Top Ten Most Awkward Ways to Say I Love You

Alicia and I were babysitting late last night (like they didn't get back til 2am) and after arriving home engaged in a conversation resulting in the title of this post. Since we were taught in sunday school to love our neighbors, we came up with just a few ways to do that. It doesn't need a lot of explaining, so i'll just dive right in.


10) when someone says "i love you" look at them and wait an awkward 2 or 3 seconds before responding with, "ooookay..."

9) walk up to one of those survey people at the mall and after you're done talking, insert a genuine "i love you," as you walk away.

8) when your mail person drops off your mail greet them personally and as you take your mail, say "thanks, i love you."

7) on an airplane wait for your seat mate to go to the bathroom. follow them and "accidentally" try to open the bathroom door. after the flight attendant kindly tells you that you need to wait your turn, shrug and say something to the effect that you didn't realize it was locked. then, wait for them to come out. upon exiting the bathroom tell them you love them, and are glad you get to sit next to them.

6) tell someone "i love you" and when they respond with "i love you, too," look at them like you have NO idea why they said that.

5) when someone says "i love you" immediately respond with, "no you don't!" ... or "you do?"

4) tell someone "i love you" when they are on the toilet from outside the door, and then walk away quickly.

3) while sitting in the laundromat, scope out the most introverted person there and sit down next to them. do not make eye contact with them and as you are reading your book/magazine insert an audible "i love you" loud enough for them to hear. when they don't respond, simply ask, "did you hear me?"

2) send a casual greeting card to someone you don't know very well and at the end sign, "i hope we can get past this awkward phase of casual friendship... i love you."

1) in a public restroom, make camp until someone comes in and occupies the stall next to you. after they are settled, say "i love you." then when a deafening silence moves in, clarify that you meant you love them.

does this picture make you feel awkward?

Adventures in Odyssey

When I was probably 7 years or so, I remember going to Alpha and Omega (the local Christian bookstore) with my mom and she would most often let us pick something out. Usually we would pick out a Superbook video or something like that, but i remember clear as it was yesterday picking out my first Adventures in Odyssey album.


Upon bringing it home, i proceeded to listen to every tape, in order, until i had finished. Then i did it again... and again, and again. I listened to those tapes over and over. Honestly I'm surprised that they still play! At any rate, when I was that young i never thought about how much of an impact they would have on my life. I grew up with the characters, and still listened to the episodes regularly until i was about 13 or 14.

I remember crying when the real Mr. Whitaker died and they replaced him... but I'm glad they did because really Whit's End wouldn't have been Whit's End without Whit! Anyways, I said all that to say that even though I am 23, I still love them! In fact, last summer I was able to get them out again and all summer long when the kids and i were in the car, we would listen to them. So when I got my new car and realized that we wouldn't be able to listen to the tapes anymore (since it doesn't have a tape deck) I immediately thought that I would just have to buy some on CD.

I went to two Christian bookstores and they were both priced the same. The series that i wanted was a compilation of the best adventures from the last 20 years and it was priced $40 instead of the regular volumes which were $25. I was trying to justify the cost, when my great friend Melissa suggested that I look on Amazon. They were so much cheaper! At any rate, i ended up getting 2 albums, the platinum one and then I think the most recent volume, and I got BOTH for $42!

I'm so happy! I never would have thought that first day i picked up the album off the shelf that 16 years later i would still be loving each and every adventure as much as I did then. If you haven't ever listened to any of the series, i would suggest that you look into it for your kids. They portray fictional people with real problems and 100% Godly solutions... I'm so glad that my mom got them for us when we were so young!

ode to spring

Oh Spring, please forgive me for having forgotten you.
I have not forgotten your beautiful days and warm sunshine
But I have forgotten your first day!

Alas, the twentieth of March indeed came and went...
And I did not pay you any mind.

I should have known, and I should have cared...
But I was too busy moaning about winter,
And nery could the eye see any budding of small flowers.

Forgive me dear Spring, I embrace thee in thoust entirety.
I know you have fashioned a plan that will melt away the snow,
Thus melting away the cold from mine own heart.

Spring buds will soon shine forth and the sun will cast its rays on earth...
Thank you for coming anyways, dear Spring,
Even though I forgot you.

Easter Morning

Yes, that's what this morning is... and while I should be in the shower and worrying about what i'm actually going to wear, i'm here instead blogging. Oops. Anyways, I thought I would share a few thoughts on Easter. Reflection if you will.

I love that we have the same holidays every year. I used to think that as I got older they would become more and more monotonous, but I have found just the opposite. I see that each time a holiday, like Christmas or Easter comes around, I actually am able to stop and think about the reasons that we celebrate them to begin with. It's a time to remember all the reasons I live my life the way I do.

