crazy, lazy summer days . . .

With temperatures of over 100 . . . this is what we do.

Happy Wednesday!

pluviophile . . .

"I know the rain is cold my dear, 

but dance in it a little while you wait for the sun."

                                                                     ~ a.j.lawless

Yesterday was a tough day for me.  I try to deny that I have tough days . . . because I think
I need to be strong all of the time, but how unrealistic is that? Today was much better.  Maybe I just needed some rain to wash everything away . . . and start fresh.  I was driving later in the day and it seemed like I haven't seen the sky look so blue in quite some time . . . and oh the magnificent clouds.  The sun was shining on the back of them . . . it was one of those moments when you feel that heaven is just beyond those clouds.  Our world is full of magic if we just take the time to notice.

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Walking in the rain

Talking with Lily . . . how this girl get me.  :)

Getting Easter stuff ready for my grandkids

Laughing with my mom

Getting packages ready to mail

Praying!
Mother Nature

Good Morning Lily . . .

I have the joy of keeping Lily during the week . . . since her mom still has to go to work.

Since it looks like our schools may be closed for awhile, I thought Lily should have her own space while she is doing her school work. 

An old table we sanded down and threw some stain on is working out perfect.

I surprised her yesterday by  hanging up some tapestries.  

She has trouble staying focused at times - and this seems to have helped. 

"Children are not a distraction from more important work.

They are the most important work."

~ John Trainer

every little thing she does is magic . . .

 I have spent a good part of my life being the only girl . . . 

I have two brothers . . . I have two sons.

Then God blessed me by bringing Jennifer and Sarah into my life . . . 

. . . and now I have these amazing girls.

They are unique . . . and beautiful . . . and full of magic.

Little girls definitely are full of magic.  If you don't believe it . . . just spend some time with one. 

I love love . . . .

“Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. 

Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.” 
― Joss Whedon

 Still doodling on this one.  I spent more time reading than anything else this weekend, but I am trying to find some time each day to MAKE.  

I think I am letting Winter get the best of me.  My goal this week is to put an end to that and get myself in a creative uproar . . . but then I may just pull out a blanket, get myself a cup of tea, and continue reading the book that I can't seem to put down.  

It is an older book by Stephen King - Bag of Bones.  I have read Stephen King for years - not because I enjoy horror stories . . . but I like the way the man tells a story.  

Last Friday was my 60th birthday.  

Everyone kept asking me what I wanted to do.  Did I want to have a party?  Where did I want to go to dinner?  I chose to stay home, turn the living room into a fort by hanging tapestries from the ceiling and have a sleepover with Lily.  I tend to like things simple I guess.

Then we ate in the fort, read in the fort, watched movies in the fort, slept in the fort, had the whole family hanging out in the fort . . . 

and then decided to leave the fort up so Charlotte can see it later this week.  

Am I really 60 years old?  

"Aging is not lost youth, but a new stage

of opportunity and strength." 

~ Betty Freidan

blessings . . .

Charlotte drawings . . . 

. . . and weekend doodles.

Thank GOD for these five blessings.  

Be Amazing . . . .

I did what I told myself I wasn't going to do this weekend . . . spent a good part of Saturday cleaning.  My intentions were to make something, read, and relax.  I got frustrated because I couldn't find something . . . which turned into organizing my supplies and cleaning the whole house.  

I have to admit though . . . it is much easier for me to do the relaxing part

when things are in order . . . that's just the way I'm wired.  

So with that done . . . I spent some time painting and writing . . . and reading. 

I had Lily spend the night.  That involved staying up late, watching movies, having popcorn and root beer, playing with slime (her not me) . . . and face painting.  

I have so much going on with me these days . . . some good and some not so good,

but I believe it is all moving towards something amazing  - if that makes sense.  

This blog has always been a good place for me to be me and I go back and forth about sharing some of what I am going through and think that eventually I will.  I have no problem throwing my life out there for everyone to see, but for now and as I work through some things . . . 

I will spare you all the details.  LOL

Life is a gift - Each day God gives us is a gift . . . so find some JOY in today!  

No matter how serious life gets, 

you still gotta have that one person 

you can be completely stupid with. 

three girls and a boy cat . . .

 Little girls are full of magic . . . 

 . . . and silliness!

They make life pretty special!

Then there is this guy . . . he is around a year old now.  We adopted him back in February.

He has been making us smile and laugh ever since. 

Find JOY in every day!

lily love . . . and Deuce

 It is impossible to keep a straight face 

in the presence of one or more kittens.

~ Cynthia E. Varnado

 Love, love, love this girl!  

. . . and meet Deuce.  

Lily was with me one day after work a couple of weeks ago . . . and it just seemed like a good day to adopt a kitten.

This little guy was found by some police officers at a DUI check point right before Christmas.  The officers named him Deuce, but we tend to call him Dui.  I do believe that Lily would just like to move in with us and hang out with him full time.  

It has been years since we have had a kitten in the house.  He is a kitten . . . so of course he is entertaining . . . full of energy (most often in the middle of the night) . . . and adorable. 
We find ourselves awake in the middle of the night laughing at him.  Well, I'm laughing . . . Richard does something more like grumbling.  He saves the laughing for the morning.  :)

little shabby charlotte doll . . .

“The doll making journey begins 

decades before you even know it, by 
gathering a lifetime of seemingly unrelated skills, 

which one day collide, 

causing complete and total harmony!” 
― Gayle Wray

I'm finally posting pictures of  the latest doll that I finished.  She was created from a drawing that Lily made.  She is only about 7 inches tall and has the skinniest little legs . . . 

. . . and the cutest little bloomers under her skirt.  

Not exactly like her drawing . . . but close enough to make Lily smile.

Fun little doll for a special little girl in my life!

Halloween 2017

still here . . .

FAMILY

For where your treasure is.

your heart will also be.

~ Luke 12:34

I haven't posted here in a month . . . how did that happen?

Life has been busy . . . mainly because I started back to work last month and the first few weeks of school is simply a busy and chaotic time.  I love it . . . but I am glad things have settled down some.

We have had some time to play in a tent . . . play with skeletons . . . 

. . . and play with some skeletons in the tent.  LOL!  Lily is really into the skeletons this year . . . I have a feeling she will be helping me decorate for Halloween.

Charlotte is very much into painting and coloring these days and Avery is busy being 5 months old.

Life is busy, but Life is Good!

BEST DAY EVER . . .

Our Spring Break always includes the day after Easter.  Since Lily is out of school and I am off work - we usually spend this Monday together.  She was out of state the week before Easter . . . which made spending this day with her even more fun.  The highlight of the day was finding a container of lady bugs at Lowe's.  She released them in her yard . . . hoping some of them will stick around.
We had a great day which included a trip to the orthodontist and some shopping.
BEST DAY EVER!

Avery Rose

"A baby is God's opinion that live should go on."
~ Carl Sandburg

We are all in love and can't get enough of her.  

It all starts with one little bead . . .

 Jake and Kasey wanted a dream catcher to hang in Avery's nursery.  (No Avery yet, but very soon.)

I don't  think I would have ever made a dream catcher otherwise . . . and I'm not sure if I will ever make another one . . . although I do have some ideas.  

 All the beads on the table inspired Lily to make a necklace.  She spent the night this weekend . . . so we painted . . . and beaded . . . and read . . . and stayed up late eating popcorn and drinking root beer.

Fun Night!

I've been folding these cranes from old book pages . . . hoping to get enough to fill up a tree this coming Christmas.  I have over 200 so far . . . I think I will have enough by December.