Finally Wrapping up my Birthday Week

Okay so I know I'm really late with this post. I really had planned to post each day I opened something new but....well you know how it goes!! I always have the best intentions:)

Check out this fabulous necklace and earrings!! This was day 4 of my birthday week. (yes I realize that this is a nasty picture of me...try to get past that and just check out the jewelry) I love this set. First of all I love anything RED!! Secondly I love that the necklace is shorter than what I normally wear. This set is heavy and chunky and gorgeous!!!!!!

Day 5 was a sweet soy candle in a really cute swiss dot crock. It will be really cute on my dresser. The scent is raspeberry creme. Definitely more Summery than my current candles. I tend to buy Fall scents most of the time. I think this one will smell fantastic with all the windows open after a Spring or Summer thunderstorm. I'll let you know in a couple of days...we're expecting some thunderstoms around these parts real soon.

Day 6 was a charm for my charm bracelet. When I opened it up I wasn't sure who it was supposed to represent.

Maia immediately thought it was for Andy since it was a guitar but I already have a guitar for him. I thought maybe it was for Maia since it had purple gems. Turns out this isn't a guitar at all!! Nope it's a bass. I can totally see it now. Look it only has four strings. How did I miss that in the first place? Anyways my dad plays bass and his birthstone is PURPLE. Duh!! This represents my dad :) Up until now all of my charms have represented Andy, the kids and my faith. I love that I am branching out and representing other people that I love as well.

Day 7 was another charm. A teeny tiny itty bitty prayer box!! Which I love. I'll be jingling and jangling all over the place as soon as I get my new charms in place:) Everytime I wear my bracelet I have at least one person comment on it. Everyone loves it when I go through each charm and share what they mean to me. It is a super neat way to share my little family's history and unique quirkiness!!

Last but not least-I took myself on a shopping spree. I desperately needed some Spring/Summer clothes. The need took on more urgency when I started trying to piece together 2 Summer outfits for the Women of Faith conference. I had NOTHING that would work. So Ash and I promptly took off to Kohl's for 1 or 2 things and ended up leaving with 2 bags full of clothes. And I don't even feel guilty. In fact...I can think of a few more things I need :)

Until next year...my birthday is officially over. Thank you everybody for the well wishes, cards and gifts!! It's nice to be loved.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

I'm going to get back to my birthday week and also my experiences at the Women of Faith conference later this week but first I wanted to make sure I did this:

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
Outside my window... Trees turning green!! Lilac bushes and new flowers to be discovered in our new backyard. My teenage neighbor making out with his girlfriend. My kids playing in the sunshine.


From the kitchen... Pork Chops, applesauce, green beans and apple barley salad. My family wouldn't touch the salad so they ate mac-n-cheese instead. Which is fine with me because I loved the barley. It was sorta like oatmeal with apple peices and cinnamon. I'll be eating it for breakfast the rest of the week:) Yummo!!

I am wearing... jean shorts and a retro floral t-shirt. fresh nail polish and a pony tail :)

I am reading... A Mother After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George.

I am hoping... for inspiration.

I am creating... a scrapbook page for Asher's book

I am praying... for a renewed spirit

Around the house... getting things ready for the end of the school year. Making chore charts and flexible schedules. Deciding what we will learn about this Summer. Also getting ready for some Summer fun!! Shhhh don't tell but I'm gonna buy all of us Animal Crossing City Folk for the Wii. We all like to play it and it tickles the kids pink that I will sit and play it with them :) Can you tall that I'm really excited for the kids to be back at home with me all day!! I am so sick of sending them off to school everyday!!

A few plans for the rest of the week... baseball practice....visit a preschool I hope to enroll Asher in for next year....clean...bake some bread and cinnamon rolls...scrapbook...read...redeem my Kohl's cash...smile...laugh...enjoy some spring thunderstorms:)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
So I'm cheating here a little and offering a video instead:) Steven shared this song with us at the women's conference. Hope it speaks to you like it did me!!

