Where I'm Going With This

Yes, yes, YES! I love this printable that I found last night and wanted to share. You can find a free link to print it out for yourself (also with a yellow background option) at Lady Bird Lane. Or you can click on the artwork above and it will take you to her post about it.

In the last few years, I haven't been in the position to help a fellow mom that often. Mainly because of being on my own with my own kids all week long and sometimes barely surviving and being the one that needed a helping hand. But things are getting easier and easier as the months go by with my sweet kids and as they get older and I'm surviving much easier. : ) It's been a long road for multiple reasons and I hope to share more about that soon. : )

Then after finding this artwork that I want to make myself read every single morning, I came to write this post and share it with you. And BAM!

New Blogger format, huh? I like it! I think I just might love it.
I just now saw it for the first time and while clicking around, I found my stats overview page.

And then I just stared at the numbers like an idiot when I saw what they were. Because, guess what? People read my blog!

I was amazed. Honestly. If you haven't figured it out already, I love to write. And in addition to that love of writing (and taking photos of my life), I was hoping to use this as a springboard for whatever creative business it is that I hope to create for myself and my family. I have many ideas in mind and have tested out a few in my own time. But the beginning for me is knowing if people are even going to come read what I write in the first place, because it will go hand-in-hand with what I create.

The numbers it gave me were even more hilarious to me because I don't even think that my friends read this blog. Ha! They never really mention anything to me when I write things, so I assume they don't read it. So, who are these people that are reading? I would venture to say that Pinterest has a lot to do with it. (I was already testing that theory out. It's just fun to finally get the results.)

I posted a few photos from Magdalen's 2nd birthday party last year and apparently it was a hit. I have gotten more notifications from Pinterest in the last few months about "repins" on those photos than I had in the past year.

So when I checked the stats today?

Her Vintage Cowgirl 2nd birthday party post has received....

OVER 1200 HITS. : )

(Thank you, Pinterest. I might end up going somewhere with this whole idea if I'm patient.)

Thank you, to all of you who read this blog. Truly. I know that to a "big" blogger that is nothing in the grand scheme of posting stats. But to me, that's huge.

I know that some of my friends and family think it's strange that I post on here about my life because they think things should be private, etc. I don't feel that way anymore. It used to make me nervous that strangers were reading about me, but hey! I'm reading about them, too. I realized that it wasn't a huge deal so I don't worry about it anymore. I have met so many amazing people from the blogging and crafting world that I would have never known had I not had this little space on the internet that's all my own.

I plan to be even more real on here in the future. I have so many thoughts swirling in my mind, and some of them are hard thoughts. Things that maybe I'm nervous to write about or mention. Things that might hurt feelings in an indirect way and completely unintentionally. But...also things that I want to write about or share. And I feel that it's okay. Because it's about me and my feelings, as I carefully sort through them.

But for now, like I said....thank you. : )

Mega Million Mom Jewels {In My Crown}

The things I do for these children.

Another disgusting job of a mom. That's what it was. 

At least that's what I told myself just now. 

But then, I realized there was more to it.

And some of you may laugh at this, but really,

once you hear about what I just did (and this is on a slow day), 

you'll understand. 

I wanted to vacuum the house this afternoon to prepare for Sabbath. 

Or at least just the downstairs!

Over the vacuum's roar, I yell to Maggie to pick up her doll house pieces and to Maddox to pick up the Lego pieces. 

Ugh.

Lego pieces. 

(I'm sure you're already starting to get the idea, aren't you?)

I'm happily cleaning and vacuuming while the two of them tell me they have finished their jobs. 

I slowly move into the sunroom where Maddox is sitting at their kids' table.

The room where he keeps half of his Legos on a shelf, or on the table, or most likely, on the floor. 

My eyes are sweeping the floor while I clean, because trust me, I don't want to vacuum up their toys either!

And then it happens.

