Strawberry Fields

Today the fam & I took a little trip to the Strawberry farm. I haven't picked strawberries since I was a little kid and boy was it fun! This will definitely be a new family tradition of ours. Leila hasn't stopped talking about it all day. And we even got to go on a tractor ride!






















Why, oh why, can't my hubby NOT cut off feet in pics!

We walked away with 8 pounds of juicy red goodness. If you haven't had a warm strawberry fresh off the farm, I highly recommend you change that. It's a little bit life changing.

Get me outta here!

Wowzer, what a week. TGIF! Work has been crazy and my mind has been driving me even crazier. Remember how I posted about craving some change, something to look forward to? Well, that feeling is still here and my brain has been in overdrive trying to come up with a brilliant idea for my life.

The fact that I've been stuck in a claustrophobic office this week while the Summer weather has finally arrived doesn't help matters. I want to go to the pool with my kiddos! And take a nap on a soft blanket under a shady tree! In other words, I want the freedom to do as I please. But doesn't everyone?

My current Dream To Do that I'm focusing on, along with figuring out my passion in life, is coming up with a genius idea that will allow me to work very little and make a decent amount of money. Ha! I know, I know... isn't that everyone's goal? But I'm dead serious. I haven't even been able to sleep well at night because I'm brainstorming ideas non-stop. So far, no such luck.

Instead, I'm stuck with the same ole routine: wake, get myself & kids ready, daycare, work, lunch, work, daycare, home, dinner, bedtime routines, blog/relax, sleep. And then I do it all over again.

How I'm feeling...


I'm hoping by putting this out there something brilliant will magically pop into my head. OR, if any of you have any great business ideas and want a partner, I may be interested. ;-)

Wise Words Wednesday: Clouds

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Lately I've been looking up at the clouds a lot. First of all, there have been some amazing displays in the Spring/Summer skies. Second, I find a good moment spent gazing up into the sky very therapeutic. I mean, if you really think about it, clouds are amazing. The sky is amazing. It is physical proof that there are things SO much bigger and greater in this world than our measly little day-to-day problems. A good cloud gaze can really help put your life in perspective.

Just Write {A Moment in the Sun}

This past Sunday brought with it a few minutes that I will remember forever. It wasn't so much about what happened, but more about the feelings I felt.

The day was boring. I was home alone with the kiddos, catching up on laundry and cleaning, and hoping that the sunshine would eventually beat out the dark, thunderous clouds. Miraculously, I got both kids down for a nap at the same time and the sky opened up and Summer appeared. For approximately 5 minutes I was able to relax out on our back porch, my face turned up towards the sun. Ahhhhhhh....

Lost in my thoughts, I was brought back to reality by the sound of a little wimper coming over the baby monitor. I sighed and headed indoors and up the stairs to where I found a little girl in a wrinkled sun dress sitting on the top step. With matted frizzy hair and sleep still in her eyes she gave me a smile and reached out to me. I scooped her up comfortably on my left hip and she rested her head on my shoulder. Down the stairs we went.

"Leila, do you want a snack?"

"Noooo."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Noooooooooo."

"Do you want to sit in the sun with Mommy?"

"Yeah, ok."

So out we went. In my favorite outdoor swivel chair I reclined back, facing the bright sun with my girl curled up on my lap, her ear to my heart.  I closed my eyes. Birds chirped happily in the trees above us and the sound of a circus melody flowed from an ice cream truck in the distance. Just as the sun was feeling a little too warm, a soft breeze came to the rescue.

All of sudden, out of nowhere, I was overcome with the most pure, honest joy and love. I had a flash back to when I was little and I wanted nothing more than for my baby doll to be real. My mom would tell me to enjoy my childhood, that someday I would get to be a mom when I was big like her. And here I am. I'm pretty sure the goofiest grin spread across my face. I just felt so blessed and so content and so happy.  At that instant there were no troubles in my life. In that moment in the sun, I caught a glimpse, a feeling, of what life is all about.

A few minutes later, Leila snapped out of her groggy post-nap state and proceeded to run around the yard while "Ga Ga Ga, Da Da Da!" boomed out of the moniter. Panic set in as I frantically tried to hold on to my moment, to bottle up what I was feeling so that I could some how take a little sip of it every now and then.

Even now as I write this it is hard for me to remember exactly what I felt, but I know it exists and that's all that matters.

Monthly DIY: Camera Strap Cover

I love all of the cute, padded camera strap covers that I've been seeing around the world wide web lately. I've wanted to purchase one and/or make one, but I've put it off because the hubby and I share the camera and I'm guessing that he wouldn't want to rock a ruffled cover with cute little flower rosettes on the end. Since I needed a little DIY project for June, I decided to just go for it and make one with fabric that isn't too girly (and unfortunately no ruffles or rosettes).

