Hello July

I know that it's been awhile...I could apologize for my absence from the "blog scene", but really, the fact of the matter is that I got too busy and though I love the challenge of the "literary word", I had to let something slide whilst I slathered in sunblock, wound down lazy rivers, partially cleaned my basement (*gasp*), bought new flip flops, drank lots of lemonade, invested in patio furniture so that I could sip tea in the early mornings, read at least 6 books and finished the entire 2 seasons of Downtown Abbey...

See, I was B.U.S.Y.!!!

So much "randomness" to verbalize:)

1.  I DID watch the first 2 seasons of Downton Abbey and I think I would like to speak in a British accent and travel in time back to 1914 just to wear those sweet dresses and don a fun hat.

2. BTW, I loved the series...there were a few "glitches" in my opinion...things that didn't necessarily "enhance" the entertainment value, but, nonetheless, I am still intrigued...I love Anna and Mr. Bates and no matter how much O'Brien changes, I think I would purposefully trip her and then "accidentally" step on her face if I met her in real life...(and by "real life" I mean, if it were actually 1921 and I lived in Britian and/or worked at Downton Abbey...so realistic right?)

3.  We went to Florida on vacation with Italian Stallion's family.  We were in Bonita Springs and my camera actually survived the beach...praise the LORD!!! I took lots of pictures and drove my family nuts with them...however, I am thankful for the "memories" I captured, and I know they will be too once the shutterfly book arrives and then my husband will fall at my feet and thank his lucky stars for the creativeness that is his wife and cherish the moments for all eternity...

and then I will wake up:)

(or actually find myself in 1921...UGH...I'm pathetic)

4. I purchased some patio furniture...can I be candid?  why yes, I believe I can be, seeing as it's my blog and currently, I am just speaking to my computer screen, of which has no humanistic charactistic by which to stop me from my candidness...bleh...anyway, patio furniture costs a lot of money and when one doesn't exactly know what one is looking for except to having something comfortable on which to sit and drink chai spice tea in the morning...well, it is rather difficult to come to a decision about what to purchase...and in my case, you start obsessing over the style and costs and then go into a tizzy and think you'll never buy anything and you'll be stuck with plastic lawn chairs and red solo cups for eternity...BUT THEN, I happened upon a 4 pc. set for under $400 on clearance and I just scooped it up...worse case scenario, I will sell it at the end of the summer and try again next season:) 

FYI: I drink my chai spice tea with french vanilla cream every morning in my sweet loveseat in the corner of my patio...it's a good thing:)

5. I'm totally into eating watermelon...and LOTS of it.

6.  We lost power for about 2 days and I reminded myself that I'm thankful that it is 2012 and not 1921:)

7. We harvested our potatoes today.  I'm always in a quandry about "harvest time"...I've often gotten too excited and picked too early...but today was a success and I'm thankful!  It's a community effort for sure, in our little potato treasure hunt!

8.  Little Munchkin is learning to swim and it's fun to watch.  We've been frequenting our community pool lately and she's getting braver by the day. 

9.  I think my arches are falling in my feet, my left arm hurts from holding sweet babies all day at the neighborhood 4th of July celebration, I have a bruise on my back, I haven't slept through the night in about 2 months...I'm getting old...and apparantly whiney too!

10. I made it to the Old Navy flip flop $1 sale last weekend and bought a ton of flipflops...

...and I wonder why my arches are falling...DUH!

11. The 90+ degree weather, coupled with a full belly of watermelon and a nicely air conditioned house, and the inability to sleep during normal "sleep hours" equals a nice long nap for me this afternoon. 

Yep, it's a good thing it's 2012 and I live in the U.S.A....

Happy 4th of July AMERICA!!!!

Happy Father's Day

Hope all those dads out there have a wonderful Father's Day! 

Having 3 daughters (and being a daughter myself:)  I can tell you that there is NOONE that captures the heart of a little girl more than her daddy...it doesn't really matter if he's a "good" dad or not...the power he holds to encourage, motivate, empower, love, guide, mold, exemplify life...it's immeasureable:) 

So thankful for my dads:) 

And thankful for the daddy that these little girls have:)  I pray they find men one day that have his same integrity, servant's heart, ability to show love unconditionally and drive!