Birthday day 2&3

More birthday goodies!! In case you aren't in the know....I have a birthday WEEK!! One full week to be treated like a queen and pampered beyond reason. Okay so I'm not really being pampered and no one in this house is treating me like a queen at the moment. But my mom does do something extra special for her kids on their birthdays. She wraps up 7 gifts for 7 days. Hence the birthday WEEK!! I usually pick my gift out when the chores are done and the house is quiet. Then I lock myself in a room, alone, to savor my special treat. I LOVE this tradition and when my kids are old enough to appreciate it I will carry it on for them.


Yesterday I opened a beautiful soup tureen

I just love everything about this. The colors and the fruit...all of it. And it will definitely we used as we eat A LOT of soup in this house. Isaac pointed out this morning that it looks like a frog! After he said that I could totally see it. Can you see Mr. Froggy?

Today I opened my gift a little early. I had a sneaking suspicion of what it was and knew I would want to wear it grocery shopping tonight. Lucky for me...I was RIGHT!!

A few weeks ago my mom and I went shopping and I tried this little Liz jacket on. I loved it. Somewhere between dressing rooms it disappeared. I didn't notice until I got home that I hadn't actually purchased it!! I was a little sad, but like I said, had a sneaking suspicion that it was gonna end up in my closet soon enough:) It's not exactly the right color for me, but when I put a color that pops on underneath it, well it's gonna be fantastic!! This jacket will get a lot of wear and last forever!!

The birthday well wishes are still coming in as well. Yesterday I received a card in the mail from Grandma Moesta. The money she sent will be used towards my Summer shopping spree!! Fun right? I'm just waiting for some nice weather and of course fantastic sales!! Thank you Grandma!!!

Plus today I got a card in the mail from my secret sister with a gift card to itunes!!! This is a perfect gift for me!!! You have no idea how much I use my ipod:) I love scrappin and cleanin to some rockin music!!!! Thank you so much. The card was beautiful as well:)

It never ceases to amaze me how many people love and care for me. From gifts to wonderful well wishes...thank you everybody!!

Growing Up

I have faced an awful lot of my giants this past year. Which is unusual for me because I like my safe cozy spot centered smack dab in the middle of predictability. But this year I went out on a limb and let God turn my entire life upside down.

The past couple of weeks I have come even farther out of my comfort zone. I have forced myself to do the hard stuff. Maia and I took an all day roadtrip...by ourselves!! We traveled on the highway...to a city we've never been to...an hour and a half away...totally by ourselves!!!! This may not be a big deal to most people but it most certainly was to me. First of all- I DO NOT EVER drive on the highway here. And I really do mean NEVER. Secondly, I very rarely ever do things by myself. At the end of the day I was exhausted but totally proud of myself.

I have also went to a Sunday School class where I knew NO ONE at all. I drug myself out of bed super duper early, pushed through my fears, and went to class. Maia's Sunday School teacher invited us by e-mail and I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to meet some like minded ladies. I was scared outta my mind but pushed myself to go and it turned out good in the end. We will be going back next week.

This past Saturday we went on a loooooong hike. Like a 2&1/2 hour hike. Have I mentioned that we have FANTASTIC metroparks here? Anyways, at the end of the hike the kids wanted to play on the very packed with kids and adults alike playground. The playground was the opposite way of our car. Andy asked me to take the kids to the playground while he went to get the car. I'm gonna be honest here and tell you that on a different day I would have given him puppy dog eyes and begged him not to make me go hang out with all those scary strangers all by myself. Maybe my mom taught me to fear strangers a little too much:) I don't know what happened to me but-I just smiled at him and the kids and I went on our merry little way. To the playground with all the scary strangers!!

