February Photos

February

No rules. Just a prompt and a camera. Check out Chantelle's photo a day challenge.

February N Review

February

What I'm eating/drinking: 
COFFEE

What I'm wearing: 
Jeans and a sweater

My last Nook/iTunes/Audible purchase: 
On Audible: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
iTunes: Adele 'Skyfall'
Nook: Prayer by Richard Foster

What I need to do today:
Build more snowmen.

What the kids are doing: 
Napping. They have had a long day out in the snow playing and are resting it off now.

How I'm feeling:
Good, ready to get out in the snow some more.

What I'm listening to: 
Defending Jacob

Words to describe this month: 
SNOWFALL

Noteworthy: 
We are finally getting some winter weather this spring.

What reading/learning did I do this month? 
Lover Awakened
Gone Girl
The Light Between Oceans
The Cider House
Maybe This Time

What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month? 
The Oscars! I only really understand what is going on half of the time. I love watching what all the ladies are wearing.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? 
Met baby Kohen!! He is such a precious baby.

What gifts did I give and/or receive? 
Valentine goodies!!! The boys had plenty of Valentine fun my favorite gift was the ABC book that we made for Josh.

What special or unusual purchases did I make? 
The boys and I went to Dunkin' Donuts! I love that place and it was so much fun to take the boys there.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have? 
All is well this month in this area.

What were my accomplishments this month? 
I made a fire and kept it going all day in the fireplace!!! Whoop Whoop!!!

What were my downers this month? 
Library books are being turned in late. I'm sorry, it's a terrible thing.

What new things did I try? 
Snowboarding on a sled... not a great idea.

How did I do on my goals for the month?
Crafts are going well. Feeling better about all that is going on.

Show and Share: Painting in the Snow

With three boys we are always looking for cool boy stuff to do. No pink here!

We are currently getting a little snow love out this way.

We have built snow castles, snowmen, snow bunnies, snow dogs.
We have had snowball fights, which by the way I would like them to be added to the Olympics as a winter sport. I'm not sure why there hasn't been one this whole time.

Any who, with all the snow we decided to paint on it.

You heard me paint on the snow.

All you need is food coloring, water, some sort of container and SNOW!

 














If we do it again I would put it in a bowl and use a paint brush. We used a dropper to paint with. Also if you pack the snow down a little before you start painting it seemed to work a little better too.

Have fun and stay warm!

Two for Twosday

Two for Twosday: two thoughts/ updates/ photos/ something that I don't want to forget or am flat out oober excited about.

1. SNOW!!! We have gotten today 6 1/2" of snow today... that's on top of the 10" that we got on Friday. The weather man says that we aren't even half way through all the snow we are supposed to be getting. SNOW day!!!

2. Snow days mean fire in the fireplace for us. We have been roasting hot dogs for dinner and marshmallows for s'mores. Yummm yummy!!! We also try drying snow shoes by the fire... good idea in theory .. however if you should try to do this... do not set your boots too close. Why you might ask, because they will melt the boots. Yay for new boot shopping!!!

iPhone tip

So for those of us in the Midwest snow dump right now I thought I would share this quick tip. This is for those of us without an OttorBox (they make your phone pretty much indestructible).  I do not know that Apple backs this tip, probably not, so keep that in mind.

If you haven't noticed I love taking pictures. One of the problems that I run into in snow or rain pictures is... I don't want to get my phone out to take the pictures.

Intro: Ziploc bags

Put your phone in the said ziploc bag, zip it up, try to get as much air out as possible. Ta-dah! No snow or rain on the phone and the touch screen still works. I tried this the other day and had light weight gloves on and it worked GREAT! I used the sandwich size bag, I don't know for sure if the iPhone would fit in a snack size or not??? You are going to want to hold the bag tight when taking pictures so that it doesn't give you a wavy affect.

MIND YOU, I'm not saying bury your phone in the snow or submerge it in water. That you probably would want to get an OtterBox for.

This would also work great at the beach Oregon friends! No sand/water problems. Again not that I would build a sandcastle on top of it or take it out in the ocean.

What are some of your iPhone tips/tricks???

{this moment}

{this moment} -  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Book Log: Gone Girl

Gone Girl
By: Gillian Flynn
FOUR out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Okay so normally you start reading a book and you have it "figured out" but keep reading just to see. NOT this one. Gone Girl is one chapter him, one chapter her. You don't like him and then you hate her. Just wow. The mind trickery that is played out in this book is wild. The thought of wanting revenge on your husband so badly that you would plan for years the way to frame him for your death. Okay, see now I am saying too much already. MUST READ BOOK! I wasn't too fond of the book right off the bat, stick with it, it gets wild.

the run down:
Marriage can be a real killer. 
One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Five Minute Friday: What Mama Did...

