Home Sweet Home

This is about the cutest thing I've seen all day.  Love it!  I think the Utah one would look perfect above my desk.  You think so?

{via 6th Street Design School}

Buy your own state's print here.

This Made Me Laugh So Hard

Particularly the middle sister who sat there with her arms folded in sheer disgust for her father's behavior. Too funny.

Living Simply

"Living simply means 

deciphering between needs and wants 

and trying to eliminate extraneous wants from my daily life.  

It means living closely with nature, 

slowing down, 

working with my hands, 

and not having more than I need."

I ripped this quote out of a Patagonia catalog a few years ago. I wish I would've written down its source.  I think it's a good philosophy to live by.  I might even swap "Living simply" for "Contentment."  

It's easy to always want more.  Just something for me to think about, I suppose.  And something for me to remember before I fill my online shopping cart and hit "purchase."

A Shout Out to the Earth

It's Earth Day.  While I'm no Al Gore wannabe, I do what I can to be a mindful citizen and good steward of the resources I have.  Aside from my relaxed recycling efforts, I'm learning to better reuse/revive some things around the house.  Here's the proof:

The people who owned our house before us left several pieces of furniture in the basement:  some really cool tables, old doors, a chair and highchair to name a few.  One such item was a squatty hutch/wardrobe type of piece.  After sanding it down some, I used some paint I had on hand and bought pretty sweet new knobs.  It isn't perfect by any stretch of the word, but I think it's a nice complement to my craft (or "crap") room.  

 **Yes, I know those knobs are uneven.  Like I said it's an imperfect piece.**

I think my next project like this will be the highchair.  Perhaps a bright red?  

Ice Cream and iPods

D had a campout this weekend with the Scouts, so W and I were on our own.  Friday night we went out for some Mexican food (our favorite), stopped by the running store, checked out the fish, birds and cats at the pet store, then made a stop for some ice cream before heading home.  Any one who knows me knows I will never pass up ice cream.  Never.  Had it not been raining, we would've enjoyed ourselves outside.  Instead, we opted for the drive-thru, then pulled into a parking spot, I climbed in the back seat, and we shared a cone.  This was W's first real ice cream cone.  Poor kid, he had to wait a whole year for this, but he thoroughly enjoyed the cone.  And he laughed every time I stuck my tongue out to lick some ice cream.  He thinks tongues are hilarious, so he was more than excited to stick his out for some ice cream goodness.  He was a natural.  

Another first this weekend:  W's first real baby sitter.  We're lucky enough to have Papa and SheShe close by who are always up for watching W (many, many thanks), but I needed to go for a long run Saturday morning and D was still gone.  I really needed to get this out of the way first thing, so I called up one of my girls from church to offer her an easy way to make some cash.  She obliged and we were set.

Six forty-five came awfully early, but Ms. Babysitter showed up ready to watch the beloved W.  Being a novice, I didn't realize until shortly before her arrival that we don't have a house phone -- a critical component for a babysitter in case of an emergency.  D and I only use cell phones these days.  However, my cell phone is also my iPod -- a critical component of my running regimen.  Gah!  I opted for caution and left my phone at home (though she'd have to call 9-1-1 or her mom because I was obviously unavailable at that point).

Fortunately I found my ancient original iPod D gave to me pre-nuptials.  This green thing had lots of miles on it during its four year use, but it has been sitting dormant since iPhone arrived.  I was concerned she wasn't going to work.  Nonetheless, I charged her up long enough to last a few hours while I ran, and lo and behold, she turned on and blared music like a champ.  She didn't disappoint.  I was pleased.

Sadly, this pleasure was short-lived.  You see, around mile three she just couldn't take it anymore.  She gave up.  I looked at the screen to find some foreign/computer language, which eventually turned black.  I was sad at the loss of iPod, but the outlook for the next nine miles appeared even more bleak.  What's a girl to do who's left with the wanderings of her mind for 90 more minutes?!  My music helps me keep motivated, keep pace, and keep focused on something other than my sweaty face and achy legs.  Aside from possible slowness, the impending boredom was frightening.  But I was committed.  This run was important to me.  I mean, I was putting down cash so I could go for a run!  