As the kids played I sat on the bench and people watched. It struck me how many different cultures were gathered in one area. There was a pavilion full of people of Middle Eastern descent. There were 2 European (French I believe) families. There was a very large group of Asian Pacific Islanders playing duck duck goose!! Adults no less :) And last but not least a Mexican grandma with her grandbabies. I'll bet there were over 100 people in all on this little playground. All different. All special. All with something amazing to offer the World. And it struck me...I'm one of them. I have no reason to be afraid of these people because I. Am. One. Of. Them.

At the end of day...random strangers are probably NOT judging me. And if they are? It doesn't matter what they think of me. What matters is that I am being my best self. That I am serving God and my family to the best of MY abilities. It's time to stop trying to measure up to everybody else and instead just BE myself.

I think at 35 I'm FINALLY growing up ya'll.

Bet ya'll wanna know what I've gotten for my birthday huh? Here it is:

Andy and the kids--2 stacks of paper (whimsy and all about boys) and my Storybook cartridge for my Cricut. Plus the promise of a shopping trip for clothes in the near future.

Gpa Bud and Gma Ruth- the sweetest softest pair of Summer jammies. Love them!!

Aunt Jackie--A 22in electric griddle. So excited to finally be able to make more than 2 pancakes at a time!!

My Mom and Dad--White Tea and Ginger body wash and lotion. One of my very favorite scents. I'll keep you updated on the rest of the weeks gifts.

Asher--he actually told Andy that he was giving me his old junky toys he didn't want anymore!! He was so proud to wrap up a motorcycle and a miniature plastic construction sign. I love that he knows I'll love his junk just as much as I would love his treasures.

The Simple Woman Daybook

I got the idea for this from here http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/


FOR TODAY ... Monday, April 20, 2009


Outside my window... grey skies, pine trees, a clean deck and singing birds



I am thinking... that I wish this awful headache would go away already.


I am thankful for... Baseball practice. One less child means a much quieter house!!


From the kitchen... Some thrown together concoction of Mexican rice and ground beef. I ate popcorn. If I can find the energy I will be making homemade cappucino cinnamon rolls later.

I am wearing... jeans with a black, long sleeve t-shirt. A ponytail. and no socks or shoes of course.

I am creating... A safe environment for my children. A cozy place where they are loved for who they are. Where they are free to fail and then encouraged to pick themselves back up to try again. A place where they know without a shadow of a doubt that they are supported and loved beyond reason. scrapbook pages and thank you cards. And a new me. I have become bolder and more sure of myself. I am taking risks and facing my giants in ways I never thought possible. I've had some help creating the new me though. God is working with me on that one!!


I am going... to go take some tylenol with codeine. This headache hasn't let up for 2 whole days!!

I am reading... Closing the Food Gap...Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty by Mark Winne.

I am fascinated by social issues and how they affect the masses and future generations. This book is about the origins of social programs and the massive disparity in food choices and food availability to different socio-economic areas.


I am hoping... that we will own our own home again someday. That we make the right decision regarding our kids schooling next year. That there is still a spot open for Asher at Mom's Day Out.


I am hearing... Maia and Asher playing. Asher is cracking all of us up lately with his different sayings. He keeps telling us to "tell the truth" "you don't even trust me do you" and "actually". He's been coming up with a slew of big words lately. Most of the time he uses them in the correct context but when he misses the mark...it's hilarious!! Maia is whining. As usual for the last couple of weeks. I don't know what has gotten into my sweet girl.



Around the house... Geo Trax, kids artwork on the fridge, lots and lots of books, my beloved keurig, a silent television, unopened birthday gifts that i've been staring at for the last week:)


One of my favorite things... Just one? My newly discovered lilac bush right outside my bedroom window. It smells yummalicious!! and makes me very very happy.


A few plans for the rest of the week: baseball practice, grocery shopping, take Asher to the zoo to see the new baby elephant, take a few long hikes, scrap, open up some of the aforementioned gifts and maybe eat some cake!

Here is picture thought I am sharing... Outside my bedroom window