It has been my mantra all week.

I am not sure if it is the less than stellar weather or the fact that my hubby has been traveling a lot lately but I have really been “feeling” every minute of every day like a heavy weight on my shoulders.

The weekend is a welcome reprieve and with that I MUST share a cool beverage to kick it off and melt away the stress of the week.

Try this chilly bevy or maybe one of these versions from Epicurious.

2oz Cachaca

1 Lime, thinly sliced 

1-2 tsp sugar (I like mine a little sweet so I use 2)

Use a low-ball glass.

Cut the lime into very thin slices and put in the glass.

Add sugar.

Muddle the lime and sugar together until they are well mixed.

Fill the glass with crushed ice.

Add Cachaca.

Stir (or shake if you have some aggression and a strong like for something cold – I like to get fancy and use my shaker).

Add ice – if needed.

ENJOY

Sometimes I get on a kick where everything is made from scratch. This may sound amazing but it also means I can slide off the deep end and we could be eating TV dinners for a period of time too!

Beggars can’t be choosers though so we will enjoy this “homemade” kick for what it is.

I stumbled upon a great (easy) recipe for making hamburger buns on Pinterest and thought “why not?”.

I have made bread before and had decent success (there have also been some serious fails that shall remain nameless).

Check out the original recipe from She Makes and Bakes here. 

I would change a couple of things for next time however.

The buns were WAY too big for my taste.

I would make 16 balls instead of 8 (teeheee I said balls) and would really focus on smooshing them down a bit more.

Also, I only let them “proof” for 30 minutes once in ball form.

30 minutes was plenty!

This may vary depending on the temp in your kitchen.

I also did a quick egg wash (1 egg and a tablespoon of water whisked until combined) and sprinkled on some sesame seeds for flare.

I baked my buns for approximately (I say this because honestly it was chaos and it could be less or slightly more) 15 minutes per the recipe.

Bake and enjoy (I may or may not have eaten one fresh out of the oven and burnt my mouth – learn from my hypothetical mistakes please).

This week we celebrated a special birthday for a very special boy ♥

I came across this fantastic tutorial on Indie Craft Parade originally posted by Beautiful Hello on how to create those beautiful chalkboard quotes.

My handwriting is crap and I can’t write in a straight line so I thought I would give this a go!

Chalk
Chalkboard
Pencil Sharpener (to sharpen your chalk)
A Great Quote Printed Out to Size (whatever size you need for your board)
Pencil (colored or regular)
Patience

I used favorite source for quotes Pinterest and found a great one from Charlie Chapman.

I then rubbed chalk on the blank side of my print out but only on the areas that had words (you can pretty much see through the paper so this isn’t as hard as it sounds.)

Position the paper with the printed side up (chalk side down) onto your chalkboard and begin tracing your letters.

I found it easiest to use just a plain pencil and fairly firm pressure.

Be careful where your hand rests as you trace though.

I started to realize that I may be messing up my work as I went if I had my hand pressing on areas that had chalk.

It was easiest to trace the outside lines of the words then go back and fill them in before removing the paper and completing last-minute touches.

Once you are done tracing and filling in you can remove the paper and prepare to be amazed!

All the hard work you put into tracing will have paid off and your quote will look insanely awesome.

You may need to go back and sharpen your lines on the outside of your words slightly but other than that it really will look incredible.

This was definitely not a super quick project however. It took about an hour or so to complete.

Great to do while watching a movie or TV but if you are JUST tracing you may feel like it was a waste of time since it could so easily be erased by curious little hands (aka my children in this case).

Happy tracing!

This year was definitely a busy one but I managed to fit in a bit of crafting and Pinterest project execution!

There are truly so many great ideas out there (some of which seem really great and turn out terribly – you can learn more about Pinterest reviews over at The Crafty Collaborative).

I wanted to share my top 10 favorites that were fun, useful and down right awesome!

I mean…who doesn’t need a mermaid tail?!?!

I hope to do a little write-up on each project and how I completed them but for now I will dangle the carrot and get your creative juices flowing!

Enjoy and happy Pinning!

