Wordless Wednesday 5-9-12

Wordless Wednesday 5/2/12

4/29/12 Daybook

Outside my window...

Cool and dark!  We went for a walk tonight and it was loverly!

I am thankful...

For sister-in-laws that listen and are there for me.  I mean in addition to my other friends! But I never had a sister, I only know how to deal with my brother.  I am thankful I got SILs that have patience with me!

I am thinking about...

Love and loss and living.  Do we do enough of the good stuff?  Why is it so hard to leave the rest behind?

Learning all the time...
We are now learning the ins and outs of two-year-old nap time and bedtime!  It is quite the adventure, let me tell you!

From the kitchen...
Tonight we had steak, shells and cheese, green salad, potatoes (both sweet and Idaho) garlic shrimp, oranges and strawberries!  Well, I didn't get any strawberries...  My nephew was over and both he and Big Sister gobbled up all the strawberries before I got a chance!

I am creating...
A tradition to last across the country!  Since we are counting down the days to both my brothers short return and the departure of his family to new and exciting adventures SIL and I are creating a tradition that can be carried on no matter where we are on the planet! It will represent the losses that we have suffered and the prospect that tomorrow brings!

I am working on...
Follow-through!  We all go through this, right?

I am going...
To be busy at work!  I really wish I could put something more exciting in this spot but I just don't have any big plans for travel right now!

I am hoping...
For a nice, hot summer!  I know, nobody really wants a hot summer...  I just need it hot enough to keep us busy!!!

I am reading...
Blogs, Facebook, emails...  I just can't seem to get into much else right now...

I am praying...
Just for things in general.

I am hearing...
Indiana Jones coming from the living room.  Yes, I know the sounds of certain movies by heart.  It just is what it is!  Plus, movies with Harrison Ford are just plain groovy!

Around the house...
Getting things done little-by-little.  Kitchen is looking pretty good.  Well, it was before dinner!  We just got a hutch from a garage sale!  Under $100 and in great condition!  Now I can store my nick-nacks where Big Sister will have a harder time getting them!


One of my favorite things...

Watching my daughter play with her cousin.  She really adores him!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Mostly just work.  I really would like to get some sewing done!  We'll see how much of my sewing room/office I can get organized.

Random thought...
Why do people think it's okay to bully and harass people online?  I mean, I understand that bullying is really unacceptable no matter what but seriously!?!?  I read a friends blog post that she was being harassed by a customer online for no good reason.  Then another blogger was being harassed because she was disappointed about a contest she entered that didn't really have a prize.  She misunderstood the whole thing.  Then I saw an article on Yahoo! about a boy with autism that was being harassed by his teachers!  Is it really any wonder why these teenagers are walking into schools and shooting up the places?  I mean, the kids are watching adults do it and it's being JUSTIFIED!  Of course, only by their own simple little minds (the adults minds...) but our children are watching grown ups yell and scream and curse and belittle other people in order to get what they want!  Then that same parent blames video games and rap music for why their kids is so jacked up!  Everyone!!!  Look in the mirror!!!  What you see there is what other people see, including your kids!  If you don't like it, FIX IT!!!  My husband told me once "If you think you're fat, do something about it."  Sure, not the most sympathetic of statements, but if I complain about the excess weight while eating a donut, come-on!  Common sense people...

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

4/22/12 Daybook

Outside my window...

Dark, cooling off, it was a hot weekend!

I am thankful...

I am thankful for a place to live, food to eat, clothes on my back and the job that keeps us going.

I am thinking about...

Time that goes by...  Babies growing up too fast...  Letting myself just know it's okay to have quiet days.

Learning all the time...
Patience.  I have always prided myself on it.  That may have been the problem.

From the kitchen...
Nothing new.  It got pretty warm at the end of the week so we've been doing a bit more take-out and quick fixes.

I am creating...
Absolutely NOTHING!  I should be creating...  I should be doing...  But I'm just at a weird place in my head.  I guess I'm just creating space, in between my own ears!

I am working on...
Not becoming a crazy-psycho!!!  I'm going to blame it on the heat and my allergies.

I am going...
To bed.  Soon...  But perhaps not soon enough.

I am hoping...
That I don't end up with jury duty.  I really have never minded it when I've been summoned in the past but being the only one working and have two kids, one still breastfeeding, I'm really not in the mood for other peoples drama.

