Balancing Bliss

just...

just living life and playing catch up..

i had kids home for 2wks because we had sickies. our dryer broke so i was behind 2wks on laundry before the new ones came. gaven has a project due friday morning that he has had 3wks to work on but because of being sick and spring break, he didn't. piano lessons, cub scouts, appts, dinners, and just life happening.... this is the first time i have turned on the computer to check my blog in a week...i can't blog from the laptop because it doesn't have pics...and blogging and pics just go hand in hand... hope to have a footing soon and be more enlightening...

this is what they give me to work with....

for me, blogging is about speaking through pictures...and this is what they have given me this week;

not even the animals are cooperating..

 

 

i have some before and afters of some spring break projects..pictures of their messy rooms and our drab front yard. unfortunately i am only 1/3 of the way to an after picture of the yard and the kids have gone days without electronic privileges until their rooms are clean. they made a fort out of the brush pile and currently are listening to puff the magic dragon on vinyl....i guess it's a win win. 

more to come...when we have some afters.

apple bliss.....

cleaning, spring cleaning, the last box that never did get unpacked from the move,laundry oh the laundry, bath tubs, sheets, pup prints on the patio door, mowing before the rain, soooo very much to do.... but all is doable when you have this;

free as a bird escape....

it sounds wild so i hope it doesn't disappoint because we sat around chatting....a lot...and eating... talking garden...babies...pups....boys....decorating.... and exchanged a couple of gifts...add more eating and chatting....

 

 

she would not agree but isn't she one of those cute cute pregnant girls? trust me she is...4 more weeks to go...

 

her first born..otto...he is only 2yrs old...but he still likes to sit on mommas lap.. such a sweet boy...

 

i brought a 'few' books...my kids had such a good time picking out their favorites... i cant wait to meet this baby...and for it to grow...not too quickly of course but to read to and play with....for jenny and aaron to enjoy...

  

for 2yrs now i have eyed these beauties...i have blogged them 2x already...and i was to the point that i was just going to go buy them.. that very weekend...and when i got to her house she handed me a bag...i saw the tag and i KNEW what was inside...these green lovelies....

next time i go up for a girls weekend i will be holding a little boy with the cutest name (it's still a secret) ever....while we stay up chatting...

bowl on......

my day kinda went like this;

 

therefore; i skipped the bowling pin all together...do you think the kids care? really? no.

they were quite happy with the bowling balls....don't even know if they even got that concept. why do we mothers try so hard?  oh ....right....memories...and happy little birthday boys who got strike after strike!;

and do it again;

 

lil sister isn't such a bad bowler either...

 

even with these moves she beat everyone on her lane....including her BIG brother which caused this;

 

all attitude...poor sport...angry...oops i forgot it's not my birthday....following? .... he is using eli blu's new camera/video camera and taping his story of how bad the party is. really? bring on the preteen years....( i did sign him up for middle school this week...chest pains)

there was also a little dancer in the bunch;

 

she spent more time twirling than bowling...

uncle ev was the hit of the party because they adore him...he opted out of being photographed...silly boy, does he know who i am?

 

brian knows better so now he has started giving me his 'crazy go ahead and blog this look' well it worked for awhile but from now on...i'm bloggin it!;

 

good time for all ;

 

hey eli blu...luci...anyone?...over here...then i made the mistake of waving;

 

this boy......

this boy, who i love beyond measure turns 8 today...sigh.....

this happens to be my favorite picture that i have EVER taken....and there have been a lot of pictures taken since this one 5 yrs ago on his 3rd birthday....i look at it everyday and it makes me happy everyday just like he does... why else would i bake a cake in the shape of a bowling pin and chocolate cupcakes with 3 lil' chocolate chips for finger holes to make bowling balls to take to the bowling alley with 8 children......?!

free as a bird....

that is how i feel when i go to jens because it is a house of adults (not for long) just carefree, taking care of just you, making plans, walking out the door in a moments notice, all just for you. i come back so refreshed and ME. i fed my soul. when i get to about 20min away, i can't get home soon enough to hold my babies. yes they are 10,8, and 6 but they are my babies. then i crawl into the arms of my husband because he is like the safest place in the world. i love what ties me down.....how lucky am i?

much more to blog about with pictures later...the reality of being gone for a couple days is apparent and there is much for a momma to do here.

birthday goodness part II.....