I see a black plastic piece of something moving across the floor into the vacuum and hear a loud clattering sound. 

OOPS.

Guess who else hears it? 

Uh huh. The boy.

Sobs ensue. 

Begging.

Pleading.

Accusations of "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Me defending myself, although I know that little black piece was hidden on a black area of the rug. 

What do you do? 

He honestly had cleaned up every little piece except that one. He had tried his best. 

I had mercy on him. 

Now don't go thinking that I didn't do this with some anger, and maybe some lecturing, and some defensiveness over it being "all my fault." Because, I did. As always.

So there I went.

Hauling the vacuum outside. 

Opening that nasty bag of DEATH. 

(Are you aware of my phobia of hair & my horrible dusty allergy? Um, yeah.)

Dumping it all out on a trash bag. 

(Did I mention it was windy outside? Go ahead. Imagine that part, too.)

I was having no luck on the deck so I moved it all down to the patio to try and get away from the wind.

I started pawing through and shaking the big nasty clumps of death around.

WITH MY BARE HANDS.

And then I saw it.

A black piece of plastic. 

I grabbed it and then....

oooooooh, the disappointment.

IT. WASN'T. A. LEGO. PIECE. AT. ALL.

It was a black piece to a completely different toy that is completely unnecessary. 

Imagine my feelings at that point as I looked around the mess I had just created at the back of our house. I'm not even quite sure you can imagine it quite right because it was so disgusting, but I felt defeated.

And I was mad.

And then Maddox sort of giggled and said "Oh. It's just this. Whew!"

I had to close my eyes and look up at the heavens and say "Please Lord Jesus, help me."

I needed patience right then.

And he provided. 

This incident literally happened about 30 minutes ago and I'm already chuckling to myself.

So, today, after someone said that I must live under a rock because I asked what the heck Mega Million meant on everyone's Facebook posts today, I thought about it.

Yes, I do live under a rock. 

But I'm okay with that.

Because with the way my days go, I'm earning Mega Million jewels in my crown up in Heaven.

I'd rather have that than the $640 million I could win with a ticket.

(Although, I will not lie when I say that I wouldn't mind having that money in a heartbeat. Hello.)

So, the next time you're digging through your vacuum cleaner's dirty bag of stank nasty for one of your children, think of me. 

And think of Jesus up there chuckling at you. 

I guarantee you he's laughing and maybe adding a jewel to your crown, too.

9 Things Before Nine{AM}

Yes, I realize it's not Monday morning.

Ha!

But if you knew how my morning went yesterday, then you would understand. It was so bad that I let myself eat a Reese's Sonic Blast for lunch and then Sweet Cece's as my after-kids-are-in-bed-evening-snack. I am going to pretend today is the first day of the work/school week and start over.

 At least it makes me feel better. 

1. Speaking of mornings...I loathe Daylight Savings Time. I am not a morning person and every year at this time, I wish that we still lived in Phoenix where we never had to change our clocks. Oh, the things I have taken for granted at times! 

2. Both kids had their well checkups yesterday and they passed with perfect results. Not a tear was shed, although both had to have their blood drawn from their finger. Brave little souls. ; ) I was pleased to hear the doctor say that Magdalen's speech seemed fine and also proud of my little girl for actually speaking to the doc and answering each question. She said she counts like a 4 year old and I was surprised after all the underlying questions we've had about her speech. *sigh of relief*

3. Chad took the day off yesterday for various reasons (unheard of in this job!) and Maddox was so excited that his daddy got to come see him play soccer for the first time yesterday. It completely made his day. : )

4. We had a really great weekend, starting out with Maddox singing at both church services with his Kindergarten class on Sabbath. They were too adorable in their little formal school uniforms. 

5. We also had a lovely dinner party at home that night with the hilarious Melissa and her husband, Tony, and another musician friend of Chad's, Jason, and his wife, Juliana, who I met for the first time that night! Melissa made some amazing veggie sliders and salad to go with the other items we had for the meal. We played the game Scruples afterward (yes, like old people) and it was truly a relaxing, fun night with new and old friends. 