I am reading...
Patterns, blogs, Facebook posts, an occasional email.  Nothing overly stimulating.

I am praying...
For patience!  For a minute I can grab for myself every now and then.

I am hearing...
Hubby doing some dishes.  Toddler yelling that she doesn't want to go to bed.  Baby crying (just a little, more like fussing) probably because she does want to go to bed.

Around the house...
We need a whole-house intervention!  Things around here have gotten out of control!  Probably why my allergies are going nuts-oh!!!  This week is a massive gut-out of all things live-able!  Or should I say un-live-able?


One of my favorite things...
Today?  That would be nap time!  I don't generally take naps unless I had a rough night with one of the girls or if I'm sick but today I needed that hour of rest just to feel "normal."

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Gutting the house!  Every room.  All the laundry.  All the dishes.  Vacuuming and dusting EVERYTHING!  It will be crazy, but it will get done.  Spring has sprung (actually it's feeling more like summer) and we need to get in gear!

Random thought...
Isn't "vacuum" a bizarre word?  I mean, it sounds funny even to say it but seriously, who decided the spelling on that one?

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

Small Easter baskets this year...

Yes, we had to wake her up!

Cousins...  Can you believe I didn't get picture of my girls in their dresses?

Our Easter 2012

4/15/12 Daybook

Outside my window...

Well, I can see it's dark out because I've got a cat sitting in my window peaking out at the world!  It might be cold but it was warm enough during the day today for me to turn on the air conditioner!  Okay, I'll admit I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to A/C...

I am thankful...

For little moments during the day when I can sneak away by myself and for the moments that I can sneak back in on my kids being fun!

I am thinking about...

Some wonderful news I just heard about my dear cousin!

Learning all the time...
This week we will be learning if Big Sister is ready for dance classes!

From the kitchen...
Very little this last week!  We have been very bad this last week about getting fast food.  I can feel it down to my bones, putting on my clothes...  And the straw that broke the camels back was a very gassy baby one night this week.  It's one thing that I don't feel well after eating crappy food but if I'm going to nurse my baby I should be eating better for both of us!

I am creating...
A menu!  The hubby and I have gone back and forth about this for months now!  He believes we will spend more money and have more of a mess in the kitchen if we have a planned menu.  I will continue to argue that until we actually try it, then I disagree!  So, I wrote down over 30 main dish ideas and will get them on a calendar and we'll see how this goes...

I am working on...
So many things!  Trying to get that silly sewing room/office cleaned organized in some state that can be used!  It has become the catch-all room again!  That doesn't help when I have stuff that needs to be sewn!  I did get a great deal accomplished over this weekend, even if it only looks like a small dent!

I am going...
We are in the process of all kinds of plans at the moment...  Of course, nothing that I can type up but we just have a lot of irons in the fire right now.

I am hoping...
To get some sewing done.  I have a long list of things I want to do but I am settling for one small project at a time!

I am reading...
Pottermore!  They finally made pottermore.com open to the public!  I have ditched my blog reading, missed countless Facebook posts and have been doing spells and making potions online.  Yes, I am a Potter-geek and I love it!

I am praying...
For some things that are selfish and some things that are selfless...  Let's hope I can balance them out...

I am hearing...
Baby Sister grunting around as she tries to get places in the playpen and Big Sister yelling from her room.  It is way past bedtime...

Around the house...
I feel like we are still cleaning up from Easter!  I know that's not true but it sure does feel like it!


One of my favorite things...

Did I mention Pottermore?  (evil grin)

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Work...  And a friend has a pass for us to bring in Big Sister to the dance studio for the 2-3 class.  I am just a wee bit excited to see how she does!  Oh, and I'm nervous too...

Random thought...
Today I was once again thinking about how doors are made...  I almost emailed my little brother about that one!

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

Easter Daybook

Outside my window...

Well, I'm not quite sure what was outside my window a little bit ago but it kind of freaked me out!  So, I'm in my living room, minding my own business and all of a sudden there is a little red lite dancing across my dining room wall!  I leave the blinds open but facing so that people can't look in when I'm nursing Baby Sister.  I pretty much jumped up and ran down the hall!  Hubby went outside to check it out but of course now one was there by then.  I guess some people think it's funny but with all the crazies out there I half expected someone to open fire on my front door!  Happy Easter to me?

