it ain't pretty.....

but right now i'm trying out a new blog.

it's public.

and i've been moving some of the project life/photos/craft posts over there.

but it's taking FORever!!!

SO.

it's not a purty blog.

but i just had to start somewhere.

so i started.

i hope you'll come and visit me. 

and say hi.

i think i'm back.

in a new, more reserved, way.

i don't know where it'll take me. or where i'm going.

but i'm there.

i didn't want to delete this blog. but it has first names. and last names. and beach vacation photos {ha!} and bathtub photos of our kids.... etc. etc.

and instead of going back through and editing, etc. i just started fresh.

new.

and next time i have those bathtub photos of my babies or whatnot i might post them here. i might not post them at all. but i'll let you know. :)

thanks for your patience. and support.

love you all.

random.

hi.

i'm blogging from our last day of vacation. where i should be packing & finishing up getting ready, but i find myself with an itty bitty sound asleep & everyone else out of the condo, so i'm sitting down to write.

oh, how i've missed writing. i find it to be therapeutic, mostly.

and i've found that lately, i've been trying to censor myself from being entirely open on this blog. and i don't like that. i AM an open book. it's just me. i like to tell it like it is in my life. the good, the bad, the funny & the ugly.

hence, the reason for turning it private.

but today, i'm feeling open.

so here i am.

we've been on vacation for a week. we brought tropical storm LEE into town with us. yesterday was our first day of beautiful sunshine. and funnily enough, it was cool & crisp outside. just like fall.

i heart fall. especially after a very long & very very hot summer.

i love the smells of fall. queso, football, texas chilli {YUM. that WILL be on my menu next week}, the state fair, pumpkin patch hay, crisp dewey morning walks, fire places & smores.

yay! i can't wait.

oh - and crotons. i LOVE crotons. can't wait to put one on my front porch next to a small pumpkin patch that i have planned in my mind this year.

who knows if that will ACTUALLY happen. right? right.

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the good thing about being stuck in a tropical storm is the laziness of it all.

reading. watching football. eating. coloring in a coloring book for what seems like the first time in forever. napping. oh - and more eating.

i feel like it makes us slow down. when we SO need to slow down.

so for that i'm super thankful.

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in the spirit of being random, let me catch up on some pictures from before our vacay.

recently, i've been so incredibly thankful for my sweet girlfriends. i'm blessed to have them. in every way, they are a very specific answer to prayer. each of them individually & collectively as a whole. they pray for me, encourage me, challenge me & speak truth in love. they send me scripture at the very moment i need it. they send notes in the mail. they send sweet nothing texts that speak volumes to me about their character & the kinds of friends they are.

i love them.

the friday before vacation though, one of these dear friends had a birthday party for her daughter.

a luau. {is that even how you spell it?}

we had a lot of fun, ate way too many cupcakes & made a huge mess between the itty bitties & the 'big' kids.

but that's the point of a birthday party, right?

i so often feel sad for b. when he's the only boy of the big kids. but he eats. it. up. can you tell?

thanks, harper! we had fun celebrating you, sweet girl.

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so there it is. my random thoughts this morning. and little bit of procrastination on my part.

oh - and before i leave, i want to share an awesome & powerful excerpt of scripture that i've been clinging to these past few days. the Lord has been teaching me more than my fair share lately - some i'm very thankful for - and some i want to turn my eyes from because He is showing me {very clearly, i might add} my ugly side. yuck. 

but i love this. i rest in this. {or i try to}. and i hope you will, too, today.

"do you not know? have you not heard? the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does NOT become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. though youths grow weary & tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, the will run & not get tired, they will walk & not become weary."

isaiah 40:28-31

i don't know about you, but there are many days as a wife, a mommy, a friend that i feel like i cannot do it. i don't have the strength to do what i need to do. or be who i want to be. 

but HE does.

that's the beauty of it. that's the point.

that if we are going to get through the day in one piece, as a whole, and still have some room left over for our husbands and ourselves, it will be a miracle. and it will be HIS strength, not ours. 

our lives are to POINT to Him. 

that's a challenge for me. a huge one. 

it's one that i'll be wrestling with for the rest of my life. but i'm ready. 

and i'm done with my sermon for today.

love you all for sticking with me & reading until the end. 

happy wednesday.