Box-O-Princesses 
Boy-ville Box 
Dress Up Closet 
Mermaid Tails 
DIY Screen Prints 
Hanging Pots and pans 
Believe Banner 
Oilliblocks 
Drilled Jack-o-lanterns 
Pumpkin Scones 

This “spring” has been anything but and I have had to get really creative in ways to keep the kiddos busy.

It is the end of March and we literally have 3 feet of snow still (one of them we kindly received last week).

This momma is OVER IT!

Did you hear that mother nature???

While I do my best to avoid really messy projects during my work hours (I have learned this only creates frustration since I end up spending more time doing clean up than what the activity itself occupied) playdough is sort of a “go-to” in our house.

I stopped buying playdough years ago and now only use my super top-secret recipe!

In the spirit of transitional seasons my gift to you is to let you in on this super top-secret recipe .

It will save your life and the life of your young.

I swear.

2 Cups Boiling Water

3 Tablespoons Baby Oil

1/2 Cup Salt

1 Tablespoons Powdered Alum

Gel or liquid Food Coloring (gel gives a more intense color)

Pour water, oil and salt  into a 4 cup measuring glass and microwave until boiling and salt dissolves.

Add several (the more you add the brighter it gets) drops of food coloring to your liquids after the salt has dissolved.

Put flour and powdered alum into your mixer (I use my KitchenAid because I am lazy and just love that thing to death).

Mix the wet and the dry until they are combined.

You may find you need to work a little flour at this point because it tends to be a little sticky.

I suggest doing this with your hands (careful though it is HOT).

Once it cools the texture changes a little so don’t add too much flour or over work it.

I did try this recipe over at The Crafty Collaborative but just didn’t love it as much as my go-to.

You might though so check it out!

You may have noticed some changes on my site and social media pages.

Call it a little spring cleaning!

I have been a little indecisive but I think I am getting close to making final adjustments and getting back into the groove.

I would love to hear your feedback on the new look!

I am pretty certain ya’ll know my love for succulents by now.

I don’t know what it is about those little guys that just makes me smile.

They are like little rays of sunshine!

Which brings me to today’s DIY.

They make the perfect gift for pretty much anyone.

They are cheap, cheerful and easy to keep alive (as long as you ignore them a bit and don’t over water).

I pinned this cute little planter on Pinterest and knew right away I would make one for my mom.

She loves anything green and also loves the little guys like I do.

Best part about this gift was the price and ease of creating it.

I purchased my succulents at Walmart and they came in these hideous little glass vases which I am repainting and re-purposing so that is not a total loss.

They cost about $8.99 each but are generally around $5-$6 when you find them in a planters pot.

The other benefit with these little guys is that they also had moss in them.

Total bonus!

I actually ended up having a little left over and am adding them to some other succulent pots for added drainage.

If you have trouble locating succulents locally I have used this fantistic Etsy shop with great success and great prices.

Glass Bowl or vase (you could use a pot too but part of the appeal is seeing the dirt and layers)

Rocks or glass stones (these are for layering on the bottom to create a place for drainage)

A variety of succulents

Moss and or a 50:50 sand and soil combo

Photos of your loved ones

A laminating machine or self laminating sheets

Hot Glue Gun 

Wooden Sticks (I used a combo of wooden skewers and fat toothpicks)

 Put a layer of rocks on the bottom of your bowl or vase.

Then layer in a little moss or your sand and soil mixture.

Then some more rocks if you didn’t have moss (you really want a lot of drainage).

You will typically end up filling your bowl or vase almost to the top then adding in your new little succulent friends.

Once you have the succulents planted you are onto creating the adorable little people peeking out.

I started with using my Creative Memories Story Book Creator program to create a little birthday card of sorts and to edit my photos.

I have recently rediscovered Story Book Creator and forgot how multipurpose it can be!

I have used it for many posts here on the blog to create images and fancy text.
It is also great for creating labels, cards, photo books, etc.

You can actually get a free trial on their site right now too.

I highly suggest checking it out!

Once you have created your little loved ones in mini size you will want to print them on card stock (that works best when working with a laminating machine) or if you are using self-laminating pages you can use regular printer paper or even photo paper if you want to have really clear images.