That little polka dot thingy? Yeah, that's a lens cap pocket. Sweetness.


So, this isn't going to be a tutorial because honestly, I am not a seamstress and I don't believe in patterns. I literally just wing it when it comes to sewing. That being said, here's the general gist of what I did...

Fabrics used:

• Apple green soft minky fabric for one side
• Black swirly fabric for the other side
• Green & black dot fabric for the lens cap pocket
• Thin quilt batting to line it - makes it a little bit padded and more comfy

The gist of what I did (in photos):

Basically, I cut out my fabric a bit wider and longer than my strap, sewed the edge of my pocket to give it a nice finished look, stacked all of the pieces together then sewed one edge, opened it up and ironed it flat then sewed the ends under,  and finally sewed the final edge shut... placing my strap inside just to make sure I was making it the correct width. Finally, I turned it right side out, gave it one last iron and put that bad boy on my strap.

In the end, I'm happy with it. Is it the prettiest camera strap cover? Nope. And I could have made it a little bit longer (there's a definite downside to not measuring or using a pattern).

If you are interested in making one, I will say that it is a super easy and quick project to take on... even for a non-seamstress like me. If you're into step-by-step instructions or patterns for sewing, I'm sure there are a TON of camera strap cover tutorials out there - just hit up Google. And if you don't have to share your camera with your hubby, maybe you can make one with ruffles and pretty flower rosettes. ;-)

8 Months

My love for this little guy is growing more and more each day. I can't believe he's already 8 months old.





All about Landon Drew at 8 months...

• Getting cuter and cuter every day.
• Night time still sucks around here. Lately Landon has been waking up every couple of hours and it is painful. We were thinking maybe it was reflux/tummy troubles since it seems to have gotten worse since starting solid foods. Took him to the doc for some reflux meds which don't seem to help, so I don't think that's the problem. Any good sleep training book recommendations out there?
• On the flip side, during the day he is ALL smiles... you say "smile" and he says "how big?" :-)
• Weight: approximately 22-23 lbs (still a BIG guy!)
• Landon is becoming more and more active. He isn't quite crawling (he actually still hates to be on his tummy), but he will get on all fours and rock (until he falls on his belly and cries for help). Usually he just sits on his booty and somehow manages to scoot himself to whatever he is after.
• Favorite things to play with? A set of coasters and a sprinkler head replacement that Andy bought for the backyard, but never used. He could care less about all the bright fancy toys we have.
• His eczema is getting worse. We have two different steroid cream prescriptions (but only use when absolutely necessary). We will probably do some allergy testing if it isn't looking any better by the time he's one.
• This boy loves to eat - SHOCKER! ;-) He just had some hamburger for the 1st time today and I swear I couldn't feed it to him fast enough (almost ate my finger off)! We'll see how this affects his sleep tonight.
• His eyes are still the bluest blue. He's destined to be a lady killer.
• Bath time is still his favorite part of the day. He just splashes and splashes and smiles and smiles. And then he splashes water in his sissy's eyes causing her to cry and he smiles some more. Ha!
• I couldn't ask for a better baby (minus the sleep issue). He really is a gift from God.

A Day of Unplugging: June 2012

How did we spend our time before there were computers, the internet, cell phones, or even TV? Do you ever feel like your precious time is being sucked away by these devices? Or maybe you don't even notice. One minute it's 7pm and you turn on the TV, check your email, reply to some tweets, update your Facebook status, and the next thing you know it's 11pm, but in your mind it's only been a few minutes - really!

Well, the other weekend I decided to take a day off from it all - a day of unplugging. I wanted to give my brain (and my eyes) a rest from all of this wonderful (and time consuming) technology. Here's what went down on my day off....

Bye-bye dear friends...


I started my morning off with the usual cup of joe and some family time. As soon as I sat down, I instantly thought to grab my phone of iPad and do the usual perusing of Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest - my morning ritual. Instead, I sat back and watched my hubby play on the floor with our kiddos. It felt good.

Don't worry, after the coffee I got right on down there and joined them.


Several times throughout the day I thought to grab my phone and take a pic with Instagram or check my email - moments of downtown when I usually would have. Instead, I spent the time taking in my surroundings and really being present in the moment. It made me realize how much time I spend each day "not really there."

This got me thinking... how many minutes, or hours, of my kiddos' lives have I lost to these distractions?