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PS - remember that i'm turning this blog to private on monday, september 12. please email me or leave me a comment below with your email address if you want to be added to the list! {disregard if you've already let me know!}

week in review.

this week has been jam packed.

with play dates. projects. meals. laundry. work. work. and more work. {for jeff - anyway.}

on monday morning we went to jack carter with stella & pierce. {and miss joanna, of course!!!}

the boys had fun playing on some odd cement square that has been there forever {wondering what it's covering up?} and running around. skipping. {or so they said.}

love this picture of b. {below}

he's literally off the ground.

monday afternoon we made smoothies. 

with the magic bullet.

i totally made fun of my dad for getting for me. but - i use it. especially in the summer.

it's perfect for smoothies. really.

and b. likes to pick out his own fruit. 

this time it was pineapple. blueberries. raspberries & black berries. 

with a splash of apple juice.

{it was yummy - but if you have a smoothie recipe - please share! i'd love to try something new!}

charlotte's been wearing "big girl" bows. 

{i.e., bows without a headband.}

she was NEVER a fan of the headband. always took it off. 

but these little bows don't bother her in the least. 

{this one is courtesy of miss kate. we love you, miss kate!! PS. where'd you get these? they're so cute!}

friday we went to the stonebridge beach club with riley & miss amanda.

we're going to the beach later this summer - and he was talking about all the stuff we were going to do there. so i had to explain to him - this is a "little" beach - and we're going to the big beach with mimi & papa. 

but when we got there, he shouted: "mommy, this is the biggest. beach. ever!!!"

so cute!

miss amanda looks good with a baby in her arms. doesn't she? {wink!}

riley & b. practiced the "baywatch run" {or - that's what i called it..}

leaving their noodles in the water and running from the top of the sand to the pool and jumping on their noodles. 

{here's the baywatch run...}

i love full weeks like this - but it also makes me long for a quiet weekend. 

or a quiet week next week.

happy friday - and happy weekend.

oh - and P.S.

tonight, jeff & i will say good bye to friday night lights. 

i know that i'm going to be boo-hooing. as silly as it might sound. 

i normally get sports tears every week. but this week i have a feeling it's gonna be more than that. 

i can't believe it's over. 

and kelly over at fabulous k posted on her facebook that espn classic is replaying EVERY episode starting with season one. 

we still haven't seen season two so we WILL be recording that!!! 

those of you who have direct tv. and have seen the last episode - no spoilers please!

even if you weren't into fnl - PLEASE watch tonight! i know it's going to be awesome. you'll be sad that you've never watched before & run out to get season one! i promise!!!

that's all.

random thoughts {and bonus PL}!!

HAPPY FRIDAY. 

i heart fridays. 

who doesn't love fridays? with all of the hope & promise of the weekend to come? 

that's right - us mommas have big hopes for weekends too! 

and today is a great friday because i got myself out of bed early enough to go on a jog before the hubbs left for work. {actually - it's more like - the hubbs was at home late because he was taking georgia to the vet}. either way. this momma got some much needed cardio in before the day even began!

and now it's nap time. and my laundry's done and - get this - folded! wooohooo. 

so, i'm taking some time with my google reader before getting a bit crafty. 

this will be the first day in a LONG time that the littles and i have stayed home all. day. long. we didn't go to the pool this a.m. we turned down a very tempting offer from sweet friends this afternoon. and it's actually really nice.  

{wednesday morning b. was begging to go to the pool so instead of fighting that battle, i gave in. after a 30 minute process of making lunches/chaning clothes/getting sand buckets we headed down to the pool that was YUCKY. it's normally great. clean & quiet. but not on wednesday. i won't go into details - because it still gives me the heebie jeebies - but needess to say we weren't there long & i promptly gave the kids a bath when we got home. }

okay - so onto the bonus project life layout! yay!

