Wow! A Year Is Not Long...

I cannot believe it has been a whole year since my last blog post! I have not intentionally abandoned my blog, I just get so side tracked that time flies by without me realizing it until it is too late.

A year! Wow! I have actually done some things in that year...I'm just about finished knitting a really cool sweater. A good friend and I have been doing a knit along since February '14. She has already finished and blocked her sweater, and has worn it a few times. One of them being yesterday. We went to a little Indian restaurant about 15 minutes from my house for lunch. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced too.

My youngest swims for the Naval Academy Aquatics Club swimteam now, so we are on the road constantly for swim practice, and meets are about 2 a month. We love it though. So does he.

Christmas and New Year's were great...we did nothing! We slept in, did whatever we wanted, and were just in the moment of whatever was going on. It was such a relaxing and quietly enjoyable time. Two whole weeks school was closed!

I am looking forward to getting my house in order and getting organized in all other areas of my life. Just so very tired of not being organized to the point that I am willing to get rid of just about anything (shhh. don't tell my husband that part) to be totally in control of it all in a simple simple way.

Time for bed...one of the many things I am working on...getting enough shut eye each night. Good night! 

Warm and Cozy Day at Home...

Chuck roast with veggies and gravy in the oven, fire in the fire place, wooly slippers on, bread rising...today has been a full one with errands done early, and dinner in the oven to roast all day. I love days like this, when you putter about all day just doing things on a whim. Things that need to be done, things you do as you see them in passing, on your way from or to doing something else.

Yesterday was a nice and unexpected break. It was my Friday off from work, and schools were unexpectedly closed for the day. We did not leave the house all day! Waking up with a migraine wasn't in the plan, but a trip back to bed with a steamy wash cloth over my face, sleeping a bit more, and taking a nice warm shower upon waking did the trick. It's been a while since I had a bad one, and there was no warning before hand. All in all though, the day was a welcome retreat.

Bought our Christmas cards at 70 percent off while out this morning. I am excited to have them done by November 1st, so we can mail them out the day before Thanksgiving like we use to do. I would like to write a personal message to each family, but when we are last minute and rushing, like we were this year, that becomes a bit difficult. I'm planning on writing 7 each month up through October. I've never thought of it as a chore, and haven't missed a Christmas yet! Not in 31 years...since getting married in 1982. It is a tradition we don't want to stop, because that is a big part of what Christmas is about, staying in touch with the people we care most about, letting them know they matter, and they are thought of often. Even those we see and talk to on a regular basis are left with a good feeling after receiving a lovely card meant just for them. Many people have stopped sending Christmas cards, and there are many who haven't. Postage is high that's for sure, and it's about to go up again! I feel like it is a very small price to pay though. Keeping in touch is priceless.

Warm and cozy at home is where we are at right now. Away from the rest of the world, doing, planning, cooking, dreaming, and renewing our souls for another day, another week, another month, all leading into another year of living. Hoping your time at home or where ever you happen to be is warm and cozy. If not in temperature, then at least in your heart and soul.

Extending the Magic of Christmas...

Another Christmas gone by...well, that is if you don't take into account that today is actually the 11th day of Christmas! The 11th day of Christmas you say? Yes, the 12 days of Christmas are actually the 12 days following Christmas Day, ending on January 6th. Everyone just assumes that it is the 12 days leading up to Christmas Day.

At our house the stockings are still hung, the Christmas lights still on, the tree is up and decorated (didn't get it decorated until the day before Christmas Eve, but that's another story in itself) lights shining bright, Christmas music fills the air, we are watching at least one or two Christmas movies an evening, and I am stretching the gingerbread cookies as far as they will possibly go. Which by the way, may take us into February, considering I am only decorating/icing them one and a half dozen at a time! And to think, I was so worried about having gingerbread cookies baked but not decorated in time for Christmas Day! I'm thinking this is our new tradition...get them all baked (all 185 of them), then make enough icing for all of them and put the icing on them in small batches, one or one and a half dozen at a time, once a week or so.

We absolutely love Christmas because of all these things...the things that are fun to do as a family. It's a celebration of love and friendship, of warmth and giving, of all things kind and joyful. Our hearts are more open during this time of year, so why wouldn't we want to extend all those wonderful feelings, and to keep celebrating the birth of Jesus. He after all is the reason for all of it, the one who we celebrate. So, in trying to extend Christmas we are reminding ourselves over and over of God's infinite love for us all. Trying to hold on tight to these moments of pure delight and joy reminds us to carry it through the year...carry it in our heart and soul for all who we come into contact with, even during our most harried days.

