April's Photos

April

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

{play}

{blue}

{something beginning with A}

{this happened today}

{something good}

{air}

{dreamy}

{on my plate}

{tiny}

{a place}

{detail}

{in the middle}

{view from bed}

{water}

{alone}

{favorite color}

{busy}

{hello!}

{button}

{on my mind}

{fire}

{blurry}

{time}

{i saw this guy}

{life is... playing it's own tune}

{childhood}

{earth}

{my Sunday}

{I wore this today}

{glasses}

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. BIG THINGS happened this weekend on our spoonbill fishing trip. I'm saving this spot to remember them. I know, I know why the cryptic message. Well... cause some of the awesome-ness isn't all around known yet. Couple things I can tell you is... snagging is no joke, you get sore!

2. We have a baby girl in the house! Lilly Belle Launius, she is a Corgi/Aussie mix.

Book Log: Chasing Fireflies

Chasing Fireflies
By: Charles Martin
FIVE out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
SPECTACULAR! Absolutely read this book! This is the first Charles Martin book that i've read and it will not be the last.

I'm not even sure where to begin with this one.

Characters, you absolutely fall in love with each of the characters in this book. They are each on their own journey and you can't help but root for them all. Well... maybe not one of them but you unite with the other characters to not like him too.

The back and forth of here and now and the past is so well done. Sometimes you get that book where you can't hardly follow because they bounce back and forth on the years. Martin is able to take you back and forth with a such ease. It's very natural to the book.

Finding the truth is really what Chase is about and boy does he find it.

the run down:

They have one summer to find what was lost long ago.

"Never settle for less than the truth," she told him.

But when you don't even know your real name, the truth gets a little complicated. It can nestle so close to home it's hard to see. It can even flourish inside a lie. And as Chase Walker discovered, learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive--and as magical--as chasing fireflies on a summer night.

A haunting story about fishing, baseball, home cooking, and other matters of life and death...from the author of The Dead Don't Dance and When Crickets Cry.

{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.

Friend

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.

Friend

friend----- Merriam- Webster

friend------ Wikipedia

You know when I hear the word friend... I don't think of these descriptions. I see faces, beautiful, wonderful faces. I see my dear friends that are more like sisters or brothers. Friend really doesn't do them justice as a title. I see the faces of friends that I have made along my journey.

When I see those faces I think of why they are called my friends. They were and are there. They were there through the good times and the bad. They were there when I just needed to have a glass of wine and... whine. They were there when I did something just so stupid only a friend could make you feel better about it. They were there. They are there.

Some of them have been there for... forever. Some of them are new.

It's the ones that have seen me at my worst and continued to love me. I am so thankful for them, so blessed to have them in my life.

You know that moment when you feel like you're going to explode with everything that's going on. You know that all you have to do is send a text to that one person and it wont be so bad. Just the thought of knowing that I can do that calms me. Or to know that at anytime if I want I can close my eyes and lift a prayer up and there is peace, gentle, softness, and quiet.

There are two songs that keep coming up to me...

First song- What a friend we have in Jesus by Joseph Scriven
I'm pretty sure every time that I hear this hymn I hear my Grammie's voice; pure, gentle and graceful. I looked the history up a little about this song. The song was written by Scriven for his mother who was across the sea in Ireland, to comfort her.

Second song- You've got a friend in me by Randy Newman
I'm pretty sure that when I hear this song I hear my son, Rian's voice; love, pure genuine love.

So maybe, just maybe, when I hear the word friend and I see those beautiful faces...they have a theme song.. songs to them too.

Show and Share: Earth Day cookies

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

I told you I was going to make them!

On Monday's Earth Day post, I said that I was going to be making some cookies. Well kiddos, we did it!

I'm going to tell you know I was a little sceptical about making dough. I mean I grew up with my Aunt Rita always making dough from scratch but at our house we never really did. I can see both sides to that now. Why make cookie making more stressful than it needs to be. I always have that little voice in the back of my head too... "What if they turn out like poo and no one can eat them, not even the dog?" (I also have a very hard time remembering where punctuation is supposed to go after a quote in the midst of a sentence. Sorry English teachers! I really did try.) Well we did it. Aunt Rita you should be happy! :)

I got the recipe from Red Couch Recipes. I followed Ms Jani's recipe as best I could.

Red Couch's Recipe for Earth Day cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond ectract
1 egg
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

*Blue and Green food coloring

I'm not going to lie... I definitely got the batter together by myself. Maybe on a more adventurous day I will let the boys help with that part.

Get a good ol' mixin' bowl out and mix the sugar, butter, mild, vanilla extract, almond extract and egg together. Then stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

Once you got your very well mixed dough. Divide it in half. Using your food coloring make one round blue and one green. This sounds easier than it's going to be. It does take a bit to get the coloring all mixed in with the dough. YOU CAN DO IT!