As much as it makes me cry when I actually think about what Jesus did on the cross, I find myself returning to that place of rememberance every year. Last night we went to a passion play and upon seeing the sight of Jesus on the cross a few thoughts ran through my mind. I thought that this is kind of sick that we so often reenact such a gruesome story... but then I realized, that what Jesus did was horrible. And we need to be harshly reminded at times...

Jesus death on the cross was so much more than death. In fact, it's not even about death. It was all about life. He died so that we could live! and the best part about the whole thing was that he didn't even stay dead! How awesome is that!? I'm not serving some dead guy in a tomb. Nope, I'm serving the one who rose from the grave on the third day and is still alive in my heart!

Enjoy this glorious Easter morning!

the surest sign of spring...

... is when the Easter bunny comes hopping down the lane and the little colored eggies all start getting hidden!

Me in DC

While we were in DC, I decided to update my pictures at the different monuments. Although I have been to the city numerous times in the past few years, I don't have any pictures since I was about 13.

Here we were driving through the city, past the Washington Monument (aka Pencil) and I took this out the moon roof on my new car!


This is me on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial.


I took this on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial because I wanted the Pencil in the background. It's all washed out, but it's still cool.


Then here I am in front of the two statues at both the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.


This is a shot i took of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. I don't actually know anyone on the wall, but it's a sobering sight to look at.


I love DC. I don't know what it is exactly about the city, but I love going there. The history represented there just makes me feel closer to the country that I live in. With all the hard realities that we face everyday, and all the bad things that are happening in the world around us, it's nice to go back to a place that reminds you of where we came from and the heritage that we possess. Many people in this country do not claim themselves to be under God anymore, but I do.

Japanese Cherry Blossoms in DC

I said that I was going to follow up with the whole cherry blossom deal. On Friday, after the go karts I realized that the blossoms and the trees were just budding. The Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington DC to remember the date (March 27, 1912) that the Mayor of Tokyo gave the cherry trees to America as a symbol of the growing friendship he hoped to continue between Japan and America.

I asked Rob when the Cherry Blossom Festival was and he said that it was next weekend. I'll tell ya what, every year I have wanted to go to that festival and I always happen to be here the week before or the week after. The week after, it's pretty much nastiness all over, because the petals all fall off and then they're all walked over and they just don't look nice. But since this was the week before I was ecstatic! I told him that I wanted to go to DC right then and asked if he wanted to come. I would have gone by myself if he hadn't wanted to go, but he knows the city really well and can drive better in that kind of traffic.


We found parking on the opposite side of the Jefferson Memorial which is where the majority of the Japanese Cherry's are, and after walking around to the Memorial, we drove over to where the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials are.


The blossoms were just perfect. I mean seriously, they are perfect.


I am just so thankful that I got the opportunity to go this year. I have seriously wanted to get pictures of these for at least 3 years!

Go Karts!

Friday afternoon Rob, Robbie, Raelynn, Nick and I went to the go karts. It was a ton of fun!


Nick is still too short to ride by himself, so he had to go double, but I honestly don't think that made it any less exciting for him...



attempting to take pictures while driving is usually quite dangerous... but when you're in a go kart, all is fair game. I'm not sure how many times we hit the side rail while i was trying to take pictures but it really didn't matter... hey this kind of reminds me of my theory about driving... that there should be a government program set up to teach stupid people how to drive better. and that there would be designated "teachers" and those teacher people would have liberty to hit other cars when they do stupid things. HAHAHA! that would be really bad, but it's hilarious to think about.

and here's a couple shots of all of us together

and here it is

I have to say i'm a little disappointed with myself for not getting pictures of the car up sooner, however, there were extenuating circumstances. the first two days that I had the car it was raining and wet. Thursday i was driving to MD and then friday was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining all day long. So i took advantage and got some nice pics. Rob got some pics of me in the car, but unfortunately those pictures are on his camera and I can't get them right now. But here she is... i love her!





take notice of the cherry blossoms in the background. I'll follow up with that soon!

in maryland

to visit family for Easter! there will be pictures coming soon... egg coloring and other adventures! i may or may not make it to DC, i'd really like to take some there too, but that might have to wait til the summer. But get ready...

i call this post

Things I can do now that I have my own car.

I can go anywhere I want anytime I want without wondering where I'm going to get the ride from.

I can not worry about how much gas I used in someone else's car so that I can replace it.

I can not have to mooch rides off of people... oh how I hate doing that (it is cheaper though ;)

I don't have the gnawing feeling that my life is spinning out of control.