If you too are wishing for everyday to be like Christmas, then make it so...treat every ordinary day as though it is Christmas Day. Fill your heart with joy, your eyes with light, and the air with beautiful music...the sounds of laughter, singing, and praise for He who made the world possible.
Extend the magic of Christmas, and feel the blessings of each and every ordinary, but also extraordinary day you are given...choose to live with hope and joy, and the promise of God's undying love.

Discipline is Greatly Needed...

I am one of those people who is a procrastinator and who definitely needs more self discipline...I always start out the weekend with big plans for getting my house in order from top to bottom, and somehow always fall short, very short! I have not posted for quite some time, due to lack of time to do it all! I had to choose priority over want...and a blog is not priority in the grand scheme of things in my life right now. My top priority is my little guy, my husband, our older son, and getting our home in order. I for one cannot do it all! At least not properly. These years go by way too fast to not spend them in the moment with my family. I will post randomly when I have time and something worth posting.   

A Bit Of Summer...

Every year I think things will slow down once school is out for the summer...that is simply not the case...EVER! I always forget about swimteam, practices every day, with swimmeets on Saturdays. It is busier than ever! We love it though. This year it has been amazing to see how far the little guy has come with his swimming. He has been on the swimteam since he was 4 (the kids have to be able to swim the length of the pool without stopping, touching bottom, or hanging onto the lane ropes), and has made a tremendous improvement. The first meet this summer he placed for the first time ever...not only did he place, he placed 1st in two events-breaststroke and mixed relay, and 2nd in two events-freestyle and backstroke. He was so excited to do so well in breaststroke...that was his big brothers stroke when he swam, and he thinks his big brother is the "be all and end all". So sweet.

Happy Mother's Day! Wishing everyone a beautiful, relaxing, do what you want, easy breezy day...The card is a beautiful creation by my little one, complete with a bouquet of handmade flowers in a vase inside...

Here are a few photos from the gorgeous weekend we are having here in Maryland...

My little guy playing catcher at his baseball game yesterday...

After the game we were off to the strawberry farm to pick our own strawberries...

A little playground break in the midle of picking...

A bit of dreaming about getting our own chickens...

A walk through the greenhouses to look at the beautiful and thriving flowers...

View of one of the fields...we had a basket overflowing in about 20 minutes...

Field of buttercups across from where we were picking berries...

Our haul...this is after I took out 2 pints for my best friend...still a full basket...

Chair on our front porch...it is really lime green in color but I was playing with my camera again...

 At home a wrought iron chair in the edge of our woods...see the vine growing up the left side...

The weather vein atop our shed...you can't see it from the direction I took the photo, but there is a rooster on top...

Six baby birds sleeping in their nest which is in one of my hanging geraniums on the front porch...

The eggs a couple of weeks before they hatched...

Having fun playing in the sprinkler...we don't have purple grass...just playing with my camera...

Nor is our street orange...love my camera...it's a Canon G-9...4 years old but still learning new stuff it can do...

Then onto a little basketball...we figured out how to bounce the ball into the basket off the driveway...

He is definitely enjoying the day to the fullest...worshiping the sun...

Later after about 4 hours of playing...a little outdoor shampoo and bath...

Then relaxing with a little TV time and ipad gametime...

Before going to my mom's for dinner...after which he totally passed out...the phrase "sleeping like a baby" never has been more true...

Enjoying homemade strawberry/banana smoothies this morning...

We are off to ice skating lessons and a quick dinner on the way home. Hope you are having so much fun this weekend that you too are in a totally relaxed and tired heap of slumber at the end of the day...tee hee...Wishing you a wonderful week ahead...

P.S. Next post will be from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival I attended with my mom-in-law last weekend (5.5.12), up in West Friendship Maryland...

It's Been A Busy Month...

Well, April 2012 is coming to a close tomorrow...we have been rather busy. Baseball (t-ball) season started for the little guy, still ice skating, still swimming, and still in school. Baseball is over June 2nd, then summer swim starts...trading one for the other. He loves everything he is doing though, and so do we. If we were not enjoying it, we wouldn't be doing it.

We do have a decent amount of down time at home, and that is usually spent creating...artwork, writing, or reading...plenty of time outdoors too. The house work does suffer a bit. I learned with our older son there will always be a long to do list, but babes do not stay at the ages and stages they're at for very long. The growing up happens way too fast, and we would rather be in the midst of all the fun, learning, and growing, not missing one thing! Here are a few highlights from this month...

Almost had to climb that tree for one of the eggs...that Easter bunny, what a sense of humor...

An easy find...no climbing...

Counting his eggs...they're boiled so no hatching here...

Our little family...I don't enjoy being in photos...but you need a family portrait for memories...

Easter was spent at my parents...good weather, good food, good company, and most of all lots of love, and remembering why we celebrate Easter.

