Friday, November 19, 2010

6 impossible things before breakfast?

 so the queen tells alice
that she has believed as many as six impossible things
before breakfast

days like today
i'm doing good just to get breakfast!

yes, brinkley & i are rolling a little slow this morning


i bought some roses last night & am enjoying them
& my hazelnut latte
on this gorgeous day
before we drudge out for the 5 miler i shoulda run yesterday




my bed remains unmade
very out of character for my ocd self
however i did whip up some eggs
for myself & little bit

older two spent the night out after the midnight premier of
harry potter

yes
i did score some cool mom points for allowing that on a school night.
don't judge me
k?



scrambled with feta, sausage, mushrooms & spinach
side of salsa
seriously yummy


speaking of food
madison has asked if she could cook for the fam
once a week.
i call her giada.
she rocks in the kitchen

last night she prepared sesame chicken
fried rice
& roasted brussel sprouts

she looked up all the recipes on line & just gave me the grocery list

let me tell ya
roasted brussel sprouts are the bomb.
the entire family
ate
them
all






let me throw out this disclaimer
mgk wanted to put everything in lovely serving dishes
but we were flying to sissy's basketball game.
so i had to roll with the keeping it real shots.
but mgk,
YOU are awesome
thank you sweetie!!



love taking photos of still objects!
they obey
& are always pleased with their results

these are straight out of the camera...
scrumptious colors!

have a good weekend everybody
i'm off to make the bed
& run

maybe

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

things that make me happy


several months ago i began looking for a new camera bag.
i looked everywhere & found many gorgeous ones.
many that were quite pricey too.
but since i knew it would be something i'd carry often
i really wanted to be completely in love with it.

i emailed my friend jeanne & asked if she might consider creating one.
she was already doing just that!
headed to paris soon, she too wanted to carry a gorgeous yet functional camera bag.

she asked what i was interested in-
messenger style
gorgeous fabric, maybe vintage or linen
room for a couple lenses
& fabulous

i knew i'd buy whatever she created sight unseen.
jeanne introduced the lilia camera bag with her latest line.
& it is absolutely gorgeous!!!

jeanne has offered my readers a 20% off discount on the lilia bag.
just enter the name of my blog, simple thoughts, in the message
& she will refund you!
thank you jeanne!!!



equally as wonderful to the quality of pieces jeanne creates
is the beauty in which she wraps them.

the day my bag came, i was so excited to open
and enjoy the moment!

thanks again jeanne.
i think YOU are fabulous!!


2. my new fave color~
opi's suzi skis in the pyrenees
 3. the martha stewart cookbook
found at goodwill for 2 bucks
in mint condition.


 4. the most fantastic sugar scrub.
we picked this up while in seaside
& your hands will love you.




 5. madagascar scented candles.
i'm usually not a fan of scented candles.
love this scented candles.


6. & last but definitely not least
savannah completely smoked her ACT & SAT!
i'm going to be 'one of those mom's' & brag
2100 on the SAT
33 on the ACT

so stinking proud of her !!!




ps.
don't forget your discount for the lilia bag
( click to open link)
discount ends friday november 19th
&
have a happy day
xo

Monday, November 15, 2010

Ta Da!!!!

i bought this home as a single mom 13 years ago.
i got it a good price
but that was because it needed a good amount of work.

over the years i have painted every room
every hall
( my father in law did help )
every baseboard & every trim.

in fact in the last year,
i painted the entire mainfloor
over
again
bringing all rooms together in the name
of all things cream & white.

i have however continued to grumble about the
"thorn in my side" carpets.

knowing this would not be our forever home
it was a tough decision trying to decide if we should
pony up the money to lay hardwoods.

well, i'm as excited as is humanly possible
about something so basically unimportant...
but we did it!!!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

out went the blek yucko carpet & flooring
& in came wide plank hand scraped wood.



side note...i had mentioned to dan a few weeks ago
that i planned to pull a Nester move
& paint the entertainment center.
he said..lets just get rid of it when we do the floors
& get something different.
excuse me?
this is not a normal conversation in our house.

anyway...offered this big bad boy
to one of the floor dudes if he'd haul it away for me.
see ya!


 spent a day moving everything

 temporarily relocated all the pillows
& contemplated taking a nap with all of them.

 two days later
all is now right in my little world.

i don't have a wide angle so excuse the choppy shots
nor am i a great indoor photographer..
without sounding all that about the floors-
the pictures don't do them justice.
















for any locals
we were thoroughly pleased with the company went with~

The owner, Rich
was prompt & very professional.
when we talked on the phone i explained that i wanted
gorgeous floors that looked as if they came from an old southern farmhouse
but i didn't want to pay like they were from an old farmhouse.
i wanted dark wood that would look great juxtaposed with all my white.
i asked if he could come yesterday
seriously...i asked if he could get them in before thanksgiving.
he brought samples the next day & i had one picked out in about 3 minutes.
kept the sample to get approval from the fam.

he had the wood ordered & our home on the schedule within 3 days of initial contact.
i couldn't have been any happier with the company
& my new floors!

ps--we went with pre-sanded to avoid
the massive mess.

 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

my little woodland pixie & some daydreaming....

often times after the girls have left for school
i go into each of their bedrooms.
because i'm weird & compulsive
my main objective is to tidy things up
make the beds....'magazine' worthy.
maybe tidy a drawer or two.
please tell me you do the same


well anyway
while i'm in there
i take a moment to pray for them
for their specific needs for that day


its a great time
that keeps me accountable in just the little simple daily prayers for them


but the other day
i just sat down in one of their rooms
& thought about that child's particular future.

i really try to keep the big picture in mind
to remind myself
they are not really mine.

they are gifts
chosen specifically for me
& they are with me
for a twinkling.

to raise to disciple to love to teach to encourage
but then i give them back

i give them back to Him
to will in them the life He has planned for them.


as i sat in her room
i wondered what her future would be.
will she grow to lead a quiet simple life
or be "known" , if you will.
will she wear stilettos & work in the corporate frenzy
or spend her days planning menus & packing lunches.
will she marry a marvelous man?


whatever her future holds
i pray that she is strong & courageous
that she is surrounded by friends that love her
that she knows how deep & how wide His love for her is

that she marries a man who will treasure & cherish her

that whatever path she chooses
she chooses with her whole heart

& that the road back to home
is always a short one

~~~~




































these images were actually from last year.
my little quiet time moment was in one of my older daughter's rooms
but since little bit is always a great photo subject for me
i wanted to share these :)