I wrapped my headphones around the now deceased iPod, at which point I opted for a conversation with myself.  Ninety more minutes of thinking, questioning, wondering, enjoying.  Ninety more minutes to myself.  I was still able to keep motivated.  The time flew by.  I focused on what was happening around me.  It was glorious.  And I didn't disappoint; it was my fastest 12 miles yet!  A first for me.

Upon returning home, I found a happy baby, a happy sitter, and an unused iPhone.  I was happy, too.

Lover

It finally happened.  We were able to wrangle W long enough to snap his 12 month photo.  (Wipe the sweat from your brow.)
This baby has turned into a boy alright.  He's tough.  He's strong.  He's non-stop.  He's a wiggler.  He's vocal; very vocal.  He's an eater.  He's all boy all the time.  I'm tired, but so in love.

{this one's my favorite}

{check out that concentration}

Stuff I Wish I Could Tell My Teenage Self

• Be nice to everyone.  You won't regret it.
• Risk failure.  C'mon you baby!  It's OK!
• ROXY is really not that cool.  
• And no, you're not from CA, either.
• Break some rules.  Once you're 18, the fun's over.
• Your parents really do know what they're talking about.  How 'bout be friends.
• Go on a hike.
• Build real friendships that will last.
• You don't have to be tough.  Be comfortable in your own skin; that is plenty strong.  
• People do grow up.  
• Please put some makeup on.
• The best things really are yet to come.  No lie.  

{via The Mother Huddle}

Springtime Breakfast

I love springtime.
I love when the weather warms up.
I love the way a warm sun feels.
I actually like rain.
But I hate wind.
Hate wind.
I love when the trees blossom.
They smell so good!
I love the look of new mulch in the front flower beds.
The dark wood chips look so pretty.
I especially love it when some friendly gentlemen show up unannounced one morning to put said mulch in the front beds.
But I especially love when the tulips push through the mulch.
I anticipate their blooming every day.
I returned home late one night to discover my tulips had bloomed over the weekend.
When I got up the next morning to take a picture, I discovered some small animal loved the tulips as much as I.
Only this small creature liked to eat them.
I hate rodents.

The end.

Oregonia

I had never visited the great state of Oregon.  That was until a few weeks ago.
My sister Mag-lite moved to the beautiful Northwest just a few months ago.  Naturally curious, my little sister, mother and I ventured to see her new abode.  I've heard many people say how beautiful the Northwest is, but I was blown away.  Stunningly beautiful!

It was a delight to see Meg, Benoto (for about 24 hrs.) and the precious, precious Maria.  Oh how I love her!  W and Maria were champs the entire trip.  I loved seeing them play and eat and have fun together.  They are so unique, but were always so concerned for the other the entire trip.  So cute!

We did so many fun things; Meg was an amazing hostess. We discovered much of Portland, including Pittock Mansion (sp?) and "Snob" Hill.

We hiked to the waterfalls of Silver Falls.

We ventured to the coast at Newport and even went crabbing (think "Deadliest Catch").  Our dinghy of a boat couldn't handle much more than the squall we went through.  Two hours and about five crab were enough; we were soaked.  But we laughed and laughed and laughed.  Thank you Capt. Ben.

We also went to see the tulips at The Wooden Shoe, made some jewelery (which may or may not have been confiscated by Lizzy), and ate lots of junk food (which may or may not have included a caramel corn Easter tree).

It was the best trip!  W and I had so, so much fun.  We can't wait to see all of you again soon.  Love you long time!  Thank you Mama, Megan and Liz.

And if that wasn't good enough, I got to see my Daddy-o and Grandma during our layover in SLC.  Thank you for coming to see us!