I recommend cutting your images out before laminating them.

I find you can cram more into a laminating sheet and they seem to stay in tact better if you cut them first.

Next, using your hot glue gun you want to add a little dot of glue to your wood stick and then attach it to your images.

Stick them into your planter in clever and cute ways and voila!

You have created the most adorable little succulent planter you just might make one for yourself.

Surprise!

It is a new look for a new season.

Every day that there is still snow on the ground here I get a little more anxious.

The way I deal with anxiety is to change things and dive into projects.

Sooooo…..

Here it is! Change and a project.

I did a little research and with some trial and lots of error was able to make some fun updates and changes to the blog.

I have to admit that without the help of this tutorial  from Something Swanky on creating my own social media icons I would have likely given up or just left things half done for some time.

This tutorial inspired me so much that I finally finished!!!

I also used this site for the social media solhouettes which are totally awesome and completely customizable.

One last shout out to PicMonkey which is new to me but will forever be my BFF.

Using PicMonkey I was able to change the color, shape and create the cute little icons you see on the right side of my screen.

So fun!

Do you like the new look of OneMommy’sThoughts? 

I think the colors scream spring and hope that mother nature takes a hint that it is time for the next season.

ENOUGH WINTER. PERIOD.

Enjoy the new look and please stop by again soon to see what else I have up my sleeve!

That is right folks!

I said NO-KNEAD!!!!

Do you see the sky opening and pigs flying?

Of course not.

I wouldn’t lie to you and this is certainly not the end of the world.

It is TRUE!

You can bake bread at home with 4 ingredients and NO KNEADING.

Incredible I know.

You know who we have to thank for this phenomenon?

One lovely lady over at Simply So Good.

She found this recipe in the Times but as far as I am concerned she invented it and then reinvented it again by adding all sorts of fabulous ideas to really make this bread fancy with minimal effort.

Check out the original recipe here at Simply So Good.

It is this easy:

3 Cups white all-purpose flour

1 3/4 Teaspoon Salt (I used sea salt because I have an addiction)

1/2 Teaspoon Yeast 

1 1/2 Cups Water

Mix your dry ingredients together using a whisk.

Then mix in the water.

A spoonula works well for this so you can properly scrape the sides of the bowl.

The dough will be rough and wet looking.

“Shaggy” is what she calls it in the original post.

Cover the bowl (needs to be large enough to allow for rising) with plastic wrap and let sit 12-18 hours.

I let mine sit for about 17 and it was just fine.

Heat your oven to 450 F.

Once at 450 F place your pot into the oven.

I used a cast iron pot like she did in the post as well.

I would suggest it since it gets evenly hot.

Let the pot sit in the oven for 30 minutes.

While that sits, lay your dough out on a heavily floured surface .

I put mine on parchment paper that I then put right into the pot to bake which worked beautifully.

Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough sit while the pot heats up in the oven.

After 30 minutes just pop your dough into the pot and into the oven, parchment and all if you use it.

No need to oil the pot!

Bake for 30 minutes covered and then uncover and bake for another 10-15.

I ended up baking just 10 minutes uncovered as it seemed the crust was getting dark quickly.

This may vary depending on your oven I suppose.

Now go and ENJOY!!!!

Hello! 

Long time no see….

or rather LONG time no write.

Life has been challenging this year but I feel like things are turning around and I am now going to challenge life instead!!!

Thanks for reading when I do post and commenting when you see something you love.

These winter months get awfully long and make this momma want to pull her hair out most days.

I thank goodness for easy craft diy’s to save the day.

Come check out what I have been up to over at The Crafty Collaborative!

PS – Stay tuned for my favorite Pinterest projects of the year. I promise they won’t disappoint!

XoXo

I just had to share what I have been up to at The Crafty Collaborative!

Check out my version of this adorable DIY Screen Print  originally posted by Calico Skies.

Wouldn’t you want a t-rex on your shirt too? 

Or maybe you prefer a gang sign…totally a personal choice but either way stop by The Crafty Collaborative and see just how easy this was to create.

Happy painting!

XoXo

It has been a rough few weeks…well really all of 2012 in our world. In order to cope with it all I have thrown myself in project after project. Just now it occurred to me to actually DOCUMENT a project and share my wisdom with the masses.

