Ramblings – Page 111

Meltdown- the straw that broke the camel’s back

April 15, 2009

or shall i say mommy’s back?

and perhaps i should subsitute sadie for “straw”

potato, potahto.

we had major errands to run today.

we run errands in spurts. it helps us to get out of the house, get some fresh air, and do something. it keeps me sane.

well, today we had a lot of errands to run.

as always, i was armed with snacks, binkies, toys, etc.

but by the time we got to the last store, the girls were

i usually just pick up and go when the girls are like that,

but i was in the process of checking out at a store with limited hours.

i’ll spare you the details, but it culminated with harper laying face down on the floor and sadie grabbing my brand new anthropologie necklace,

ripping it off my necklace, and sending pearls EVERYWHERE.

which is why i shall hencetoforth be referred to “the lady that had a complete meltdown in the line at weight watchers and had silent tears streaming down her face and a snotty nose that the baby kept touching”.

everyone just kind of stared at me and the bewildered employee (who actually knows us and our story from when i was a member before), handed me some tissues and patted my hand.

harper felt realllly bad and helped me pick it up,

but i was mortified. it was just one of those things that just keeps building and building and then one little thing makes everything come crashing down. know what i mean?

i guess i’m tired. and stressed. and worried about some stuff.

and really needing my husband to be here.

i find that a good, embarrassing cry once every 6 months or so really helps the situation.

i have to tell you though that i didn’t talk to the girls all the way home.

not a word.

i was quiet b/c i didn’t trust what my mouth might say. and i didn’t want to regret something that might come out of said mouth.

so i just prayed and listened to the music.

and when we got home i quietly fed them and put them down for nap.

because i know after all, that they are only babies. and they were tired and frustrated just as i was.

and my heart feels better now. guess i really needed that cry.

i just wish it could have been here at home, in private.

but it is what it is, right?

and as i always try my hardest to do, i am reflecting on the positives now.

i have two sweet (well-mannered 90 percent of the time) baby girls. i have a man i love, who can’t be with me. but he IS in my life, just not close to me.

i have my health and my hobby, and my friends.

i’m chanting in my head

“this too shall pass”.

and i think it is NO coincidence that the JCrew Spring Sale just started.

what’s that?

“online retail therapy cures all”…isn’t that the old saying? hmmm?

i already feel so much better just talking about it.

so thank you (you poor innocent readers) for reading.

i know you didn’t know what you were getting into today. HA!

have a beautiful day!

Sadie at 14 Months // Scrapbook Layout

April 14, 2009

I’ve missed spending time being creative.

It makes me feel so much happier when I can take a bit of time in the morning to be creative.

During nap time, I made this layout with Lily Bee products:

patterned papers, die cuts- lily bee design

punches (flower and leaves)- martha stewart

pearls- kaisercraft

alpha- american crafts

pop dots

I feel so much better now. I was feeling stressed and grumpy today, so taking a few minutes while sadie napped (and harper “cwapped” at her “cwapbooking desk”) made all the difference in the world.

Now I feel like I can face the day without the grump attitude.

Speaking of craftiness, I need to share some Studio Calico May peeks:

If you get a chance, stop by the Lily Bee blog. We are having a mini album contest, and cash and a guest designer spot are up for grabs!!

I took a zillion pictures of my parents’ house on Easter.

My mom’s decorating continues to inspire (and amaze) me.

Would you guys be interested in seeing some of the photos this week,

or is that boring to you?

Just let me know!

Have a beautiful day and try to do something crafty- for mental health!!

My Cup Runneth Over

April 13, 2009

i hope that all of you had a beautiful day, a blessed Easter, or just a fabulous Sunday.

i certainly did. Easter has a special meaning to me. I lost my beloved grandfather right before Easter when I was in college.

he was a strong, loving, hilarious, faithful man. he was a carpenter. and he had scars on his hands from his hobby. and if you asked him about them, he would say “that’s okay, my best friend has scars on the palms of his hands, too”.

i miss him so much.

so Easter is not only an affirmation and celebration of Christ’s life to me, as a Christian, but also a remembrance of “Dandy’s life”.

today’s service was wonderful. i thought a lot about the past 9 months and what we have been through. and how I don’t believe i would have made it through if it weren’t for my faith and for God’s grace.

this song made me teary-eyed:

Because He lives

I can face tomorrow

Because He lives

All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth living just because He lives.