6. I am EXCITED ABOUT SUMMER!! I realize it's a few months away, but it's already warm outside and Maddox is starting to really complain about not having any time to play when he wakes up each morning. I am going to make this an epic summer with lots of friend time, play time, and also down time for him before he hits 1st grade in the fall. 

7. In the past month, I believe I have moved our furniture from room to room at least 3 or 4 times. I can't help myself. 

8. Oh...we went to Zanie's comedy club on Sunday night for a surprise birthday party for our friend, Nathan. He was completely surprised and then we went back to his house for cake. His wife, Steph, had made The Pioneer Woman's chocolate sheet cake (except Steph made it gluten free) and it was delish! First time I've had this famous recipe and was excited because I've been wanting to try it for awhile now.  : )

9. Also, excited about a play date with friends this afternoon after school. The weather is perfect. And Maddox is excited to see his girl, Ava. ; ) Well, one of his girls. That's her below. 

Ava and Maddox (age 5 here) one year ago having a picnic outside with their then-2-yr-old baby sisters. Cuties!

Five Years From Now....

I'll miss these simple, everyday, taken-for-granted things.

Learning-to-read notes to & from Kindergarten friends.

My sweet girl's little rain boots that she wants to wear every single season right now.

Maddox's sweet school projects that make me chuckle. : )

On any given day that you see me, I'm probably sporting a sticker or two on each hand. Magdalen brings them to me each morning when I'm getting ready and gives me my daily sticker. Her idea. ; ) Sometimes she'll even bring them to my bedroom before I wake up and I'll feel her sticking one on my hand while I'm half asleep. What a memory I'll treasure forever. :) 

Mini chairs. 

Little adorable sleeping angels that I can still carry in my arms.

 It's so hard for me to believe how soon all of this will be just a memory. 

Which is why I write.

And photograph.

And share stories. 

It's all for me. And them.

Luff You.

Today

11:46 a.m.

Monday morning

Snuggling on the sofa, the only two people in the house. 

For the very first time. Ever. Magdalen just said these words to me as she threw her body in my lap. 

"I luff you, Mama!"

: ) 

I have waited for this moment for 3 long years. 

And it was just as sweet as I had expected. 

(I love you, too, baby girl. 

I love you more than you'll ever know. )

When I ask her if she knows how much I love her, she says "Yas!!!!" 

When I ask her how much that is, she says "Biiiiig much, Mama" and throws her hands in the air. 

I have somehow given birth to one of the cuddliest, most loving, caring and expressive children on the planet. 

I think God knew I needed her and she's teaching me so much. 

(And if you think I didn't stop and grab my phone and take these photos right when she said it, you know, to help etch this moment in my brain forever....well, then you're wrong. Because I totally did.)

9 Things Before Nine{AM}

Hmmm...so much to talk about from this past week. I'll stick to my tidy list for this morning and post some fun things later in separate posts. : )

1. Yesterday, we attended our very first Pine Car Derby at Maddox's school and even though it was 6 hours long, we had a great time! Watching his face light up as he watched his car succeed was so fun for us and even more priceless was how he accepted the cheering and trophy. He is his father. Humble, yet quietly confident. Love you, baby boy.


2. Chad finished reading The Hunger Games last night and when I came to bed, I saw it on my night table where he left it for me and my turn with it. I'm excited to start this series! Is anyone else reading it or read it already? I've heard it's really great.

3. Magdalen is talking a LOT. It has amazed me. Apparently, it has impressed Maddox because this morning at breakfast, as his sister was jabbering away, he looked at me and said "Maggie is really talking all the time now, isn't she?" with a huge grin on his face. He's so proud of her. : )

4. We ate lunch with my dear friend Ashlie and her family on Saturday after a long time of not seeing them. Every single time that happens, it makes me chuckle inside. Ashlie and I spend the entire time talking as fast as we can and jumping from topic to topic because we can't catch up fast enough. She's one of those  amazing friends who gets me and we can always pick up where we were last time. I think I have a post on that whole idea coming soon.