We love you!

Her warts are gone...yippee

What?

Who has warts?

What are you talking about?

Yes, well...Little Munchkin apparantly has NO inhibitions and desires to tell everyone about the little warts on her feet...or should I say "FORMER" warts.  We've been workin' on those little stinkers for awhile now...I've got to admit, I've never dealt with warts before in my life and then all of a sudden, Sweetpea got one on her heel and then Little Munch's feet went crazy for them...good grief...

But, we are free and clear...after a final floor cleaning and carpet washing, we are now feeling much more comfortable going barefoot in our house once again:) 

This is the good news on the homefront because orginally I wanted to entitle this post: My girls are on a Mission...

A mission to WEAR DOWN THEIR MOTHER!

It's only the 2nd day of summer break...

Here's the thing (as if there is a "thing")...the thing is that I now have a 'tween'...now, to those perfect parents out there that do not struggle with anything other than which vegetable to offer at dinner time...to you I plead, don't judge me:) 

I've always felt rather confident in the parenting realm with babies, toddlers and through these early elementary years...it's when the kids reach the double digits and hormones kick in and drama ensues...it's at this point that I rather would like to check out...I don't do well with it all...

Italian Stallion has MUCH more patience than I possess, much less exude...

And so, with summer break beginning with a now 5th grader, 3rd grader and wayyyy rambunctous almost 5 year old...I'm embarking on a new season of life...situations and talks and circumstances that haven't been brought up...ever before...

I think I heard my name called at least 56496792123791342333651002 times today...and I had to mediate roughly 856865975431258 sisterly interactions of dramatic proportions that would put the Kardashians to shame (I'm only speculating here:) 

And I don't even want to discuss the aftermath of dinner in which they were told to EAT YOUR PEAS!  Oh my goodness, I think the emotional tone to that directive was equivalent to being told that we're not going to DisneyWorld while in Florida this year...tears and all...

My children sound tired, cranky and spoiled don't they? 

THIS is what I THOUGHT TOO!  The frustration lies in the fact that I've NEVER seen them like this before in all their 10 years of living...all of sudden it seems...overnight...and we've got the "she's touching me" cooties and "please quit humming, I need peace and quiet"

Here's the other thing though...

I WILL WIN THIS BATTLE!  I am in a battle for their hearts no matter what...yes they may discuss warts in public and they may embarrass me (and themselves I might add) with their annoyances towards each other...but I WILL WIN!

I plan to continue to jot down thoughts as it pertains to this crazy summer...please don't get me wrong...my girls are not awful...in fact, for the most part, they are compassionate, compliant girls...and honestly, sometimes my expectations are too high for an 8 year old to climb to...but, I still have high hopes for them...I want more for them...I want more than just punishment for bad behavior or frustration for not meeting a goal...

their hearts are what I am after...

I'm such a goober

That's not even a word...unless you count those chocolate covered peanuts at the movie theater, but I'm not sure if that's what they are called or not...

the point is, I don't really have a word for myself as it relates to my undying passion for reading...or rather, "escaping" into a book. 

I've never been one to relish sitting down and reading a non-fiction book...don't get me wrong, I LOVE learning new things...but when I've finished with my day and I'm just wanting to forget the to-do list that is ahead of me in the morning...I just want to curl up with a book that transports me...that makes me laugh and cry...that makes me feel...

I'm not a person that is afraid to cry (or scream, or laugh, or snort, or just about any other bodily function as it relates to emotions!!...I've even been known to pee my pants out of pure hysteria...but, that's for another time)

I've mentioned MANY times before that I have to be "careful little eyes what you see" as it pertains to reading...this is because things stick with me...the words form into scenes that are so vivid and real that I have to be careful that what I'm reading isn't going to set me daydreaming on things that aren't...well, to put it bluntly...aren't Phil. 4:8 :) just plain and simple...

therefore, I have held pretty tightly to my staying within the "inspirational fiction" realm of the literary world...I sometimes dabble in some teen fiction (like Shannon Hale or the ever crazed Hunger Games) but more oft than not,  you can find me perusing the aisles for those little pink stickers on the book bindings that deem it "mamarazzi sound" enough for me to handle.