I can sleep at night!

I can bask in the awesomeness of it anytime I want.




Now, for the reasons why my car is awesome.

1) it's a civic
2) it's a civic
3) it's a 2 door
4) it has a moon roof
5) it has a/c
6) it has a moon roof
7) it's a civic
8) it's fast
9) it has a moon roof
10) and last but not least, it's a civic

I love my new car :)

it's finally over!

I have refrained from writing about the whole sad saga about my car for a few weeks as it has been extremely up in the air. But seeing as how today it's all going to be over and i am so excited i can hardly stand it, i decided to write about it.

About 4 weeks ago, my car died died. long story short, i bought another one within 3 days... and 10 days later it started exhibiting transmission problems and i consequently took it back and got my money back, minus mileage and inspection. I was just glad to have realized the problems with it within the 30 day warranty. I mean that's totally God, because how often do you realize within the first 2 weeks serious problems. it's usually like the day after the warranty runs up haha!

So I went back to trying to decide whether or not to get my old car fixed up... and after realizing it was going to cost $1000 no matter what way i looked at it, i started thinking about leasing.

I went to the Honda dealership last week and talked with a sales guy who laid it all out for me, and after assessing the reality of my situation I concluded that I am going to be spending a ton of money no matter what i do. *blah* Leasing is a little more costly in the long run, but it's affordable monthly for me... and you can't beat the service plan and warranty that comes along with it!

Soooooooo...

I went for it. I am going to pick it up today at 4:30 and i couldn't be more excited. hmmm... should i talk about what kind of car it is, or should i just wait... OH FORGET IT! I can't stand it!!! It's a 2008 Honda Civic EX coupe. Pretty much the SWEETEST CAR EVER!!! here's it's little picture that i pulled offline.


Guaranteed there will be real ones coming where i am hugging and kissing it! I will soon be posting a list of all the things that ROCK about having your own car.

Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberry Compote

Welcome Spring! I decided today that spring is here and winter is over. I like to decide these things sometimes, and then i just move along as though it were true. For me, it is! Anyways, I wore capris today and my summer flats... let it begin!


Baking this cake really put me in the mood for spring. The lemon flavor and getting to see so many strawberries while there is still snow on the ground was a breath of spring air! And I actually have been debating whether or not i should post recipes for everything I make... but this one just is TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE. Seriously. Ask Melissa if you don't believe me.


So here it is, in it's entirety. I must tell you though, don't bake this cake if you don't have a good amount of time on your hands. It took me the better part of yesterday and then i still had to make the whipped cream today. I had a lot of fun though, the kids helped me and then Melissa helped me with the picture taking adventure today. I'll tell ya what, for me, taking the pictures is 75% of the fun of doing this!



First off, I need to give credit where credit is due. I found this recipe on another blog and only modified it slightly.

Ingredients:

Lemon Pound Cake
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 sticks salted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 AND 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 TB lemon zest
1 tsp pure lemon extract
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (i cheated, i only used half fresh, cause i didn't have enough! but it tasted just fine anyways :)

Strawberry Compote
3 pints fresh strawberries, washed, patted dry and sliced
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Whipped Cream
16 oz heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners sugar


Preparation:

Cake
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Butter and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt
- Cream the butter and 1 3/4 cups sugar until pale and fluffy
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
- Reduce the speed and add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk
- Stir in the lemon zest and lemon extract
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes
- Poke holes all over the cake using a wooden skewer
- Meanwhile, bring the lemon juice and remaining sugar to a boil over medium high heat in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved
- Invert the cake onto a rack, position over a baking sheet and slowly pour the syrup over the cake, it will seap through the holes and into the cake
- Let cool to room temp


Strawberry Compote
- In a non-reactive saucepan, over medium heat, combine 2 pints of the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice
- Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the fruit is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes
- Remove from the heat and cool
- In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, puree the strawberries until smooth
- Turn into a mixing bowl, and when ready to serve add the remaining sliced strawberries
- Mix well

oh my goodness

it's another cake... and it's in the making. It's a good thing i have found venues to get rid of these things... otherwise i would be in deep trouble!

Wordless Wednesday with a Twist - part 2

It's that time again. Today's theme is "where you live." I was wondering how in the world i was going to get out and take these pictures... since it is disgustingly cold. and I know that the rules said we could use old pics... but i really didn't have anything worthwhile. So on my way home from work one late afternoon, I couldn't help but notice how perfect the light and the sun were. A rarity around here I try to take advantage of! So off i went and took a very cold walk around the village and this is what i came up with.

After you take a look at where I live, head on over to Rachel's site and check out everyone else's.

highly amusing...