I'm joining in on Lisa-Jo Baker's Five Minute Friday. The rules are pretty simple. One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing.

What my mama did that made her mine...

Rian and my Momma

She has a heart for caring.

My Momma always cares. She cares about absolutely everyone around her. She cares about what is going on in everyone's day to day life. Not to be nosy .. well maybe : ) but she genuinely cares to know because maybe just maybe there might be something she can do. If there isn't something physically that she can do, you know that that concern or praise is on her prayer list. Not the prayer list that might be used for gossip at church. Her personal prayer list. 

She doesn't forget that care either. Perfect example my dearest friend from childhood needed a sitter for some of her animals. Unfortunately Momma wasn't able to. Months later out of the blue Momma called to ask about my friends animals. They had been on her mind and prayers all that time. 

Momma had a rocky journey for her life, she has been through a thing or two. She never let it harden her though. She has had absolutely every reason to let it, everyone would have understood why. She didn't. Momma cares for those that have done wrong to her. When you or I might turn our backs, she still cares.

Momma has that hug always waiting for anyone. Momma cares to make sure that everyone feels cared for. She wants to see that everyone has that special piece of love. She cares that you not feel alone in what you are going through. If you need to cry, she will cry with you. If you want to be silly, she will be silly with you. She cares to make sure you don't carry a burden alone. If she is there to carry a praise with you, it's like Christmas for her!

Momma cares to make sure that everyone is taken care of. She spent years helping her parents as they got older. She took hours upon hours out of everyday to make sure that chores that they couldn't do got done. She made sure that they had their treats that they didn't get to go out and have. Gramps was Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Grams was Arby's. The fact that she knows people's simple pleasures and would greatly take the time out of her day just to surprise you with it brings a smile to my face.  

Momma always knows when someone was in need of being cared for. Call it a sixth since if you want. She always has a knack for being able to call or text about someone who is in need. I believe that is her gift that the Lord gave her. A heart for caring, that's what makes my Momma mine.

Show and Share: ABC Book

With three boys we are always looking for cool boy stuff to do. No pink here! *** Unless it's another Valentine post!

I wanted to share this earlier... but because it was someone special gift... Josh ;) we are showing it to you now. For Valentine's day the boys made their Dad an ABC book. Each letter was about something they love about their Dad. It's super easy and so much fun to make.

How to make an ABC book-
- In Word I divided up one page into four squares.
- In each square I put one letter. *Play with different fonts!
- Printed the pages out and cut them up.
- We divided up the letters and let the boys come up with something they loved about their Dad.

It was so cool to see what the boys came up with all on their own!

Each of our boys are at a different level with writing. The best route for us was to let them illustrate a picture and then I helped with the writing.

I did make sure that Sam got S, Louis got L and Rian got R. They got to write their name and draw a picture of themselves.

- We used a binder ring to hold them together. Love these little guys. Just punch a hole in the corner and your good to go.
 *If you don't have a binder ring, stapling it would work too.
-I made a front and back cover, also in Word.
*I did make the front and back page just a smidge wider than the inside pages.

- We made a little envelope to hold the ABC book.
We used a pink scrapbooking paper, folded it in half and stapled the sides.
When your making the envelope just make sure that you have a little extra room on the sides. It makes it easier to staple and room for your ABC book to fit ;)

Think of all the possibilities for this little book!!!

Two for Twosday

Two for Twosday: two thoughts/ updates/ photos/ something that I don't want to forget or am flat out oober excited about.

1. Multi-color pens. They were everywhere when I was younger. I have been looking for a few months now for one of these pens for the boys. You know one pen but four different colors. I FOUND IT! Yep, I bought three. The boys LOVE them... and I might go back and buy one for me.

2. The boys and I went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast! LOVE their doughnuts!!! Yumm. This also brought up the doughnut debate. Do you prefer DD, Krispy Kreme or Lemars? I would take DD but I was brought up on them so I think I'm partial to them. Josh would take Krispy Kreme. What would you take???