Cover them up and stick them in the fridge. They need to sit for an hour. Ours was in for just about an hour. Apparently if you leave it in too long it will crack. Baking world is fun isn't it!

How did those little dots of non colored dough get in there?!
That's okay, they were clouds in the cookies ;)

***This is where the boys started helping :)

Heat up the oven to 350 degrees. Okay well the boys didn't help do that but.... now.

Take a bit of blue and a bit of green dough and twist them together.

Once you are satisfied that you have the right land to water ratio flatten the dough out like a cookie!

This is when Mom was very particular about how we did the cookies.

 I say make them like a cookie but the boys did make a few that were round balls... They turned out oober cool! Have fun with it!

This is when Mom let the boys have at it :)

Bake for about 8 minutes.

First batch, no they didn't last long enough for me to take a photo.

Second batch! Look see, there's a cloud in that cookie!

No, they didn't turn out immaculate, not Martha Stewart worthy... but they were made with fun and laughter. Also the cookies have all been eaten, so I am definitely going to keep the recipe.

Did you get a chance to make some?!

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. Sam earned his cub scout shirt! When did he grow up to be in cub scouts?! It's wild! He is absolutely loving scouts. Now this Momma has to figure out to sew badges on. Oh goodness! 

Sam didn't want to ruin the creases of the shirt and I think he was wanting to look extra macho in the picture, hence the sort of strange stance going on here.

2. Josh shot a bearded turkey! I'll be honest, I've never heard of these things before. Josh brought some feathers and meat home from his trip. We fried some of the turkey up last night. We rolled it in tortilla chips. Turned out really good.

Isn't that a good looking hunter!!!

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!!!

I hope you have a beautiful day today!

What are you going to do to celebrate?

Maybe make a Lorax mustache or planet rock???

Us... there is this recipe that I HAVE to try today! I found it on Red Couch Recipes. They are earth cookies!!! You're smiling right now, right?! I'll post pics later of how they turned out :)

Try them out with me!! Let me know how yours turn out!

Also, check out what my dear friend and her family did for Earth Day: Reckless and Freckled, toes in the grass.

{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: A Conflict of Interest

A Conflict of Interest
By: Adam Mitzner
THREE out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Thriller! Definitely not a John Grisham fast pace law crazy book but so worth a read!

Yes, it is a law, court, appeals, objections. No, I'm not always certain I understand 'law books'. 

Here's the thing I found. Alex is asked to represent a case for a family friend. The case itself is wild and crazy. Ohlig, has his ways of wanting to handle things, Alex has his. The clash between the two is spectacular. That's not the only thing going on though. Alex's life itself, there are things happening. I mean happening. Either side of those stories would be powerful, the part that makes this book a good read is how the author intertwines both of those stories. To see how Alex deals with both the work life and personal life. The clash, spin and trying to sort through.

There were parts in this book where I wanted to throw it and say "Men, so freaking typical!". So if you are currently in the middle of a fight with your spouse, maybe not a great book to read right now. Just saying that never really helps does it?! To be far, there are parts where I wanted to say "LADY! Back away!". It's the fact that this book drew out those loud emotion feelings... I love it when a book can do that!

the run down:

Alex Miller is a criminal defense attorney and, at thirty-five, the youngest partner in one of the most powerful law firms in New York City. He's a man at the top of his game with the life he's always dreamed of, complete with a devoted wife, who remains patient with his long hours and high-stakes cases, and the love of a beautiful young daughter.

At his father's funeral, Alex meets Michael Ohlig—a mysterious and nearly mythic figure in Miller family history—who presents Alex with a surprising request: to represent him in a high-profile criminal investigation . . . an alleged brokerage scam that has lost hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. Wealthy beyond words, Ohlig insists he's done nothing wrong, and Alex, who's experienced enough to know that clients always lie, uncharacteristically believes him.

As the facts come out, shocking secrets are revealed that threaten everything Alex believes in–about the law, his family, and himself. Yet Alex's desperate need for the truth propels him to unscrupulous depths, and to confront a past defined by deception and a future in jeopardy . . . with the realization that one false step could destroy everything Alex holds dear.

In an electrifying debut the likes of which legal thriller fans have not seen since Scott Turow's pulse-pounding thriller Presumed Innocent, Adam Mitzner tells a shocking story of suspense that heralds a bold new voice in fiction.

The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife
By: Audrey Niffenegger
THREE out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Well lets talk about a faithful wife! There were a few points where I wanted to say... What the trash and when does Clare get to go out gallivanting around?!?

I want so badly to see the art work that is described in this book. I really really do. Niffenegger's description of the creations that Clare makes are just spectacular. Seriously. I cannot tell you how impressed I am with Clare in this book. To keep the love of her life secret, to let him go, to not know when you would see him next. 