Recently, however, I have strayed just a bit...I think it has roots in the fact that I adore Jane Austen and all things Pride & Prejudice...and that linked with my Scottish heritage and my ever-romantic daydreams...well, it drew me to a book that I spoke about a month or so ago entitled Edenbrooke by Julie C. Donaldson.  It was very Austen-esque and was just delightful...so much so that I read it twice.

And so, my teacher mind then starts to turn...how do I find other books similar to this fashion and genre?  I started googling the author (who is right around my age) and found that she is a part of an online reader group where she rates books that she has read...

well goodness, what better way to find out if I'll like a book or not, if an author whom I happen to really like and who seemingly has the same mindset as yours truly...to look at HER book lists and what authors SHE enjoys...

All this to come to my point that I FOUND ANOTHER BOOK...

It's entitled The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

It's a romantic, historical account that takes place in none other than Scotland:)  But, it has an element of "time traveler-ish" as the main character has memories that have been passed down through ?DNA?...it was heartbreaking and then amazing and then I cried and then I sighed at the end...Italian Stallion just laughed at me:)

Now, there were a few relationships that weren't "developed" or described...and in a way, I'm grateful because their premise wasn't necessarily on the straight and narrow...but it didn't detract from the storyline and therefore I could keep with the story.

It was such an enjoyable read...normally, I totally cheat and skip to the end first to make sure that I'll like the ending...but, with this story, the characters because almost friends and heroines and I didn't want to rush ahead, I wanted to "live it" with them...is that crazy or what?

Anyhoo...thought I'd share, incase anyone is heading to the beach soon and needed a little poolside reading:)

Have a great week!

It's Been Awhile...again:(

It's like I just skipped right over the last part of May...

That's not really what happened though..in fact, things got crazy busy...

apparantly, lots of babies like to be born in May and so I've been snapping pictures like a crazy woman...and of course, my FAVE time of year: the Memorial Tournament...where I get to spend about 19 hours straight of following around the people of Italian Stallion's company taking pictures of them "working" (as they like to call it), I call it "play-working"...this is because I'm taking pictures of them eating, drinking, golfing, drinking, shooting, drinking some more:), eating again, getting awards, cooking, tasting some wine, and finally, I get to tour around Muirfield and snap pictures of my favorite golfers too:)

And then there were performances for Sweetpea and Peanut...amazing duets sung, violins played, poems recited...and a couple of awesome field trips thrown in for good measure.  I will say that on Sweetpea's trip I had a deja vu moment and I couldn't figure out why I felt like I had been there before...until I remembered that "DUH" I taught fourth grade once upon a time and pretty much all 4th graders head to the state house at some point for the study of gov't....I believe my "baby-birthing" time has considerably rid me of many brain cells:)

anyhoo...there were some more photo shoots...

and, did I mention that I somehow got poison ivy in there around that time too?

I can't forget Insanity either...how could I?  It's my 6:30am routine now...and though I refuse to follow an eating plan, I will say that it's kickin' me in the patooty and I'm glad for it!  Only a couple more weeks to go until I've officially finished round 1 (yes, I said round 1, because I think I'm "insanely" going to go for a round 2...just to see what happens)

And so, I've finally come to a moment where I feel like I can take a breath...my camera has been used almost exclusively for others, and so I took a walk around our yard today just for the pure pleasure of it and snapped a few pictures of just life here...in the serenity of our home...

