A gift...

It's funny to me how the universe brings us what we need when we need it.... I've always believed that but sometimes have to be reminded from time to time....

From the time I was little I have had this gift of thrifting... I don't know how I was blessed with it, and feel kinda snobby even talking about it but when it comes right down to it, I really do have a gift when it comes to thrifting and I really do feel blessed  by it... over and over again...

My first experience with it came when I was probably 4 or 5. I was going with my grandparents as they set up at a flea market. I can remember being told to bring a jacket and fighting that I didn't need one. Then my next memory was opening the door and seeing the fog floating across the field of tables being set up and thinking that I had been soooo wrong!! What is it about being a kid and just having to fight what we think are terrible rules? lol Anyways, I can remember thinking that I was going to be sick, it was so chilly and I didn't have any room to complain! My gram took me to look around  while my papa started to set up their tables and I remember bending down to look thru a box and finding a Cabbage Patch blanket for $.75!! What luck!! I had it wrapped around me for the rest of the morning!! I still have that blanket to this day... yes, I know I'm a packrat! :)

From then on, I have always had the best of luck at finding what I need/want at yard sales, thrift shops and even the occasional dump! lol In high school, I even passed that luck on to friends that would take me shopping with them when they needed to find the perfect dress! After I got my first prom dress for less than $20 (new) they became believers in my gift too! lol



I think I must be passing it on to my girls now... I must sound like a terrible parent in the store tho. I can remember my oldest wanting one of those electronic dogs on a trip to Toys R Us. You know the ones... they bark and pant and cost a small fortune? Yeah, as we are looking at it in the store, I told her that in a few months, after Christmas had passed that we would start finding them in thrift stores when the other kids got tired of them and then we could get them and "rescue" the homeless toy dogs... little did I know how true that would be! A few months later, on Freecycle, someone listed not the little dog that we'd been looking at but the $200+ big electronic lab! He even came with working batteries and his very own bone! Now my girls make comments in the stores when they see something they like.... "Guess we'll have to keep our eye out for that one huh Mom?" lol I love it!! :)

If you've been reading my blog for very long, you already know about the newest "treasures" as we call them, that fell into our laps. Again... we are so blessed... But more so, I think that it's all about timing. I think that had I found those tools a few years ago I wouldn't have known what to do with them, or at the very least I would have bought them and they would have set in my closet unused. But to get them now, when I am ready for them? It's amazing!!

I have been a wood burning fool! lol I've been working on toys swaps, and gifts and even a few custom orders from friends! As soon as I get caught up I am hoping to start listing some in my etsy shop too! After years of feeling out of place at our last location, I feel like I can truly feel the glow of God's good favor on us. I know it's probably silly to feel that finding the best tools for our hobbies is a blessing from God, or that he would waste his time on such trivial things is crazy but I really do... We were ready for it and He is opening doors for us....

After having such good luck with the wood working tools, a few days later I got a call from one of my favorite thrift shops in town. They have a wish list board and I had added a reel mower (yes I know I'm crazy) and a spinning wheel. I knew that they were both long shots but figured I had nothing to lose! Well, a few months ago, she did get in a reel mower (which I love by the way!) and then a few weeks ago she had gotten in a spinning wheel!! The price however was A LOT more than I was willing to put out for something I had never tried before! lol  She asked what I was willing to pay for one if she ever got one in again. I explained that I was really just looking for something to try out, not a big investment so I was looking for a cheap one, probably not more than $50. At the time I thought for sure that I had blown it. I would never possibly find one that cheap in a thrift store, and sighed as I kissed my dream of spinning my own yarn away... but wait!! She called again! A lady had overheard her talking to me on the phone. She said that she had a spinning wheel at home that she had used in while and that I could have it for $50!!!! You remember that gift I told you I had about finding what I need/want? I think it's been in over drive lately! lol

So, within a few hours of getting the call I was in at the store and bringing my new "baby" home... :) But just wait... God wasn't finished with me yet.... but that will have to wait for another day! :)



I love learning about the process of things. Whether it's making a recipe from scratch or turning wool from a sheep into yarn that will later keep my kids warm on a cold winters day... the process is the real journey and I'm so glad to be on this adventure....