Baseball season got off to a great start...opening day was held at the minor league baseball stadium, home to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. There was a parade of all the little league teams carrying their team banners...he looks so proud to be participating...

Our high school ROTC colorguard presented the flag for the singing of the natioal anthem...you can see his team just to the right, it's the blue banner with all the baseballs dotting it...

Team pictures were taken that day in the outfield...

The Blue Crab players were there to sign t-shirts for the kids...so excited was he!

Even Pinch the team mascot for the Blue Crabs was a ham for the camera...

A jumping good time was had in the moonbounce at the stadiums Kids Fun Zone...

The excitement of playing his first game ever had been building all day...

Getting his face painted before the game...

You need a good flame face to keep your endurance burning during the game, right? He thought so.

Dad waiting for the game to start after a long day already...we got there 8am...left 4:30pm...

Finally, time to play the first game of the season...there were three fields measured off and set up in the outfield of the stadium field. What a cool way to start playing baseball...it's a beautiful stadium and field...

Warming up with the coach before the game...

Taking a little break in the outfield while waiting for the next batter...

Running his heart out to get to 2nd base after hitting a double...first hit of his first game, ever...woo hoo!

The flame face must have worked...he hit two doubles and fielded two balls that game...the coach presented him with the game ball for being the MVP of the game...not bad for a newbie at baseball...needless to say that is all he talked about for the rest of the day. A great day was had by all...Whew!!!!

Easter Break...Ending Better Than It Started...

Although we had planned a relaxing do what we want when we want Easter break from work and school, it didn't quite turn out that way. I have been sick the whole entire time! Ugh!!! Still am...the week ended a little better than it started. Yesterday we left the house for a little road trip about an hour away, and today was a fun day with lots of creating. I don't know what's going on health-wise...pretty much slept most of the days away. Just not me! EVER! My husband said he knew it wasn't good when I came home from work Friday a week ago and went straight to bed.

After I got up yesterday I took a long hot shower, and decided it was time to escape this house ill or not...we left around three o'clock heading south to Fredericksburg, Virginia. About 50 minutes later we were at The Melting Pot for a fondue dinner with dessert. It was fun, delicious, and relaxing (even not feeling well it was a relief to be out). Steak, chicken, shrimp, vegies, and side salads were the meal...s'mores chocolate fondue with fruit, pound cake, marshmallows, brownie, and cheesecake for dipping was dessert. About an hour and a half later we were on our way. Who knew sticking food on the end of a long fork and putting it in a pot of boiling broth could be so entertaining!

We ventured into a Hobby Lobby store around the corner...walked around for a bit...purchased some brown printed craft paper for scrapbooking and a couple packs of flesh colored Sculpey clay. From there we went to take a little tour of a fairly new Wegman's grocery store (exciting stuff...it doesn't take a lot to make us happy). It was huge. We came home with some yummy treats...a crusty french baguette, a soft creamy wedge of blue cheese, and a couple rounds of naan.

Today I was deliberate in what I planned for the day...housework needed to be done, but play was very necessary too. I started with a quick session of picking up the living room, dining room and kitchen. Then moved on to a little clay play with the little guy and dyeing Easter Eggs. The day was a success!

Photos from yesterday...

A little bungalow doll house at Hobby Lobby...love this style of architecture...there are a couple of houses just like this where we live. One of them is white with a red door and I have always loved that house...


My little guy strolling into Wegman's...past a beautiful display of spring flowers...


This was the view as we were exiting the store...beautiful sunset in the west...


Photos from today...

Doing a bit of clay play...polymer clay gets our imaginations flowing with never ending ideas for little creations...he has played with clay all week...


I played today...a wee camera for capturing wee memories...


Pretty teacups for dyeing Easter eggs...doesn't everyone do it this way? Hmmm...


The perfect cup for the egg dyeing...a Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit cup of my older son's passed on to his little brother...


The finished eggs...we boiled 6 but one cracked...odd numbers are more visually appealing anyway, right...


My most prized set of books...the complete Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit series. As a young child (in first grade) I would check out these books from my elementary school library...one or two every week until I had checked all 23 out, then I would start over again. My teacher realized what I was doing and told me I had to check out something new. That lasted about 2 trips to the library and I was back to these. I loved the stories, but I loved the illustrations as much if not more. Several years ago for my birthday my husband surprised me with this special complete set in a beautiful box in which they live when not being read to my little Peter Rabbit loving boy. They are the perfect thing to accompany our Easter celebration in addition to our Bibles of course.


Thank you Jesus...we are so fortunate to have you for our Lord and Savior. Happy Easter everyone...have a wonderful celebration of God's love and remember the sacrifice He made for us all. Being the momma to two boys I cannot even imagine thinking of sacrificing either one of them...