I sat there and sang those words and they meant so so much more to me than they might have 5, 10 years ago.

God is good. He really is.

We had a wonderful day with my parents.

Egg hunt (inside, because it was wet and rainy this morning)

But in the afternoon, it was just beautiful, and the girls even got to play in their swimsuits.

I’ll leave you with a few images from our Easter.

Love to all of you!!

I’m Over the Moon

April 10, 2009

**the giveaway two posts below is open through tonight**

i’m over the moon that this is on the newsstands today.

tell me if you recognize anyone below.

The issue: (not sure who this is on the cover,or whether it’s one of his guys or not)

the article: (not him either, waaaaaiiiit for it….)

the photo:

okay. i’m so proud i’m about to just explode!

i think the guy at barnes and noble thought i was a psycho soldier stalker,

i purchased all of the copies that were on the shelf.

heee!

anyway, the article is well written and informative,

you can read it here

and see the photo gallery that accompanies the article here.

hmmmmm i think i might just carry it around with me all day so i can just look at him. =)

we are gearing up for Easter: church and lunch with my parents and then an Easter egg hunt at their house. harper loses patience easily and sadie will more than likely try to eat and/or throw the eggs at harper. good times. i’m sure i’ll have some….

interesting?!?!? stories to tell.

i’ll leave you with some new pictures of Sadie. I just can’t believe how big she is getting!

love to you all-

have a beautiful, blessed Good Friday.

I’ll be back sometime tonight to share the 8 winners!!

My Bluebonnet Belles

April 9, 2009

**If you haven’t entered the GINORMOUS giveaway, check the post below. Winners will be drawn on Friday**

I grew up in TX and have vague memories of the bluebonnets (for those of you that don’t know, the blubonnet is our state flower),

of stopping along the country roads by my farm and taking photos,

but nothing as vivid as this.

I found a patch behind a shopping center here in town. It was an unexpected discovery,

I almost drove off the road when I saw this field, teehee!

I had thought we were going to have to forfeit the requisite bluebonnet photos this year, yet again.

We didn’t get them last year because Sadie was too little, and this year I just didn’t have the strength to drive a few hours with the maniacs.

So like I said, finding this field here in town was a surprise!

I forgot that bluebonnets have a strong, sweet smell.

It hit me right when we got out of the car.

I took my mom to be my assistant (ha!)

and we had props galore.

Three parasols, a tiny table and chairs, a book, a tea set, a floppy pink hat, a scarf, an easter egg, tutus, fairy wings, and bubbles.

No one can ever say I don’t come prepared!!

Well, as most things in life go (especially with two kiddos under three),

it did NOT go as I imagined it would.

The girls acted as if they didn’t even know eachother. They refused to stay close to eachother.

They would NOT sit at that tiny cute table together. When we made them a tea party, Harper kept acting like she was pouring the tea on Sadie’s head.

Sadie acted completely deaf to me and If I asked her to do something, she would stare off in the distance as if saying “i have no time for this, woman!”. And then she would run away from me as fast as she could.

Harper had a vacant stare in most of the photos, and Sadie kept ripping out her bow and throwing it, plopping to the ground, and attempting to *eat* the bluebonnets.

The sun was really bright, which of course makes it hard to get good photos.

I need to go back this afternoon, it’s overcast today. But I don’t know if I have the mental fortitude for a repeat performance.

I know their are shadows on their faces, but I ain’t a professional photographer,

and these work for me. Perfection is overrated anyway!!

It was HARD!! Why in the name of all that is holy would anyone ever want to be a children’s photographer?

I’d pull out all my hair and have a drinking problem if I had to do this every day.

I took 300 photos and these were my favorites.

thanks for the beautiful dresses, Nonna!!

Enjoy and have a beautiful, blessed day!