I think we're going to need to look for a new place for our blueberry bushes and the trees surrounding has caused such shade that they are none too happy:(

The cat tails on the other hand are loving their life in the makeshift compost pile and continue to grow near the water deposit on the far end of the propery:)

People always ask us why we put our garden wayyyyyyyy out back...but, I kinda like that walk out there...and it's a tranquil spot for Italian Stallion to sit on his bucket on Sunday mornings and weed and pray and just be still for a bit:)



This is our garden, as seen from the road:)

I went and did it again..I have NO heart to "thin" out lettuces...they are such teeny, tiny seeds and they work so hard to push up through the ground...and they blossom into their huge leafy greens...I do not have the heart to yank them in their prime...and therefore, we have bushes of lettuces come this time of year...I believe I delivered 6 gallon bags of lettuces to whomever at church this morning...this picture was taken AFTER I picked all that..so you can imagine how much I had beforehand as well:)

Little Munchkin is the cheerleader for the Sugar Daddy Peas...they aren't fairing as well this year...we had to plant 3 times before they came up...and although we've always had enough to share with bunnies and deer, this year, it seems they wanted them mostly to themselves...and therefore, I'm afraid we'll have a smaller crop than usual...but, they will be tasty all the same!

We're trying our hand at eggplant this year...but, my tummy is already yearning for some zucchini bread!

The potatoes plants are huge and just starting to flower...I probably should have mounded them one more time before they got so large, but I got caught up with everything else...they look lovely though and I"m hoping for a picnic table full of spuds in a couple months!!!

This is life right now...I still have a bit of editing to go before I finish everything...and we're looking forward to a family trip to Florida in the near future...I've selfishly carved time out to read a couple of marvelously fun, historical novels (I will have to share those with you soon)...until then, we're going to soak up these moments...school is nearly out for the summer...and my girls are itchin' to get the pool!  Hubby is heading out to golf this afternoon and I'm reminded again of the charmed life I lead:)

to My In-Laws

I've heard stories of the 9 long months that you carried your then nearly 9 pound bundle of joy.  Thank you for going through months of dehydration, sickness, hospital stays and days upon days away from his older brother and sister...in order to keep him safely developing strong and healthy.  Thank you for perservering and having his best interest in mind.

Thank you for showing him how to treat a wife...for being spontaneous and fun...for washing dishes and ironing clothes.  Thank you for teaching him how to have a servant's heart...he was watching and saving it all up in his heart as a little boy.

Thank you for teaching him the value of a dollar...how to never take things for granted and always show appreciation.  Thank you for showing him how to be generous, even at your own personal expense.  He was watching and calculating his spreadsheets even then:)

Thank you for demonstrating a solid work ethic...where Saturdays weren't necessarily always sleep in days, but days to help with family chores with a good attitude.  Thank you for being an example of someone who after working hard, didn't just sit down and say you were too tired to do anything else, but continued to put family first...thank you for playing with him and showing him that he was loved...he was watching and it built his confidence.

Thank you for giving him a home where he knew he was safe and loved...thank you for choosing to add to your family, that last little Italian Bambino:)

I am forever grateful for the son you bore and raised:)  Today, on the day we celebrate that birth, I want to thank you:)  He continues to be my dream come true...

Mother's Day...

Peanut:  "Mommy, can I use your phone?"

Me: "Sweetheart, I have no idea where my phone is...goodness, let me just sit here for a second...I just got done scrubbing Little Munchkin down with all the hot water left in the tank because she got into what I think was poison ivy..." (insert long sigh and putting my feet up by the fire around the fire pit)

Peanut: "Mommy, I can't find it...can we call it?"

Me: "Sure babe"

Peanut: "What's your number?"

Daddy: "Here, just use my phone to call it..."

Peanut proceeds to get daddy's phone and bring it to me to dial my own number...

A ring tone begins to go off...Peanut is in the house searching for MY ringtone...she's got NOTHIN'...

The "ring" is now coming from Italian Stallion's shorts pocket...

Daddy: "Oh, look (as he pulls said ringer out of his pocket)  it's your phone?"
Me: "Um, that's not my phone...it's not even the right ringer...don't you even know my phone by now?"

Daddy:  "YES, it IS YOUR PHONE!"

Me: "Huh?...wait, is that an iphone...as in, it's mine?  You got me one?  like to keep?"

Daddy: "Settle down or you're going to drop it!"

So there you have it folks...I have an iphone...I've already been ridiculed galore over my choice of a hot pink case to contrast my white phone...but I couldnt' be happier:)  What an incredible surprise and such fun!  And all this amidst a broken tractor, a purple party, soccer games, family in town...a delicious lasagna dinner and some sweet cards from all my girls:) 

LOVIN' IT!