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Sunday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Book Log: Decision Points

Decision Points
By: George W. Bush
FOUR out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Wow. So many thoughts on this book.
-It's not something that I personally would be able to pick up and read at the beach.
-I am not a big political follow, know all. In fact sometimes that's what I dislike the most about politics. Who knows who, who are they mingling with, etc. The way the book is written, you don't have to feel like you have to already know who is who.
-I was worried that when reading this book it would be bogged down with so much political...hoop-la that I wouldn't be able to read it. Not true.
-Reading this book definitely brought new found respect for the president. Let me be clear on this point. It let me respect the position and all the responsibilities that come with it. Not a specific president but any president.
-It gave me a better view on what the president deals with. Not to be confused with, now I think I know what the president deals with everyday.
-I have always been a George Bush fan, I leave out the middle initial because both presidents I am extremely proud of. That being said, yes I was biased when reading this book. Show me one person that isn't biased and read this book and didn't let their previous opinions reflect on their reviews though.
-How much any action, word, look, etc. is played out by the media. I thought I was aware of what the media does to pretty up a story. Wow. Just wow. Some of the littlest comments that were made are twisted to complete opposites of what they meant.
-How laughable it is at what some people think the president is capable of. He is set to a guidelines and rules too. Yes, he does have the option to overrule them.
-That every single decision that is made is always met with another one.
-I think we all forget that the president is still human. He isn't going to get everything right 100% of the time.
-The president isn't going to agree with what you think 100% of the time.
-There is no perfect president.
-I mentioned the found respect. I learned that I had a very bad habit of putting a lot of blame of what happens in our country on the president. So wrong of me. Yes, the president does hold a lot of responsibility... it's like football. You know when you're watching a game and everyone keeps blaming every single play on the quarterback when realistically there are 10 other people who took part in the play. It's like that.
-I have a terribly hard time reading a lot of the reviews that were written about the book for a few reasons.
  1. Not a one of us can write a review that doesn't hold a bias view. Yes, I most definitely fall in this comment.
  2. It seems like a hand full of the people that do decide to read the book and aren't Bush fans expect the book to some how... turn them around. To that I all I can say is... really? He gave you eight years of his life and you think a chapter book is going to change that. The most that it can change it the misled views that the media put out there.

Yes, I have already put Bill Clinton's memoir on my list of books to read.
No, I am not planning on reading Obama's book that was released. I would like to wait to read, hopefully, the book that he will write after his second term is up.
No, I still am not fond of politics.

In a nut shell. Great read. I'm glad I have this book in my collection.

the run down:

In this candid and gripping account, President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal life.

George W. Bush served as president of the United States during eight of the most consequential years in American history. The decisions that reached his desk impacted people around the world and defined the times in which we live.

Decision Points brings readers inside the Texas governor’s mansion on the night of the 2000 election, aboard Air Force One during the harrowing hours after the attacks of September 11, 2001, into the Situation Room moments before the start of the war in Iraq, and behind the scenes at the White House for many other historic presidential decisions.

For the first time, we learn President Bush’s perspective and insights on:

His decision to quit drinking and the journey that led him to his Christian faith

The selection of the vice president, secretary of defense, secretary of state, Supreme Court justices, and other key officials

His relationships with his wife, daughters, and parents, including heartfelt letters between the president and his father on the eve of the Iraq War

His administration’s counterterrorism programs, including the CIA’s enhanced interrogations and the Terrorist Surveillance Program

Why the worst moment of the presidency was hearing accusations that race played a role in the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, and a critical assessment of what he would have done differently during the crisis

His deep concern that Iraq could turn into a defeat costlier than Vietnam, and how he decided to defy public opinion by ordering the troop surge

His legislative achievements, including tax cuts and reforming education and Medicare, as well as his setbacks, including Social Security and immigration reform

The relationships he forged with other world leaders, including an honest assessment of those he did and didn’t trust

Why the failure to bring Osama bin Laden to justice ranks as his biggest disappointment and why his success in denying the terrorists their fondest wish—attacking America again—is among his proudest achievements

A groundbreaking new brand of presidential memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on eight remarkable years in American history—and on the man at the center of events.

Five Minute Friday: Beloved

I'm joining in on Lisa-Jo Baker's Five Minute Friday. The rules are pretty simple. One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing.

Beloved

I couldn't look him in the eyes for months. I wasn't sure why. Every time I thought about it, I could feel my cheeks turn pink. When I saw him coming over to visit... you know that saying, butterflies in your tummy.... it was like that. 

I finally put my thumb on all those... puppy love feelings.I cared deeply for this person. I couldn't though. I wasn't deserving. I had too much past. I let go of those doubts and fears and it came to me. This was my other half. How, how is that possible? I'd known him for years. Yet those feelings had never changed. 

Those beautiful blue eyes. I know why it was hard to look at them. The love that I have for him was shining back at me. 

My best friend, my rock, my safety, my husband.