5. We are thankfully safe from any storms we had this past week, although we did hide out in our storm shelter for a little bit. Unfortunately, my hometown was hit hard again less than a year after the original tornado destruction. Please keep all of the people affected in your prayers.

6. Chad and I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of our babies playing together in the hallway and in their bedrooms back and forth. Laughing and giggling and teamwork. A most beautiful sound. We have finally made it! ; )

7. My dad won this amazing award recently at a big event. He won the Man of the Year Award at CASBA (Cookie and Snack Bakers Association) Conference in Orlando last month. It is a huge honor and he was totally surprised, which is a hard thing to do with my dad. ; ) This group has been around since 1970 and Dad has been a part of it for 10 years. I'm proud of him and the hard work he does and the success he has achieved in his own business. Way to go, DAD! (Thanks to my stepmom, Donna, for the photo.)


8. I have been asked to do a guest post by one of my favorite bloggers. I am pretty excited about it and obviously, will share the link after I submit it and she publishes it. A cool post on something she has written is coming soon here, as well. 


9. I'm thinking today on all the posts I need to catch up on. Some randomness, some deep thoughts that were triggered from attending Blissdom, and some PARTIES!!! I have slacked on posting some of the parties I've done or have co-planned. So many great ideas and photos to share. I'm thinking of doing a week of party posts. How does that sound? ; )


Happy Monday!

9 Things Before Nine{AM}

                                                                                       Source: flickr.com via Monica on Pinterest

Okay, friends. Let's just cut to the chase.

1. Blissdom'12 was mind blowing. Inspiring. Overwhelming. I am honestly still processing it all, but I learned more than I bargained for. I also met some pretty cool people. More on that soon.

                                                                   Source: stopthinkingforyourself.tumblr.com via Consuelo on Pinterest

2. Did you watch the Oscars last night? All I can think about is how young Tom Cruise looked. I felt like I was in a time warp....and it was a good one. Can anyone say Top Gun? ; )

3. I also found a rerun of Grey's Anatomy playing. ( If you're a fan, it was the "shooter in the hospital" episode.) I'm amazed at how that one single episode can still completely stress me out & make me break out in a sweat the 3rd time watching.

4. I got to wear my dress from the Grammys again on Saturday night. ; ) I truly thought I'd never wear it again, but hey....it fit. I hope to have a few photos to share from that soon. (And I'm going to finally post the photos from our time at the Grammys. TWO YEARS AGO. Sheesh. I know.)

5. So...grass stains. I can't stand them. Maddox has stains on almost every single uniform item he wears to school so, last night, I poured bleach directly on all of the white items. Guess what? Stains are still there. Mhmmm. I hate bleach now, too.

6. Maddox wrote and recorded another song right before he turned 6 this month. We're working on a full album. We should have 10 songs by the time he's thirteen if we continue to do one every year. So far, so good. They are pretty darn cute and I keep forgetting to share. Hoping to post the first 3 sooner than later.

                

7. During Blissdom, I received a free signed copy of the book Quitter by Jon Acuff. He was an amazing, inspirational, hilarious, and very real speaker. I came away with so many things to think about and started reading it yesterday. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

                

8. This morning on the drive to school, it was just me and Maddox. I cranked up my current favorite soundtrack and used my still-a-little-bit-sick-awesome-raspy-singing voice to sing Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain". It was perfection. So I did it twice. With feeling. (Don't be thinking 'poor Maddox' because he was singing along, too. Promise.)

9. And lastly. *sigh* I can't find the key to my new treadmill. : / How's that going to work out now? Hmmm. Still looking....

HAPPY MONDAY!