...at least i thought it was. this lovely weather we've been having breeds a certain kind of restlessness in children. it almost seems as though there are not enough crafts or activities that could outlast this horrible winter... at least not any that i can handle doing for any length of time. heavens knows that if i am sick of all our projects, then for sure the kids are too! So i came in this morning to find the bounce house set up in the front room. This thing literally takes up the entire room. wall to wall... and not quite to the ceiling, but dangerously close to the light fixture up there. But guess what! it's works! it totally works! they love it, and it ate away a good hour of fun today.


For some reason today though, andy was being extremely dare-devilish. I often have a certain conversation with him and it goes like this:

Me: you know buddy, you need to take it easy. you're going to hurt yourself if you don't start being more careful.

Him: I not manna, i bein careful and I not get hurt.

Yah, and then he gets hurt... and the crying begins, and he climbs into my lap to make it stop hurting. On my meaner side i almost wanna be like Ha, i told ya so kid, so suck it up! but the other (not fully formed "mom") side of me is like Oh i could just hold you like this forever, and you can cry as long as you want.

There has to be a happy medium.

But, word to the wise. "It's probably not a good idea to lay down in a jump house while your two older and much larger sisters are jumping in it."

Here is the proof that it happened just that way.

On the other hand, I tried to get some cute pictures of the three of them... all did not go as ideally as i would have liked. but are kids ever really ideal? what the heck does that mean anyways? At any rate, i did manage to capture their personalities, which i would dare say is more exciting than ideal.

They really don't have any personality at all

and now for my personal favorite...

i like to eat

eat eat stawberries and bananas... well that's not quite the way it goes. but it works. and it was yummy in my tummy this morning :)

German Black Forest Cake - the one I actually made!

It's finally done... it seems a little long in coming, since i changed so many things along the way. But I have completed this baking project and it's time to share. I have to say something about this... even though noone probably cares, i notice, and i care! This pictures aren't as exciting as I would have liked them to be. I had a time limit factor, transportation issues and the extreme fact that the sun didn't shine at all yesterday! So they are what they are, and while they are nice, they just aren't as nice as i would like. But here ya go...


Ingredients:

German Chocolate Cake
2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

Whipped Cream Frosting
24 oz heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Garnish
about 1/3 cup shaved chocolate
maraschino or fresh stemmed cherries


Preparation:

Cake
- Grease two 9 inch cake pans lined on bottom with waxed or parchment paper
- Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl; stir until well mixed
- Add shortening, eggs, milk and vanilla; beat mixture 3 minutes at low speed of electric mixer scraping bowl occasionally
- Pour batter into pans. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean
- Cool cake in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely
- Split cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers
- (optional) Make fine crumbs using 1 cake layer; set crumbs aside
- Cake can be made one day ahead of time if you want


Frosting and assembly
- Using a vegetable peeler, or whatever works best for you, shave the chocolate. I did this ahead of time while i was watching tv as it was probably the most time consuming part... I wonder if you can buy shaved chocolate somewhere??
- Beat whipping cream until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. - Place 1 cake layer on cake platter; spread with 1 cup whipped cream and top with 3/4 cup cherry pie filling
- *TIP* to keep filling from leaking out the sides, you can take a ziploc bag and fill it with some of the whipped cream. Then cut a hole in the corner and pipe an edge around the cake. This creates a barrier for the filling and makes assembly a little simpler
- Repeat with second layer and then top with third cake layer
- Frost sides and top with whipped cream, reserving some for garnish
- (optional) Pat cake crumbs generously around sides of cake
- Using a gallon sized zip loc bag, attach a star shaped piping tip by cutting one of the corners off and screwing the tip on just like any other bag (I did this because I didn't have any more bags, and actually found that it worked just as well and costs quite a bit less!)
- You can decorate the top however you like, but I squeezed about 14 blobs onto the top and then placed a maraschino cherry in the center of each. This way the portions are already determined
- Chill before serving

the birthday present

I don't know about you, but there aren't many kid birthday presents that I truly covet...


Well, I found one. It's the Klutz Room Lanterns kit. A simple string of lights with a book filled with patterns to make the lights into the cutest lanterns! There are 8 different designs and each one makes 10 little lanterns. I got this for Sydney's bday a few weeks ago, and we put them together a few days later.


I am a huge fan of this kind of lights. They brighten up any room and add an element of romance and sparkle. They are so easy to put together, but at the same time, they aren't as flimsy as you might think. I am so tempted to get some for myself!