I'm not a big Henry fan though. I mean, dude has talent to go time traveling, don't get me wrong. I just wasn't as drawn to his character.

It is definitely a story of true love and how it lasts through time.

Lots of back and forth as far as we are in this year now we are in that year. What do you expect though when you pick up a book that's about time traveling.

the run down:
A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.

An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.

Five Minute Friday: Jump

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.

Jump

I'm not sure how to describe that moment. The feeling that your heart actually jumped up to your throat. I have had a few that I can remember for certain.

There was the time when I walked to the stage to get my diploma. Jump. Cap and gown, trying to remember what hand to shake with and what hand to take the piece of paper. Wanting to make sure I shook my favorite professor's hand. Making sure that I didn't trip. Smile for the picture.

There was the time when I found out I was pregnant.... three times :) Jump. The nine, well, eight month wait. Then there was that jump of the heart again when you are in the hospital and after maybe a few hours or 36 hours you see the most beautiful boy and you have to remind yourself to breath and you're in love just like that.

There was the time when I was alone. It was all on my shoulders. The feeling like there was nothing yet I had so many responsibilities that I wasn't sure how to do them. Jump. I'm not alone. I have a Heavenly Father whose shoulders can easily lift all my worries up for me. No, it didn't always feel that way. When I reminded myself though... which sometimes I had to... have to do often it's that jump feeling.

That face that your son makes when he is proud of himself. Jump. When they pick a flower and bring it to you. When they read a whole book. When they put their show on the right foot. When they count to ten. When they clean their room AND make their bed. When they color a beautiful picture and you guess what it is, this can be tricky sometimes. When they get 100% on a test. When they make a new friend. When they get the courage to pick a worm up. There is that flip side too. Like when the child at the park calls them a name. Or when they aren't able to tell you why they are sad. When they get hurt. 

There was that time I walked down an isle, in all white. Jump. About to take a vow in front of God, family and friends. They talk about how the groom has that feeling of awe and hopefully my husband did.;) You don't always get to hear the reaction that the soon to be wife has. To see your man all dressed up and smiling. Not wanting to take your eyes off of him. To be able to look back on that day and think of all the broken roads that led up to that moment. God blessed all those broken roads and it led us straight to there. Thank you Rascal Flatts, we might have had that song at our wedding. 

There have been times when I've had to say goodbye to loved ones. Jump. Sometimes the Lord lets outstanding people stay only a short while. They are here to do what they were called for and then they get to go to paradise as their reward. The coming to that realization though isn't always the easiest. 

That feeling when you see your child being tossed up in the air by his Daddy. Jump. There is that brief Momma second where you want to stop time so that you can make sure that your son is going to be caught. Then just like that you see him in his Daddy's arms already. Giggling and smiling and asking to do it again. Then that Momma second where you want to say are you kidding me! 

So thankful for that jump, it means so many different things.

Show and Share: Earth Day

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

Earth day is right around the corner, April 22.

Before we got into the craft we took some time to talk about Earth day. I thought it was going to be a trickier topic to talk about to the boys but boy did they jump in with questions and topics.

-Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
-Plants
-Animals
-Air
-Fire
-Planets
-Compost

There were a few stumbling blocks BUT there were two movies that we used to relate to; 'Wall-E' and 'The Lorax'. These two movies really tied into the two crafts that we did. Yeah, two and you'll see why. I'm not pushing that you see these movies... no wait I am they are both pretty spectacular. This wasn't a planned thing it was just something that fit.

'Wall-E' showed us what happens when we don't take care of our planet, yes there is a love story too... but that's besides the point right now. If we want to continue getting so much out of this beautiful planet we need to do our part to keep it beautiful.

'The Lorax' showed us what happens when we get greedy with what we have been given and don't give back or take care of what we have been given. We need to speak up for what cannot.

Yes, watch both of these movies!!!

You'll need:

Planet rock

-clean round flat rocks

-green and blue paint

-paint brush 

The way of the Lorax

-recycled yellow paper

-pipe cleaner

-tape

Planet rock------

We went on a rock hunt out back and found our rocks... some of them not so round but hey that's okay.

Make sure to wash them off and dry them.

With your blue paint, paint your rock.
*Remember a little paint goes a LONG way.

Let the blue paint dry. While that's drying...

The way of the Lorax------

Take your recycled yellow paper and fold it in half.
Trace left hand. You'll want to make sure that the bottom of your hand is right on the fold of the paper.

Cut out the hand tracing.
Unfold the cut out and tape the pipe cleaner to the back.

Ta-dah! You now speak for the trees!

 

Hopefully your paint is somewhat dry at this point. Don't rush it! Talk about recycling or what plants you want to try growing in your garden!
When the blue paint is dry paint your green land. No, ours were not exact... at all. 

 

There are a ton of sites with information about Earth Day. More importantly though... get outside and explore!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!