I have mentioned in the past that we live in an old house (1957 to be exact) and have had to make a LOT of updates. While this can be very fun it can also be VERY overwhelming.  To add to that, we moved from a tiny two bedroom condo into a massive rambler and really didn’t purchase much (or really anything) for new furniture so we have been trying to make what we had in our condo work in a much larger space.

Let’s just say this has resulted in no particular look just a bunch of stuff thrown together. While we don’t have immediate plans to buy new furniture, I do feel like we are making GREAT progress with other details that will really update the overall “look” of our house. We are aiming for a rustic yet chic look that can stand up to HIGH traffic and destructive children.

A padded room might be best but since that is not an option I am making due.

Last week I decided to spruce up the dining area to inspire myself to get rolling on our kitchen cabinets.

Exhibit A

I have gotten as far as spraying the hardware and removing the cabinet doors.

Clearly they are very sad and badly need a makeover.

 I ordered this fabulous stencil from a really great Etsy shop OMG Stencils.

I have read up a little on stenciling and am very OCD about detail so I figured how hard can this be?!

Well 8 hours later I completed my wall. I am definitely THRILLED with the look but it was a lot more work than I thought.

Partly because I have to work around a door and the ceiling.

So let me give you the details on my little project that turned into a BIG project with even BIGGER results.

Maybe you will be quicker than I was but I moved as fast as I could pour wine….maybe that was my issue??

 Supplies needed:

1 Stencil

Spray Adhesive (I used Elmer’s and you can purchase it at Amazon)

Painters Tape

 Foam Roller

Paint (I went with a latex paint Valspar Semi-Gloss in Argent purchased at my local hardware store)

Press and Seal

Painting tray or in my case a baking sheet

Plastic or a drop cloth

Not pictured here are the baby wipes and paper towel. These were key in quick clean up between applications.

Almost forgot – PATIENCE!!!!

Start by covering a surface where you can set the stencil down in between applications. I used my table covered with some plastic.  Spray a light coat of spray adhesive onto the back of the stencil before putting it on the wall. This will give it a little tack. Not enough that the stencil will complete stick but enough to help it lay flat. I found that after the first couple of applications on the wall the tack sort of went away and I had to hold the stencil down a bit as I applied the paint. Not the end of the world but I had more hope for the spray adhesive. I think you could actually go without unless you happen to have some lying around from another project.

 I found it very stressful to actually attach the stencil initially as I was worried about starting off crooked. So I really took my time getting it just right before getting started. After my first row I did get a little off because working around the door was a challenge. To correct the issue I got back on track and hand painted in to stretch a couple of the shapes. It worked fine and overall you can’t tell at all. That is the beauty! As you work you will need to overlap the stencil with the area you have painted so it is important to make sure that previous area is mostly dry.

Tip: when working at the ceiling remember that you won’t be able to get your image flush so you either have to decide to start it lower with a space up top or you can hand paint to connect the image to the ceiling. That is what I chose since I wanted it to make the room look taller.

Also, don’t load your brush with too much paint. All that will do is cause more to seep underneath the stencil and it will make your image fuzzy and make for more cleanup.

First stencil in progress.

This is what it looked like after I applied paint over the entire stencil.

First one done!

After each application I would flip the stencil upside down on the table and wipe the side that makes contact with the wall to avoid any mistakes in paint getting on areas that were supposed to remain the background color. This is where my baby wipes came into play. They are just so darn handy!

 Full row almost complete.

 Before

After

My hubby hasn’t seen this yet but I know I am excited and hope he feels the same way.

Either way this is STAYING!

It makes me smile just looking at it.

Do you have a project you have loved or maybe one you hated? Please share!

Happy decorating !!!

XO

Poo in the shower
Poo in the tub
Poo in the toilet
Rub a dub dub

Okay maybe I am not a poet but seriously this is where things were going lately! I badly wanted to include a pic of the remnants of what my youngest left behind in MY shower but felt y’all might not continue on if you were subjected to that.

I mean, I have cleaned poo out of many places but in a shower? MY shower?

