to say that about a room that I did but too bad. I love it. I'm super proud of it and super thankful to those who helped me make my dream school room become a reality. Can't wait to show you guys! :)

So...keep your eyes peeled...I'm hoping to have the reveal post up sometime this week...or maybe over the weekend...or maybe early next week...or next month...lol ;)

Oh alright...sorry...I am non-committal. How about a little sneak peek to satisfy (or peak) the curiosity?

:)

Irene

Today has been sunny...and pleasant...and there is not any indicator in the sky that something bad is heading in our direction...only, it is.

The worst hurricane the East Coast has seen in 100 years is on her way and we can prepare...but God is the ultimate weatherman. The whole world is in His hands. Nothing happens without his knowledge.

The last I checked, Irene is set to hit our area sometime Sunday morning. I've already started putting our deck furniture in the garage and made plans to possibly stay with my parents this weekend. The grocery stores in our town are being wiped out of water and non-perishables.

Will Irene actually do damage here where I live? I'm not sure. Am I nervous? Yup. Little bit. But I know Who is in charge.

His eye is on the sparrow...and I know He watches me...

XO

Praying for the East Coast and hoping that Irene's bark is worse than her bite.

;)

Wordless Wednesday

So proud that she got dressed all by herself...I love that she added that flower pin... :)

He is so handsome..............he is after all, his daddy's son.................

Today

Source: Pinterest

In Need of a Nap...

Today is definitely one of those days that you spin around in your chair and think...now what?

I have no idea where to go from here.

I had planned on removing my baseboard heaters today (they don't work and they protrude approx. 3 inches into the room making my already small room...smaller. But in speaking with my father-in-law, it turns out THAT is a much bigger undertaking than I thought and so...we'll just be painting them for now.

Great. Now I have to put their faces back on. Boo.

Do I want to start painting today? Not really. I still need to do some spackling and taping. Do I feel like doing that? No, not really. I'm not even sure where the spackle and supplies are.

Do I feel like going out to pick up supplies for my art projects? Not really...I'm not sure that I really feel like driving anymore today.

Same with my Ikea stuff I need...I don't feel like making the trek all the way out there.

Uh uh.

So yeah...those are kind of my only options as far as the school room goes.

I was up LATE last night thinking up some fun artsy type projects I'm going to do for the room and I'm THRILLED at what I came up with. Does anyone else think better at night?  My mind is so CLEAR and creative.

Then during the day, it's back to mush.

;)

Like right now...I am so tired...I wanna take a nap.

Could be the HORRIBLE sleep I've been getting lately or my blood draw this morning but whatever the problem is, I'm really having a hard time keeping my eyes open. 

So, I think that I am going to call it quits.  The kids haven't been sleeping well either so I think that it's night night time for us for the next couple of hours.

Zzzzzzzzz...

Just a couple of pictures from last evening...

I'm so thankful for my kiddos and for "our" cornfield (actually currently soybeans)...which has proven to be the very best child's playground...

Click on the picture to make it larger

Click on the picture to make it larger

Click on the picture to make it larger

It's Coming...Can You Feel It?

I can't wait! :)

Life is Reason Enough to Celebrate

"Celebrate we will for life is short but sweet for certain"

- Dave Matthews Band

Don't Be Silly...

email is not my middle name

this is what my inbox looked like yesterday...AFTER, i had done some sufficient clearing out...

thankfully, this is what it looks like this morning...

i can breathe now.

p.s. no, i did not hit "delete all".

but i was tempted.

happy birthday America

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a LIGHT FROM ABOVE.
From the mountains to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.

Have a very Happy Fourth everyone!

XO

It's parades, picnics, pools and patriotism for us today...
let freedom ring!

:)

time

in love.

image courtesy of pinterest. shocking.

i bought the smaller version in the traditional sand color at marshall's today for $5.99 (along with some other beachy decor - thanks for my birthday money, mom!)

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

- Steve Jobs

Thought for the Day

Tuesday Tidbit

I've been a member of Bloggy Mom's for about a month now and quite honestly, I'm really not sure how to use it.

However, I just took a peek at my friend, Julie's, blog and she linked up to Bloggy Moms with a "Tuesday Tidbit" post...so, I'm gonna be a copy cat and do the same... (hi, Julie!)

google.com image

I LOVE THUNDERSTORMS...the crazier the better. When I was a kid, I was scared to death of them, of course...always thinking that with the storm would come the end of the world. To a kid, that is what it sounds like. In fact, my 5 year old daughter just said to me, "Mommy, God must be REALLY mad!!!" My mom used to try to comfort me during a storm by saying that the "angels were bowling" and when lightening struck, they got a strike! The story didn't comfort me all that much as a child but now that I'm older, I can appreciate the humor.

My older two children have never been very afraid of storms - I think perhaps following in my grown up footsteps by getting excited rather than scared. Children really do sense what we as parents are feeling and take their cue from our attitudes and behavior.

Most of the time anyway.

With my youngest son, Noah, he doesn't care if we are throwing the storm a party...he's not having any of it. When storms strike, he comes running...and screaming...and crying...and shaking. It has just stopped storming here but just a few moments ago, my baby was literally unable to be pried off of me. His little arms had a death defying Kung Fu grip around my neck. Even when I went around to close the windows, he LITERALLY held onto my leg for dear life. The poor thing was scared stiff.