For example, I know this is bad, but I will usually play on my phone or catch up on the DVR while I feed Landon a bottle. We both get our time to relax. However, on my day of unplugging I took that time to admire his cute little hands and watch the way his little lips move as he sucks down the milk.  He will only be this cute and little for so long and I don't want to miss out on a minute of it!





My favorite part of the day was probably the kiddos' nap time. Miraculously, Andy and I got them to go down at the same time. I flopped on the couch and almost reached for the TV remote, but stopped myself. Instead, we lounged around, listening to the rain hitting the roof, and chatted. It was SO nice.





I would have to say that my biggest realization on this day was just how much time I have to get things done if I just eliminate TV & internet usage. It boggled my mind! I got caught up on laundry, finally sewed a changing pad cover, AND spent some serious time relaxing with my hubby and kids!

Now I'm not saying that it was all easy. I almost caved multiple times (like when I wanted to text my friend something funny I saw). However, by the time the next day rolled around a part of me was a little bit sad that it was over. I felt like it was back to life, back to reality. My final conclusion? I will definitely be unplugging again.

I'm linking up today with Emily at The Peck Life in her "Let's Unplug!" series. Check it out to read how others unplugged or better yet, you should join in on the fun!

Home

There were times growing up (particularly during the teen years) when I wanted to live "anywhere but here."  I dreamed of big cities, noise, lights, and endless amounts of things to do - something so completely different than what I had. However, as I've aged I've come to realize how lucky I was to grow up in the country and how lucky I am to have a place to go back to - a place to share with my children; a place I will always think of as "home."



I grew up in the "middle of nowhere" on 100+ acres of mountains, trees, ponds and meadows. It was a 15-20 minute drive on bumpy, dusty dirt roads just to get to the nearest store. My closest friend lived miles away. There were no culdesacs or leisurely bike rides down the street to get a cool treat in the Summer. But there was plenty of tree climbing, fort building, and mud pie selling to make up for it.



This past weekend I returned home with my family in tow for Father's Day. It felt SO good to escape it all in the peace and quiet of nature. There were moments as we took a family walk through the woods that I watched Leila running up ahead of us down the dirt road and I felt like I wanted to burst with gratitude. I feel so blessed to live in a place with so much natural beauty and I love that I get to share it with my children. After all, what is a childhood if you can't get a little dirt under your fingernails every now and then?

There's just something about a man wearing a baby that gets me...


My brother and his family are currently in the process of building a little house on our parents' property. It is such a great feeling to know that long after my parents are gone, someone will still be there to watch over the land - and we will always have a place to come and visit.

The views from my bro's place? Breathtaking...






Like most people, I so easily get caught up in the nonsense of life... the to do lists, the emails, the cleaning, the latest fashion. Every now and then it's good to return to our roots & try to remember our childhood perspective on things. The good ole days.



Home Sweet Home.

To Grandpa's house we go...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you awesome daddies out there! You rock! In honor of this special day, my little fam & I ventured out of town to spend the day with the Grandpas.

I snapped these pics in the car on our way. I just love how shooting in black & white makes even the most boring photo look artsy.

Happy father's day to my AMAZING hubby! Love you!


"Give it a break Mom..."


What I could see of little Lando - playing footsie with his car seat canopy.


Self portrait!


Who knew a blue sky would look so pretty in black & white?


I don't know about you, but I had a most fantastic weekend! I'm not one who usually dreads Mondays, but after such a great time with my family it's hard not to.

Here's to a happy week ahead! :-)

Friday's Letters

Dear Week: I'm so grateful that you are OVER! What a doozy you have been.

Dear Landon:Please, PLEASE, start sleeping better! You're killing me little man!



Dear Hubby: Happy Father's Day! I love you SO much and words will never be able to express the gratitude I feel towards you. You are the best daddy EVER.

Dear Toenails: I'm sorry I've neglected you this week. I swear I will apply new polish this weekend.

Dear Kelly: I'm SO happy we get to work together again! You are a little ray of sunshine in our office. Love you!



Dear Sweet Tooth: Why have you been so insatiable lately? I swear, I'm going to die from a heart attack if you don't ease up soon. Please go to sleep for a while.

Dear Weekend: I heart you! BFFs forever & ever, okay?

Dear Leila: I can't believe you're going to be THREE in less than 1 month! Love you princess! The weather looks decent this weekend, so hopefully we can put your new bikini to use outside finally. ;)



Dear Blog Readers: I hope you all have the BEST weekend! Thanks for reading my random ramblings.

Dear Ashley: Thank you for giving me an idea of something to post today! My head has been in the gutter this week. PS - Your blog is adorable!