Valentine Doggy doo-doo

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

I thought I would break the romantic lovely-ness in the air. I'm going to tell you a story. True story. This happened...

2010, Samual was four, Louis was three and Rian was seven months old.

The Friday before the boys all had a Valentine's party at their pre-school. Candy, cupcakes, sweets, games, all together silliness. After getting them home and looking at all the fun treats and cards that they had gotten I started to make dinner. Spaghetti. How I remember that it was spaghetti? Funny you should ask. I remember that it was spaghetti because I remember cleaning it off the chandelier. Don't look at me like that. Yes after a full day of happiness and love and candy there was now spaghetti that I had to clean from the chandelier.

I cleaned the boys up and had let them play with their new treats. Treats that they had gotten from their party, you know... erasers, finger puppets, pencils, rings, tattoos, stickers... that sort of thing. The spaghetti was trickier to get down than I thought it would be.

I notice how quiet it had gotten. I look over to my three and four year old putting heart stickers all over themselves. I mean they had their shirts off and they were sticking them everywhere. The seven month old had his face decorated. I think to myself, go enjoy your heart stickers. Love, happy, Valentine's day, hearts.

So I continue cleaning the spaghetti. Sauce had somehow hardened into the space where the table comes together. You know that one space where you can open the table up and add a sleeve to make the table bigger.

I notice again how quiet it is. I look up to find my three and four year old decorated in heart stickers. Samual handing Louis heart stickers. Aww, they're playing together nicely. Louis is bending down and putting stickers on the floor. The giggling is what made me nervous. I decide to check out what pattern on the floor they are making with the heart stickers. It wasn't the floor they were putting heart stickers on. It was doggy doo-doo.

Me- "STOP! Stop putting Valentine heart stickers on dog poop."

INSERT> The moment when you really wish you would write down all those wacky things that you had to say to your children.

Samual- "We were only decorating."

Louis- "Everything needs valentine heart stickers Mom."

They both look unsure. Like they know now that they shouldn't have put the stickers there but do they take them off?

Me- Rushing over to throw doggy doo-doo away. "Thank you, but I think we need to stop decorating things now."

Samual and Louis go to play with the other treats that they had gotten.

Me. I'm left with dog doo-doo that has been decorated with Valentine heart stickers.

So I do the only natural thing a parent with a camera phone does. :)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Show and Share: Valentine cards

With three boys we are always looking for cool boy stuff to do. No pink here!

Normally no pink... unless it's Valentine cards!!!

I get a thrill taking the boys to the store tp pick out their cards. You never really know what one they will pick out. It's a tough pick. It's not just the card that you pick out now either. What treat are you going with the card? There are tattoos, stickers, suckers, pencil, eraser, puzzles... you see the dilemma, yes?!This year Samual picked out Scooby-Doo, Louis picked Cars and Rian picked Spongebob. Then comes the decision of what to pick for the teachers! It's not just their main teacher though either. What about the music, PE, art, media, principal, etc? How many extra special Valentines do you get for them?! You don't want them to feel left out. They play a big role in our kiddos schooling as well. We got our main teachers a special gift and then our extra helper teachers got a card. I still and going back and forth on that choice, if you couldn't tell.

Samual's Valentine's were by far the hardest to put together this year. He had Scooby-Doo with tattoos and a sticker to close the card. It was trying to get the tattoo into place that was tricky! Samual needed to write his friends names and his names on his card.

We recruited our dear friend Ryann to assist with the tattoo debacle. Giggle. Ryann and I also found yet another point as to how very different boys and girls are. When we did Valentine cards you had to make sure that each card went to the right friend. You didn't want the wrong saying to go to a boy for pete's sake! With boys... they just slap a name on and there you go!

Louis had suckers that went with his cards. Instead of writing his friends names he just had to write to: friend and then his name. Which I thought was a great compromise as writing is still a little tricky. Until we noticed the space that was left to write friend. This is where I want to ask the Valentine card makers if they even tried writing a three letter name into the to and from spot that they made available  It was darn near impossible. Even the one that I helped him on I had a hard time getting it all to fit in there. Sigh. You won that round cards. They turned out beautiful! Sir Louis did a spectacular job!

Rian also had suckers for his Spongebob cards. Sir Rian had help putting his name on his cards. He was a VERY big help when it came to putting the suckers in the cards. He also was very helpful with eating a few of the suckers that broke. Also note to the card makers... We had more broken suckers in our box than non broken. To the parents that get the broken ones, I'm sorry!

You know what always helps after a long card putting together session... wine.