And can I be honest?

I love that.

I love being needed by him. My older two children never seemed to NEED me all that much. They seem so grown up at their young ages but Noah...he's a big 3 year old now and still needs me now as much as he did as an infant.

When their grandma's are around, my older two...if hurt...run to them instead of me most of the time. Which makes me sad...and admittedly a little miffed. (which is probably an immature thought, I know - I should just be happy that they have healthy grandparents in their lives that love them)

But not Noah...when Noah is tired...or sad...or hurt...or scared...he comes to me. No one else will do.

It makes me feel really good.

So...bring on those thunderstorms...I know that God is in control...and it's probably not the end of the world...but it does bring with it some Mommy and baby bonding time that reminds me that I'm needed...and loved...and I need that too...probably just as much as he does.

XO

Birthday at the Beach

Today is a smooth white seashell, hold it close and listen to the beauty of the hours. - unknown

On June 24th, 2008, I got the very best birthday present I could have ever received...life. Not only mine but my sweet son's as well. I'll never forget that day. Since we already had a boy and a girl, we decided to let the sex of the baby be a surprise...after I delivered the baby, my husband shouted out..."It's a boy!" and I said, "Oh yeah! I forgot that we didn't know!" Haha! Oh what labor and delivery will do to you. ;) 3 years later, I am still celebrating his life as much as I did that day and even more. Noah Alexander is my birthday gift from God. :) We had a small celebration at my parents house on Friday evening but Friday morning for a short while was all mine. That is one thing about sharing a birthday with someone in your family, you don't get that "my day" moment anymore. And that is okay, don't get me wrong but it's still nice to be able to eek out a little time in the day for myself...to take a deep breath and thank the Lord for another year of this precious life. So, on Friday morning, that is exactly what I did. We happened to be in Long Beach Island, NJ that day and so I woke up early and walked up to the beach...careful not to wake anyone else who might want to join me...

I love the beach. And I always forget just how much I love it until I'm there...

Dear Lord, thank you for being my Lifeguard in this crazy sea of life...

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. - Psalm 139: 9-10

Footprints in the sand...in moments like this when I'm alone and I don't have any distractions around me...I wonder who these footprints belong to...I believe that this one is that of a child...could it have possibly belonged to one of my children from the day before?

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

--Anonymous

On my way *home*, I stopped to admire this shell lined walkway...even little beach shanty's like this one are quaint in a beach town...shabby chic in it's truest form...

Isn't it amazing how flowers grow at the beach despite the sandy soil? Especially hydrangeas...my favorite flower...they just thrive...

My soul thrives there as well...

...but my hair...not so much. ;)

XO

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain

A Day in the Life of Us

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

We finished up our gift basket for Gabby's spaghetti dinner raffle and sent it off...go ahead and buy a raffle ticket on Sunday to win this super cute basket as well as many others...you know you wanna! :)

We painted in the AM and hung our artwork to dry...

Per Noah, this is a "pig"...huh. ;)

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

Pablo Picasso

We played make believe and "fished" for a while...(Noah is a "responsible pretender" - he even wore his life vest)

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
- George Bernard Shaw

We cleaned our house...

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7

We played baseball...

...and I discovered that one of my very favorite sounds in this life is that of a bat hitting a ball...

And older taught younger...

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981

Then younger decided that perhaps he needed a bigger target...

Then decided that maybe a game of horsey would be more fun... :)

Inside, taking a break from the heat, Miss Natalie immersed herself in a little Super Mario Bros...

We hung clothes to dry...which is totally my new "thing"...

I just read that only 4 percent of Italian homes have a clothes dryer...interesting, huh?!

We cut the crust off...with style... :)

Dinosaurs for the boys...

Hearts for our sweet girl...

And we dined alfresco...of course...

And gentlemen wore hats...

You know you're a mom when you run out of croutons and improvise with goldfish...

We drank lots of water...

With lemons so fresh, you could almost eat them like candy...

And some of us did...

It started looking rather daunting outside...

And sure enough...

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.
- Louisa May Alcott

But it was still sunny inside...

So, we had cookies and milk...

...and watched a little TV...(and Nicolas was wearing his 345th outfit that day...and FYI...the boy cannot match to save his life... ;)

“Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.”
- Barbara Jordan

By the way, when I say "we" I really mean "them"...

Cause I'm a mom and I have other things to be doing...

Like laundry...

And yup...I even took a picture of that...

Because let's face it...sometimes...we do things and it doesn't LOOK like we do things...so we need PROOF! :)

Hence...pictures!

By the way...the one bad thing about hanging clothes out on the line...is that when it looks like it's gonna rain...

...ya gotta get the clothes off the line REAL QUICK...

...and then throw them on the dining room table...

...and then take a picture of it...

...just because...

Ahhhhhh...

So, that was Wednesday...a day in the life of US. Just normal everyday stuff...complete with...

...ants in our bag of croutons because they are literally TRYING to send me to a mental institution...oh, did I say that I "ran out" earlier? No no no...what I meant was...the ants got to them before I could. I know...I know...so gross. And this package was sealed.

No idea.

They haunt me.

I'm not here to sugar coat things...it's not what I do...I like it real...and it's not all that pretty when it's real. My pictures are straight out of my camera...but taken with love...to document a life...

When it comes right down to it...we all just want to...

And this is a reminder to me that...we are doing just that. :)

XO