If you were to ask R, she'd say it was a hoopa hoop party....The hula party went off without a hitch! Everyone seemed to have a great time with the hula hoop contest, sac race and snow cones! Good old fashion fun in the sun! The day could not have been more perfect....now if only I could figure out how to keep them little forever!

Kid made dinner

Ever since J got this little cookbook at the Girls' bookclub Christmas book exchange, she has been itching to try out a recipe from it!


So... the other night she got to make dinner! Boy was it yummy!! She was so proud...and yet it was something so simple!


If you'd like to get this GREAT kids cookbook to you can order it directly from my friend Brandy! Go HERE! (While you're there be sure to check out all the other great books UsBorne carries! My "wish list" gets bigger and bigger! lol) Now.... go cook with your kids!

K-LOVE Home for the Holidays

Some time ago, before Christmas, there was a contest on my favorite radio station KLOVE. It was called Home for the Holidays and consisted of writing a letter to the person that makes you think of " home". We were instructed to write as if we were talkin to them face to face and telling them why they mean so much to us...All of that for a chance to go home for the holidays. Obviously I didn't win so I don't know why I kept the letter I wrote but thought I would share it here...


As a small child, my mother and I lived with my grandparents after my father left us. My mother had to work so I spent my days with my gram. She was the best baker I have ever known and had the biggest heart. She would bake and cook for anyone that would eat it! I can remember running errands with her and my Aunt Bern or going to visit my great grandparents. When I think of her, I think of how selfless she was. She gave me the start in life that I will forever be greatful for...Eventually my mom remarried a great man and we moved away for an exciting military life and I then married into the military life again which has kept me away for many years. One thing that has never changed is my connection with my Gram. The last few years have been hard, as dementia/early onset alzheimers has taken so much of my gram away from us. I treassure the talks we have and the things I have learned from her over the years but I can feel her slipping away. I wish I could tell her how much she means to me and how much she is a part of me but I know it would confuse and upset her. She's one of the strongest women I know. I want to be able to teach my girls the things she has instilled in me... I love you Gram!

I could have gone on to say SO much more but they limited the amount of words....Who would you write your letter to and what would you say?

The evolution of a bookshelf

We have been playing musical rooms with the bedrooms again. It seems as tho I can't leave them alone for more than 6 months or so without swapping big pieces of furniture back and forth between the rooms and recreating the spaces into something new and exciting.

So....the most recent room swap has resulted in the girls losing their playroom (after many attempts to get them to clean it) and me getting a craft room! We moved the girls' beds into the bigger room so they could have their toys and such all in the same room and so I could have the smaller room for sewing, crafts etc!

Well, in the moving around, their playroom/bedroom is definitely a bit more crowded than it was before and their just wasn't a place for the newly acquired Barbie collection. I have been thinking about getting them a house of some sorts but just haven't found the right one at the right price...so I decided to improvise!

This book shelf was one I purchase off our single neighbor in Alaska when he was moving. Janie was just a baby, or maybe not even born, and I thought it would be perfect for all of her little board books! It has served her books well but long since overflowed with her love of reading so it was time for something new!

In theory, this will be something for them to play with when I am in there sewing and can't watch them in the other room. We'll see if that all pans out but for the time being I am so excited to show them. I'm just waiting for the perfect time ! Someday I'd like for them to have a bigger one but for now this Barbie condo will have to do...you gotta start somewhere right?

*Dori would not stay out of the picture! I guess she didn't want to miss out on all the attention! lol

Mad dash of birthdays

I have had so many moments that I've thought I would blog only to remember how far behind on blogging I am! So I've decided to just blog what's on my mind and then maybe make up some other thoughts later...

Our house has been a flurry of birthday events for weeks it seems! The girls' birthdays are only a day apart and of course they always fall on Easter weekend so we ended up having the party a week later. Everything went great and the girls seemed to have a great time with their friends but the two weeks or so leading up to it was nothing but planning on birthday stuff, working on birthday stuff and hearing "Is it my birthday yet?" "How many days till my birthday?"and eventually it was "Did you get my present done yet?"