{you'll notice - i was so excited that i got two weeks done in one sitting that i forgot to put the date on it!}

i journaled way less this week than i have done in the past. 

may go back - eventually - and add some more commentary.

especially about the soccer game & harper's birthday.

and c's first dip in the pool. and the arrington girls' party at the mall. {again - an iPhone photo!}

i can't wait for the hubbs to come home.

i'm making these.

and these. 

and this. {minus the guac}

my mouth is already watering.

and maybe {just maybe} we'll put the littles down early before we eat and we can have a makeshift date night with our sliders & highly anticipated friday night lights. {and dateline. if we stay up that late.}

do you watch fnl? let me tell you folks, you are missing out. 

watch out for coach taylor. he might be a tad bit good looking.

{and the hubby doesn't mind me saying so. he gets it. plus - he thinks coach's wife is hot. don't worry -  i get that too.}

happy.

soooo......

yesterday, my darling mother-in-law took me the nursery.

to get my birthday present. {even though my birthday was a LOONG time ago.}

my birthday happened in and among a lot of life stuff this year. {as did jeff's.} it was the year for that, i guess.

and then.... we got a sprinkler system!!!!

a joy & a nightmare all at the same time.

jeff keeps telling me the grass will fill back in. i know it will. but in the mean time, it's muddy. and combine that with a dog that's low to the ground & a 3 year old little boy and that means mess. all. the. time. {not that i'm not the messiest one of all or anything...}

but please don't get me wrong.

i'm grateful.

i am.

so... now all of this goodness is in my flower beds in the front.

it looks even better off the cart than on. promise.

i was told that i can't kill these. unless i don't water. i will water!

and here's a bonus.

when i took the flower pic, i saw this picture of the bug. trying on his tux.

love.

oh. AND i found this video of lil' miss. making her sweet sweet noises.

she gets so excited. and when b. hears her noises... he starts making them too. just wait.

egg hunt & other random thoughts.

forget that it's over a week after the fact.

this is THE easter egg hunt.

from easter morning. at the lake. 

there were a lot of good places for the easter bunny to 'hide' the eggs. 

such a big boy with his undies showing.

big daddy helped him open one of the eggs. {before breakfast}. i have no idea what he had just eaten here. 

running from one egg to the next.

the last egg was on the boat. 

again, who looks more excited? brady or daddy?

georgia went too. as i said before, she loooved the lake house. she literally roamed free the entire time. 

loved his little life jacket. it was minature. charlotte & i stayed back with nana. it makes me nervous that she doesn't have a life jacket... i know we won't flip over, but the protective momma in me makes me want to keep her on dry ground until she is big enough for a life jacket.  

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i promised other random thoughts, didn't i?

well. there are lots.

the hubby has been out of town most of the week, so i'm literally dying for significant adult conversation. i'm so glad he's coming back tonight, but three days of non-cleaning and non-laundry adds up to a lot to take care of on friday. {and here i am blogging about it - and not tackling the disaster zone that is my house.}

i finished three layouts in project life yesterday. i really have to get over the "week in the life" concept that it starts out with. i know they all say "it can be anything you want it to be" but for some reason, i'm having a hard time getting past that.

i have a lot of project ideas swirling around in my head lately.
i need a craft night with girl friends. or maybe a weekend.
can you imagine what we could get done in an entire weekend? without kids?
or what we wouldn't get done because we were too busy doing absolutely nothing?
anyway. i must file that in my mind of lists of things to do.

i miss the hubby. i feel like he's been away for over a month... even though it's only been a few days.

a LOT of life has been packed into the last month.

i'm ready for him to get home. so we can just spend time together.

i am glad we miss each other.
i'm very glad for that.
i love him. with all. my. heart.
he's the love of my life. really & truly.
he is still my high school sweetheart.
we have an awesome love story. {in my humble opinion.}

speaking of... did you watch the Wedding last week? did you notice i actually used capital letter for Wedding? i think it's a law since it's royal and everything.

i thought it was beautiful. she was beautiful. the aston martin was beautiful. the story was beautiful. and that boys choir? beautiful.
i thought the happy couple looked so in love. my mom thought just the opposite.

what did you think?