Blog Stalker

I'm a blog stalker. It all started with Ree. I was looking at sites about photography and a link to her website was on one of the sites. I was hooked. Her writing pulls you in as much as her photography. She writes with such feeling about her life and her family. She really allows you to understand her love for them.

Then I started putzing around scrapbook/crafting blogs and I found Morgan and her blog with a number of links to other crafty/foodie blogs. Morgan has a strong, apparent love for her family. And this is the same site that lead me to NieNie. Like, Ree's blog, her writing and affection for her family just makes you want to read more.

Notice a theme found in all 3 blogs? Family. I feel inspired to be better to my family when I read what these ladies write. Don't get me wrong, I am good to my family(as much as I know how to be) but when I am able to glimpse into how other women love and care for theirs, it pushes me to better. Do I succeed in every endeavor to improve my role as wife and mother? No, but everytime the women above allow me a glimpse into their way doing and loving, I edge closer to the type of woman I want to be.

This is what I put together for my husband from the kids. I asked each of them what they loved about/to do with Daddy and then I included the answers with a picture of each of them. It was simple but I love the colors and patterns! The biggest bonus is that I made it for my husband who is a great father!

Besides the book, we had a nice lunch of BBQ tri-tip, grilled corn on the cob, mac salad and fresh strawberries. Troy gets off work well after dinner so it was nice to have a full sit down meal with the entire family onr extra day this week.

Some Afters and Befores....

These are out of order and I haven't figured out all the blogger stuff so bear with it!

So this was our master bedroom closet on Monday. The pile of clothes up front are winter clothes that have been sitting on the floor since April. The white thing in the corner on the chair is a mattress pad for our old bed. The rest is just jumbled stuff like purses, pillows, blankets etc that are not put away. Now, the floor is not covered like things are together, clothes are put away for the summer! YAY !

I'll post some more before and afters (hopefully in the correct order) soon. Mt. Saint Clothes is next!

The urge to purge...

Is strong. I have formed a list of things to clean and cull and my plan is to accomplish 1 to 2 things a week.

So far:
-went through my crafting/scrapbooking stuff. I took stuff out of bags (been buying a lot since the store is closing) and then cleared stuff out that I now know I won't use. We are working on a space for this stuff so it is still in my crop in style and large plastic totes. But I have all like things together

-I emptied the linen closet because our sheets to bed ratio was too high. I narrowed down the sheets to three sets per bed and the sets will be stored in the appropriate room. So I now have room for the winter blankets, table linens and extra tp/kleenex/etc.


Next on the list:
-3 kids rooms
-bathroom cabinet
-pantry
-kitchen cabinets-I'm the odd man out in that I haven't accumulated a lot kitchenware. I actually have empty space in my cabinets. I;ve decided I need to organize what I do have a little better.
-clothes-Oh Lordy I have clothes to go thru. I have stacked and bagged outgrown clothes, winter clothes, hand-me-down clothes all behind my bedroom door. I need to go through them again and seperate out what needs to be kept.
- Then after all that, I need to organize for a garage sale/craigslist bonanza.

In the middle of all of this cleaning/organizing I am hoping to get some home decorating and crafting done.

Sunday

It's Sunday and I wish it it could be a lazy Sunday..The kind where you read the paper slowly while ingesting too much coffee and you realize you're still in your pajamas when it's lunch time.
But that will not be for me today. I am working my last weekend and have only a handful of Wednesdays left before the store closes. It's bittersweet for me because I have made new, life long friends from working but the reality of the time it was taking up is apparent in the current state of my house. Something has gone south in the fridge and my bedroom floor has been eaten up by clutter.

Farmers Markets

I love farmers markets. The first one I remember going to was Denios Farmers Market and Auction. Denios is a mix of farmers market and flea market. One part of the property was filled with people selling their own things, much like a yard sale. Then there were stalls with tools, furniture, purses & accessories, toys etc. It was so fun to walk along the stalls and find that one thing we really wanted. And finally there was the fruits and veggies displayed on long tables that spanned from one long building to the next. Sellers would yell to turn your attention to their melons or tomatoes or corn. They'd offer you samples to prove their produce was better than the next guys. The sellers would yell friendly insults to each from stall to stall. It was loud and crowded and totally fun.

Denios is still around but a little too far for me to to drive to but luckily there have been other Farmers Markets that have popped up. A local mall hosts one on Saturdays in a rear parking lot. That one is fun as there are usually a few folks playing music or a clown making twisty balloons for kids. And there is a local bakery that has a stand there and they sell great jalepeno cheese bread..YUM!
Then there is a farmstand at a local farm. This farm is famous for its sweet white corn. When corn season is in full swing, you can get 20 ears for under 3 bucks. That is where I picked up the yummy stuff in the picture above. The peaches are fantastic and the kids have eaten all but two of the apricots.
Farmers markets are one of those things that says summer to me.

Looks are deceiving

This is Beau. She is 3 months old. Look at her cute little face. Doesn't she look sweet and innocent?

Looks can be deceiving. This cat is hell on wheels. She routinely banzais the kids and makes them scream and cry in pain and fear. But they can't get enough of her. They want to hold her, snuggle her, kiss her. She wants to claw them, bite them, scar them. It's the ultimate battle of man and animal. Not sure who is going to win this one.

My introduction

Finally! A little piece of the internet just for me! What will I do with it? The possibilities are endless I guess but mostly it will be about my little life. Life of kids, and home, and husband, and maybe some crafting. And me.
Will it be boring?
To most, probably.
To me, not at all.