That I was not expecting.

My youngest is really proving to test my strength as a human AND a mommy. He pushes the envelope and then smiles one of his life saving smiles.

We have had our moments recently that is for sure.
Take this for instance.

The kid is VERY creative!

Sometimes that is good.

Sometimes it is very, VERY bad.

What makes me cry laugh is that this kid is the one that has truly made me a parent. He has completed the “you know you are a mom if….” ten fold.

Repeatedly.

Everyday.

In the end I think that is all that matters but I hope I survive until the end!?

There has been a whole lot of busy in our house in the past few weeks. My hubby and I completed our first 5k together. Certainly not something I expected to cross off my bucket list let alone to do it with my hubby.

Feels good to have actually accomplished something! Something NON-mommy related at that.

Fall is upon us and winter is on its tail. We have gone from Halloween and fall decorating to winter in the blink of an eye.

SNOW the first few days of October.

Man Mother Nature is a cruel lady sometimes.

I plan to share with you more in the coming months. Winter is hibernation for the body but time for the mind to thrive!

I have been busy contributing to The Crafty Collaborative and TRYING to get a style happening in my home after allowing myself to be “okay” with hodge podge for far too long.

Brace yourself for some serious crafting and bad-ass cooking folks!

This is a sweet little DIY screen print I did for my niece.

I am pretty sure I need a hot pink unicorn on my t-shirt now too.

Don’t you?!

 Stay tuned to The Crafty Collaborative for how you can make one too!

Happy Seasons!

XO

Enjoying sunshine and the smell of fall leaves.

Feeling content. This time of year does that to a person you know?
Planning an evening escape and solo movie date. This lady needs those every now and then!
Craving PUMPKIN anything. Pot roast. Fresh baked bread. Hearty soup. Crisp air causes instant hunger for all that is comfort food.
Holding onto the last few moments with my middle child before he heads of to preschool. Praying the transition will be smooth.

Thinking about fall crafts and winter house projects. I love them but need to figure out how to find the time! This Pumpkin Topiary would be adorable right through Halloween. Thanks Pinterest…once again you have inspired me.
Grateful modern medicine. My mom completed her final round of chemo this week and will be moving onto the next phase. We are all looking forward to that!
Anticipating a chilly morning tomorrow with my family at a local farm for a hay ride and to pick out pumpkins. This will be our third year going and we always enjoy. It is one of my favorite small town activities.

Wishing or more so longing for someone to do all my grocery shopping so I can go and just relax instead of doing it myself. A girl has dreams you know?!
Reading The Boy in the Suitcase Lene Kaaberbol. It is a little slow in parts and a tiny bit confusing but very suspenseful! Honestly, this was a $1.99 find on Barnes and Noble so I just went for it.

Wondering where my next girls trip will take me. There has been a lot of Hawaii talk but one can never tell with these ladies. Any suggestions??

Happy Friday ya’ll!

XoXo

With any first in this house we make a point to take pictures…LOTS of pictures and I honestly stress about it a little. I am always so worried about missing the important things like capturing a child blowing out their candles or a sweet moment with daddy on Father’s Day. So today when preparing to send my daughter to her first day of Kindergarten a lot of emotions came out. Worry. Worry about the perfect picture to capture her excitement and worry for her first day out in the world without us.

I am definitely a bit of a crier on most accounts so I feared this might be one of those times that I can’t see through my tears to even get a good picture but thankfully when it comes to the “big” stuff I become a bit of a hard-ass. This is not to say I don’t have my moment later on after the fact. Perfect example is the fact that I didn’t shed a single tear all day and then as I sat down to write this and started looking through the pictures I took of my sweet girl it hit me. I got completely choked up and sat here beaming with pride and feeling a little sad too. It finally struck me how momentous this day was in the history of her life and really the history of mine.  This is the start of her true growth and ultimate freedom and the end of my sanity as we know it.

Just kidding…I am well aware I have several years until pre-teen to really hit that point! 

The boys and I spent the day playing catch up after a wicked and very enjoyable couple of weeks of insanity. One week of insanity was the good kind. The crazy fun you have with a group of girls in a city that is not your home. The kind of fun that only comes with great female bonding, unlimited cocktails and total lack of responsibility. Thank you Las Vegas and thank you girls (you know who you are) for giving me just that!

