The weight of the domestic life...

Sometimes do you feel like this poor household faerie?

With the weight of the world of cleaning on you?

WELL...check out this blog, have some fun, and don't worry

because cleaning can wait this time!!

http://graphicsfairymylife.blogspot.com

I love this site!!!!

Loving the North West

There is just something magical to me when

in November

flowers can still bloom.

I grew up in the western states in the north for the most part of my life except for 5 months in Georgia and 4 in Florida.

So to see a daisy blooming amongst all the dead and rotted ones,

(because I have been too lazy and busy to get outside and clean up!)

and a rose bud ready to burst, my simple pleasure-o-meter always pops off the charts!!

Ahhhhhhhh! Sweet bliss!

So Happy November.

FIND THE BEAUTY!

No matter where your are or in the situation you are in.

Tender mercies are everywhere!

A time for Birthdays

Preston's Birthday is 4 days before Dan's.

We headed over to Spokane to visit my sister and her family for Preston's big day.

He wanted to celebrate #7 it over there.

We had lots of fun!!

Then time for Dan's birthday...no matter how old you get, (#37)

indeed you should have that many candles to blow out!!

What a flame on that baby!

I made it easy for him and put them all

together though so he wouldn't get so winded!!

His favorite present of all was inspired

from a phrase our sweet, quick-witted daughter calls her father.

(Especially when he asks her to behave or

to do something contrary to what she wants to do.)

Thus.....the "Benevolent Dictator" was born.

Isn't that an oxymoron?

You got to love parenthood, or at least find the

moments to laugh at it before you crack!

Especially when you wonder what alien form

took control of your child's mind and attitude,

praying someday you can bring them back to earth.

Freeing my GLEE

You can always count on two things in September...

1. School starting

2. The big Western Washington fair here in Puyallup!

On a specified Wednesday, school gets out at noon and each Puyallup student is armed with a ticket to get into the fair.

Laura went with some friends and the boys, Dan and I had a jolly ole' time!

Of course we are getting started with one of the "must haves" cotton candy!

This old fashioned roller coaster is so fun! It is 75 years old this year!!!

Preston and I getting rainy wet in line for SINBAD...

We met up with some friends, and having a ball!

I snuck into the building were the flowers were judged! I love Dahlias

and Hydrangeas.

A long day...

But we rode till 10 when the rides closed! One of our favorites was the SEA DRAGON!

Although rainy and crowed and I left motion sick, a really fun day! Though I think we might do it on another day other than the school fair day...

Next Stage in Life!

My life seemed to change and swirl in a new way yesterday.

A strange, new thing happened...

ALL my children are in school all day!

(this is all of us before we got on the 'ole wagon!)

The day a young mother thinks will never come...

Through all the arranging of sitters for appointments

and running errands,

and wrangling time around nap times,

and never feeling you get a chance by yourself,

and...,

and...,

and...,

And now?

Well, I am not sure how I feel. I am happy with the stages they are in.

Of course until I look at their pictures from yester year.

But now are new expectations expected?

Do I have to have the house spic and span?

and dinner ready?

and lawn mowed?

and weeded?

and cookies baked?

and laundry done?

and...?

and...?

and...?

Really?

Will our expectations of unrealistic perfection ever change no matter what stage?

All I have to say is maybe I should study that one out, eat some bonbons and watch a good movie right before I take a nap!

WELL, DON'T I DESERVE SOME SELF INDULGENCE!?!?!

Layouts!

My little niece was born during a HUGE snow storm in Spokane, WA, 2008.

We do not get snow here often so it is a lot of fun when we do!

My sweet Laura Lou was at 6th grade camp for three whole days in 2008 and I missed her so.

The page is a little busy but I guess it reflects how my mind was as I rushed through all her years up until then.

Oh how I love my Danny!!

It stared as a JR high love and kept it as a long distance love for 7 years until we finally got married! Oh what a JOYOUS and HAPPY day that was!!!!

One of my brothers lives on this beautiful little river.

We love to go there anytime of year, but swimming is really fun!

I decided to write a short story for this day that Preston and I went to the dog park.

It was in February and a pretty day!

Me as a blond and Danny with an afro on halloween!

What hotties!

Christmas with family.

Again, I love dimension!

Just beautiful...

Snow, on snow, on snow.

My Danny was the first to jump off the truck cab onto the trampoline.

Of course the children soon followed.

Cards

I enjoy making cards.

I like the little canvases!

I do declare I enjoy texture...

and dimension!

I love this tag card!

The feel of it is great because of all the sewn layers of it!

I just adore this here birdie!