I have always been an over achiever and I usually get in over my head and end up stressed out in a big way. This year was no different! lol I wanted so badly to have everything done in time, and for the most part I did actually get it all done! I had new name banners made for each of the girls, a crown for each of them AND new babies (with matching blankets, pillows and pjs)

A long night

I thought that a sick 4 year old was bad enough but I was wrong...an almost 2 year old with a fever spiking near 105 is definately worse...

After numerous phone calls to the nurses line, they finally gave us the ok to go to the hospital! Sometimes I really hate the hoops we have to jump thru to get medical care, but I know we are luck to have the coverage at all. When all was said and done, R has a bad case of the croup, her fever was down and she's acting more herself. THANKYOU GOD! Last night seemed to last forever and I know it was only a matter of a few hours. We got home around 4:30 am and have been just taking it easy ever since...Thanks for all the prayers that were/are going out our way!

I couldn't help but take this picture on my cell phone...she was such a trooper and looked so sweet there sleeping in the ER. I have never been to glad to see her eyes brighten and her skin a normal shade!

Being a grown up...

...STINKS! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Sorry, I know it's not very grown-up to yell like that but if I did if for real I think the neighbors might get upset. I feel like my heart has been so battered and bruised lately and I know the girls are going thru it right along with me. I don't even know how to put into words what I am feeling accept helpless and sad...where to start....

After the whole ordeal with Remi and then not getting that little puppy that we drove to Ft Worth to get, I feel like this whole process of getting another dog has been such a mess and so NOT the picture perfect event it was supposed to be. Miley is a wonderful dog but from the very begining we just haven't felt like we "clicked". We have tried to convince ourselves that she was meant to be ours and that it was better to have a not-so-little dog. Maybe we're really not a little dog kind of family. I really do like her, she is a real sweetheart and it has been a better transition than I could have ever hoped for , however her and Karma have been having issues for almost a week now and they aren't going away. At first it started over food the girls were dropping from the table or feeding them in the livingroom watching tv. By the sounds of it, you would think they are killing each other when in fact they aren't even touching each other but rather just growling like mad. We've made sure they are on different sides of the room to eat, told the girls to not feed them at all and now they still seem to break into these bouts of growling that come out of no where! They have never acted out any of this aggression towards people but I know that it would only take once of the girls getting in the way and I don't think I could live with myself if something happened. On the other hand, I feel like a failure and a quiter and I second guess everything. Did we rush into it because we were so upset at not getting the puppy we thought we were? Am I being too particular and expecting too much?

Last night a friend of mine and I were talking and she mentioned that they were looking for a dog....They don't have any other animals and are looking for a smaller dog for their kids. It took me a day to work up the courage (and long talks iwth Jason) to offer Miley to them....I love her and hate to see her go but on the other hand I have to look out for my kids and Karma first, but that doesn't make this choice any easier, especially seeing the hurt on Janie's face when we explained it all to her...making grown up choices stinks!

In the quiet moments

My mind has been full of thoughts lately...hurt and longing...creative and overwelming feelings....needing closure and moving on to new chapters...It is in the few quiet moments like the one pictured that all these feelings give me a moment of peace. Something as simple as a baby in need of her daddy's snuggle time can make the world look so much nicer...This is my newest favorite picture. So dear!

A little girl bed

I know I should be happy that she's moving on to the next stage in her life, it shouldn't make me cry to see her crawling into her toddler bed...but it does....We hadn't planned on dismantling her crib last night but knew that day would be coming sometime soon. She climbed out of her crib and was sitting in a little chair on the floor when I found her. I was so scared she was hurt but in just a minute or two she was laughing it up with Daddy about crawling out of the crib! lol So...at 10:30 on a Monday night, she moved on to her "little girl bed" as we called it. I pulled out the princess quilt I bought months ago for just such an occasion and we tucked her into her "new" bed (her crib with one side removed). She was smiling as I took the pictures, just soaking up all the attention but was not at all happy when the lights went out and Daddy said goodnight! Needless to say, it was a long night with little sleep and I woke up to find her sleeping on the floor next to sister's bed in the morning! Where does the time go?