(WARNING; before reading this post, know that it is happy..very happy.. and if you are not in the mood for it, know that i have a sinkful of dishes, i have to go to a school carnival tonight, which will be my 3rd trip to the school because i got called in today when my kid was hit in the eye with a rock by his 'best friend', pretty sure i gained 2lbs from the oreos i ate today, my cat puked next to my bed @ 6am, and well....it's not all rainbows and sunshine..wink)

as i stated before, it is a WEEK of us. it continues on too because my in-laws send $ with the promise that we will spend it on ourselves. brian and i have no problem doing so! ( thank you bill and bonnie, i made the most of every sale and spoiled myself rotten with 'kati things')

i went a little crazy at a craft store or two....big surprise right?

my new lovely farmers market basket that is lined with vinyl goodness;

did i forget to mention it's filled with fabric, jars, and garden bliss?

and these for my prism window....

my thought is that if i fill it up with rainbows that the sad aluminium windows will fade away...it's starting to help...luci and i spent a crafty pj morning by the fire today beading two more prisms. the morning sun comes through this window and it just creates happiness when you have rainbows from your kitchen, through your dining room, into your creative space and even down the hall. they just make me happy.

so do these;

 

that is the color i am going to paint them before putting them in the yard...

waiting on the UPS man to bring my fabric i ordered on-line for these;

my grandma got me a gift card to a craft store...oh i waited for a sale and i got them buy 1 get 1 free so you still buy the same amount and just get 2x as much right? i plan on making a little reading/beading/embroidering nook next to the fire.

i did find this for a touch of butterfly bliss;

and more butterfly bliss;

 

it is going to match the fabric i ordered by sandi henderson. her new collection is amazing. all of her collections make me giddy. if i ever learned to sew a pattern luci would be dressed in it 80% of the time. even at $10 a yard.

oh amy butler...how i love thee but how i can not afford more than bits and pieces 1/8 of a yard at a time...$12 a yard..ahem.....much to my delight i found this on a 'folded sale' for $2.99 a yard! so i of course bought 3 yards...i'm going to make a skirt for my craft table.

and while shopping for pillows i found these;

these herb stakes followed me home. where we once had an overgrown japanese maple and 6 azaleas, we now have an empty plot for an herb garden that i have been carefully planning out and hope to nurture for years....ahhhhhhhh

this post alone made me happy and full of ideas...i have a project waiting for me in every room i swear. lucky for me i have great girlfriends who bought me dutch brothers cards to help me get through the daily grind and still create when i'm done. oh happiness. they will have to wait though.....i'm off to my sisters. it's our last girls weekend before she has babywildass (story behind this name). going to play/create in the nursery and finish up the details, eat, and chat....as long is there is no walking involved right jen?

pink bliss.....

luci and i are walking to kindergarten today. we are going to make sure to walk down this street again. it's a little girls dream.

and some eye candy for my friends in canada and alaska.

and oh how i love this girl...

todays bits of happiness.....

stoked fire

cleaning house..i know i'm sick but oh how i enjoy it. i never feel better than when i am making a home... okay maybe out in the forest but i do enjoying cleaning, even deep cleaning and especially rearranging furniture.

birds chirping...until you have lived on a busy intersection you may not understand this...oh how we love the birds at our new house

my scentsy....it's gardenia. it reminds me of my grandma....sigh

all this fabric goodness i have been collecting for pillows and projects.

he brought me flowers....Again.

pets at my feet in every room.

bob dylan on vinyl.

homemade pizza from the whole cloved garlic bread at costco with speg sauce, fresh basil from my kitchen window and mozz cheese.

quietness of a child free home.

drinking water out of my 'fancy goblet' all day.

not one stitch of laundry to be done..did 7 loads yesterday.

brian is out of town tonight so no dinner plans to be made.

let me paint the picture....a quiet, warm,clean house that is peaceful and quiet except for the birds chirping. it smells like gardenias and has fabric eye candy and a soft pet in each room. flowers in vases and drinking from my favorite glass...and pizza accompanied by bob dylan....... wednesday afternoon bliss......