The other bit of insanity happens to be a DIY my hubby decided to take on that ended up being a full on family affair. We have spent the last several days removing shingles from our crazy (and incredibly old) roof, repairing and putting on new shingles. I can now say that I have purchased “flashing” and shingled two roofs in my lifetime (the other being my sister-in-laws). How many gals can say that!?

So back to the big first day and what the ones left behind were up to.

I knew that it was going to be a little rough so I really didn’t plan anything and just sort of took things where the day went. I took 2 days off of work to allow myself  just a little down time after the big transition. This was a good decision for sure! The boys and I caught up on laundry (mostly), we made paint baggies for mess free finger painting thanks to a wonderful blogger The Hippie Housewife and we baked a delicious treat for Ava to enjoy when she got home from her big day, Monkey Muffins. Ree Drummond you are a damn genius!

We ended the day snuggled up on the couch reading books. Pretty sure we will all sleep like rocks tonight…so many things were accomplished in just one short day! Whew!

I recently received an email from a good friend who is single and sans children. She read this very intriguing article about parenting and if having kids actual makes people unhappy. Thank you CNN for sparking some debate!

Check out the article and decide for yourself!

What I found most interesting wasn’t the article but the response that came from my single friend compared to the response my friend and I (who have kids) gave. We were a mix of “babies complete us” to “I could take it or leave it”. I loved that my friend sans kids thought that I was making motherhood “look good”. Thank goodness I am fooling someone! Kidding but seriously, I guess because I am in the thick of it daily I don’t realize how it must look to an outsider. It is certainly not for the faint of heart.

For me, my response after reading the article focused more on the fact that while children can be a blessing and enrich our lives they can also really cause a person to forget who they were before and stop nurturing ourselves as people – not just parents. This alone could make a person unhappy vs. the very happy they COULD be if they allowed themselves to think outside the box and try to strive for both.

So here was my response:

“In my opinion, the bottom line with parenting and why I think so many parents sort of lose their way is that many think you have to give up being a “person” to be a parent. I think it is quite the opposite. I think becoming a parent actually allows a person to put life into perspective and the saying “becoming a parent made me a better person” doesn’t mean that parents are better people. It just means that parents have been allowed to experience something profound that helped them understand their wants and needs better.” 

So now is when you interject.

What do you think about having kids?

Do you think that not having them makes you smarter than the rest of us or do you feel having kids is what completes the “big picture” in life?

Either way I am grateful for my friends that have AND don’t have kids because they each bring a different element to life. How boring would it be if we were a bunch of soccer mom’s that refused to acknowledge there is a whole other world out there?! My single friend actually encountered these exact women recently when trying to have a conversation in the workplace. It ended when the “soccer mom’s” (I really don’t have an issue with soccer mom’s but in this case it is the best descriptor) asking the age-old questions of “Do you have kids?” and when she said “no” the conversation ended too. Truly sad what those women are missing because this chica is totally worth knowing kids or no kids!

Cheers to diversity in life and friendships!

Oh and to kids too…

they have made me the person I am today and for that I love them even more!

This week we are enjoying the county fair and by enjoying I mean eating our way trough it.

Good times.

Lots of sugar, deep-fried “something” and the smell of cow poo.

MMMM.

Enjoying too much chocolate zucchini bread. In case you missed it the recipe is here. Seriously. You MUST try this recipe. It will change your life.

Feeling sated. I have had my husband home more this week then I have in a long time and I have to say I could get used to this two-parent style life.
Planning a wedding reception crash. Yup. You heard me right. When you live in a small town like I do these are the things you do. I swear. It will be like a mini reunion.
Craving fry bread. Two trips to our local county fair and I have yet to get my fill.
Holding onto the hope that pink eye has left our home. For GOOD. PLEASE?!

Thinking the days are numbered for summer and soon I will have TWO little ones off to school. SAD.
Grateful for my sister. I wised up and asked for more help from her this past month and it has seriously paid off. I have showered daily and managed to work out almost everyday too. Impressed?
Anticipating my Vegas girl’s trip at the end of the month. Thank goodness for mail order shopping. Without it I could never be ready for a trip of this magnitude in time!