I am thankful...

For holidays spent with family!  It turned out to be a wonderful day spent with some of the people I love most in the world.  Of course we were missing a very important person this year but he was in all of our hearts and minds...  And in many of our conversations.

I am thinking about...

My brother.  I got to have a "conversation" the other day with him via text messaging.  It is so amazing to live in a world where I can have a conversation across the country while he is texting other people as well!  Turned out, he was texting his wife and me at the same time and I ended up running into her at the mall!  Talk about randomness!!!

Learning all the time...
We are currently in the process of figuring out the new battle of getting Big Sister to understand that hitting, biting, kicking and scratching are all wrong.  How do you "teach" not to hit if you believe in spankings?  Obviously we are not doing a lot of spanking, cause that would be kind of silly to tell a two-year-old that she can't hit but that she will get a spanking if she does...  Blah!  What to do?  She really doesn't understand "time outs" yet and as much as we try to explain that hitting is not nice because it hurts people, we are still trying to figure out where she is learning this stuff!  Recently I have started counting.  Very slowly and for as long as it takes for both her and I to cool down.  Usually we're good by 10 but I have counted to 20 before.  So hubby and I talked it over and we talked to the grandparents and I think we are all on the same page with the counting thing.  I'll let you know how it works out!

From the kitchen...
Holidays bring out my cooky side!!!  I was so ALL ABOUT a non-traditional Easter this year!  The holidays are just not the same without my brother around so I wanted to do something different than the traditional ham.  I decided to make a chicken-tortilla casserole.  Dad brought chili verde that was oh-so yummy!  My mother-in-law brought a delicious fruit salad and mom made a fresh green salad and a chocolate cake and cupcakes with vanilla frosting.  We did do a few "traditional" Easter goodies, I made jell-o eggs and homemade whipped cream and we dyed coconut green and pink for cake decorations.  And of course Easter would not be complete without the hard boiled eggs that were dyed for the hunt!

I am creating...
Did you hear about my first giveaway over at Stuff N Junk by Heidi?  Well, I got a winner!!!  I will be creating a custom large zipper pouch.  I also have some patches that need to be sewn on a small sized army top for a very important young man!

I am working on...
Keeping sane!  We are in the middle of a (possible) move.  We had a really great opportunity that may or may not be falling through.  We are trying to keep our faith that things will happen the way they are meant to but it's getting more and more difficult.  We pack a box, get bad news, then good news, then pack another box and the cycle continues!  We are really hoping this all gets settled this week except for the fact that if it does we are already so far behind on packing!  Ah sanity...  I do miss you!

I am going...
I wish I had some exciting plan of a place to go!  Maybe I will go to my dad's and enjoy the pool with my kids!  The weather today was amazing so I might as well start taking advantage, right?

I am hoping...
That we find out about our housing situation early in the week as apposed to later in the week!

I am reading...
Blogs, Facebook posts, a lot of texts...  And I am thankful and excited for every long-distance text I get!

I am praying...
For so many families that are losing loved ones.  The hubby and I were just talking today about the increase in deaths lately.  Whether famous celebrities or connections of family and friends it is never easy to lose someone you love.  Also for my dear nephew and his mommy, that the time away from my brother goes quickly.  As much as I will miss them all when they are gone, it will be easier for them to be together.

I am hearing...
Peter Cottontale.  Is it just me or did they have more movies about Easter when I was younger than now?  I mean, I remember a bunch of Easter themed movies (cartoons, not necessarily religious) gearing up to the day of Easter.  Now you just can't find anything!!! They over saturate Christmas but why can't you just find a stinking holiday movie when you want one?

Around the house...
Well, the house was clean...  Pack a box here and there but not much more than the norm.


One of my favorite things...

Watching my daughters with family.  Baby Sister is pretty much the happiest baby on the planet if someone, anyone is playing with her.  They were pretty much lining up for that job today!  Big Sister?  The only attention she wants is from her cousins and she got that in flooding amounts today.  They really are good kids.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Work, packing, stressing out, trying not to stress out...  Yup, that about covers it!

Random thought...
My brain is just too tired for any thoughts at this point...

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

Snugly sisters

On her tip-toes waiting for her cousins to arrive.

Our family

Easter deserts!

Wordless Wednesday 4/4/12