Wishing I could “mail order” a six-pack of abs and buns of steel. Wouldn’t that go nicely with my new swimsuit? Speaking of, this may be the winner and if you have post-mom bod like me you should check this out! Thank you Athleta for “keeping it real”.
Reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. I also read two others by her and am hooked. Definitely recommend checking out Gone Girl and Sharp Objects.

Wondering how long this moment of happy play will last between my two oldest. Trains, horses and tracks have made for 30 minutes of love between the two of them. Please let this last!

 Happy Friday and happy weekend! 

XO

Today you can find me hiding out writing about a great children’s book, Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens, on a friend’s blog When the Kids Go to Bed.

Tomorrow….

One can never tell!

So come check me out and learn a little about a book my family loves and I am sure your family will love too.

So every now and then I DO get out.

ALONE.

And do things that “normal” people do like sleep in until 10 (okay I had to get up to pee a couple of times but I stayed in the bed until 10 after that), eat meals late at night and peruse farm equipment.

You heard me right.

FARM EQUIPMENT.

I am super classy and seriously adventurous that way.

Not the mention the fact that when my cousin says “wanna take the mini Cooper” this momma screams YES!!!!

Through the rolling hills (again you heard me – did I stutter?) of North Dakota (they may have very well been the ONLY hills there) we flew with hair blowing in the winds and giggles being lost below the booming sound of spirit lifting music.

Meanwhile on the home front….

My hubby is experiencing the following:

One child falling on his forehead off his bike leaving literal skid marks up the poor kids face.

Another child so upset that she can’t watch TV that she decided to hide on daddy and pout.

Well she hid just a little TOO well and after 10 minutes of searching for her (once realized missing) he cried uncle and started to panic.

She was of course discovered/stumbled upon in between some art stackers and a cabinet.

He endured all of this on just a few hours sleep thanks to the kids rising with the sun (also thanks to his late night fishing but that is another story).

Needless to say everyone survived.

Some with battle wounds and some without.

Pretty sure my hubby was ready to go to work today and be an adult again!

I on the other hand was NOT ready for the week to start but somehow managed to make the best out of it and even squeeze in a meal of comfort food for dinner.

TGIT??? Not sure I am actually that thrilled but glad to put Monday behind us.

I would love to hear your daddy or mommy blunders and how you survived them or maybe just your favorite “adult day” memory. 

Cheers to surviving Monday!!!

XO

This past week brought summer and the start of long afternoons at the beach and a whole lotta sand EVERY WHERE! Sand and all it is a good shift in the universe and we welcome the change of pace. 

Enjoying the smell of a campfire somewhere nearby. It is amazing how long that warm, cozy smell can linger.

Feeling annoyed that my hubby needed to sleep in this morning granted he did get in late, this mommy could have used a bike ride or a brisk walk with some jamming tunes to start the day. Instead I settled for breakfast on the deck.
Planning an overnight trip to visit a cousin. Just me and my cuz shooting the breeze. Not often can I “shoot the breeze” so it will be a nice reprieve.
Craving delicious grilled veggies and meat. Tis the season right?!
Holding onto my patience by a string. Some days are just like that. I think I can. I think I can. 

Thinking about our upcoming annual Father’s Day camping weekend. It will be a ridiculous amount of work but such great memories. Lots of changing this year that is for sure.
Grateful for the sunshine that has taken my brood outdoors this week. Pretty sure I would not have survived otherwise.
Anticipating the news of a new little one for a close friend of mine. Sweet little baby girl will be entering the world at any minute. Pure magic!

Wishing I could muster up the energy to get my office demolition started so that when the time comes we are ready to get to work rebuilding it.
Reading  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I know I will likely not sleep well while reading this book because it is all sorts of creepy but well written so I will continue on anyway.

Wondering when I should start shopping for my Vegas trip in August….probably should not procrastinate since there is a good chance most swimwear will be long gone by the time I need it! Anyone have great tips for Vegas attire??

Have a beautiful day and even better weekend!

XO