Deconstructed Black Forest Cake - minus pics :(

Last week I posted what I hoped to be my next great baking adventure. Click here to see it if you haven't already. Unfortunately, I am not going to be making this particular recipe... but I plan to keep it in my archive for the next dinner party I get a chance to sweeten :) And I am also making a less exciting version of Black Forest cake on Friday, and i will for sure post pictures of that! But it would not be fair if I didn't post this other recipe at all, since it is indeed one of the coolest dessert ideas ever... at least i think so

So here are the directions, and at the end are my comments on what I would potentially change.


TREND: Deconstructed desserts (breaking down a dish into its essential components, then serving the parts as a whole)

WHAT: The elements of Black Forest Cake — chocolate cake and pudding, cherries, whipped cream, and kirsch — are reimagined as sensuous, separate bites and sips.

Servings: Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup hot coffee

Chocolate fudge pots
2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

Cherry Compote
4 cups frozen (unthawed) pitted cherries (about 1 pound)
2/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup dry red wine

Other Miscellaneous Ingredients
Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chilled whipping cream
Chilled kirsch (clear cherry brandy)

PreparationFor cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Butter 14x10x1-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line sheet with parchment; butter paper
- Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth
- Add sugar and eggs; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
- Mix in next 4 ingredients
- Beat in flour alternately with sour cream in 2 additions each
- Gradually add hot coffee; mix until smooth (batter will be thin)
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes
- Cool cake in pan on rack
- Cover and chill until cold, about 4 hours (Can be made 1 day ahead)

For chocolate fudge pots
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Place chocolate in bowl
- Bring cream and salt just to boil in medium saucepan
- Pour over chocolate; whisk until melted
- Whisk yolks and sugar in bowl to blend; whisk in hot chocolate mixture
- Transfer mixture to same saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes (do not boil)
- Divide chocolate custard among ten 1/3-cup ramekins (about 1/4 cup in each)
- Place ramekins in large roasting pan
- Add enough water to pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan tightly with foil.
- Bake until custards are almost set, about 37 minutes
- Remove ramekins from pan; cool 15 minutes. Chill uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

For cherry compote
- Stir cherries and 2/3 cup sugar in large saucepan over medium heat 2 minutes
- Add wine; simmer until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes
- Drain cherries over medium bowl; return juices to saucepan and reserve cherries in same bowl
- Boil juices until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes
- Pour over cherries; cool

Assembly
- Using 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter and dipping edges of cutter into cocoa powder, cut 10 rounds from cold cake
- Let cakes come to room temperature
- Using electric mixer, whip cream and 1 teaspoon sugar in bowl until peaks form
- Pour kirsch into 10 small glasses
- Place 1 cake, 1 chocolate fudge pot, spoonful of cherries, whipped cream, and glass of kirsch on each of 10 plates and serve



So here are my two cents... as i haven't actually made this, I can only offer opinions. I read that the cherries can be substituted for canned cherries, cherry pie filling, or if you're feeling healthy, then organic fresh cherries. Each variation would probably make a pretty significant difference, so it's pretty much up to you. The only other thing I read that really stood out was the use of the kirsch. I have never actually tried the stuff... but i've heard that it's like fire water. There were reviews on this recipe where people had used the kirsch, and others where they did not. Both had good things to say. I think honestly that it's a matter of taste... it could possibly balance out the sweetness of everything else... but i suspect that you could substitute something else... just not sure what :)

Anyways, if YOU make this recipe, I want to see it!

the boy is too cute

no... this boy is not one my size, or even close to my age. In fact he's a good 2 feet shorter than I and about 19 years younger than I. Yep, you got it. Little andy is one of my best buds and I spend more time with him than just about anyone else in my life right now.

The other day we were driving in the car when all of a sudden he shouted out, "MANNA WOOK! Dat tree has no leaves on it!!!"

I laughed a little, but not enough for him to notice, and then said back to him, "Yah! Look at all the rest of the trees. Do you see any leaves anywhere?"

And in unfaked awe he looked around to discover that there were indeed no leaves to be seen. He then said, "how that happen manna?!"

I went on to explain how in the fall all the leaves die and the trees are bare all winter long, but in the spring new leaves will grow and we will see them all summer long.

And his response was simply this... and you have to imagine him saying it with the most amazed and shocked, yet quiet and thoughtful voice... "oh my gooosh."

this is one of the best parts of getting to watch little kids grow up :)

i wish

that i had some pictures to post. But since I don't, I am going to write about the things that make me feel good. And since I don't feel really good right now, it will be easy to come up with a list of things that do :)


The very top of the list will be...

Days like today. When I walk out of the house, and the sun is completely up... and i didn't wear a jacket (just a stolen sweatshirt from my brother), i could hear the birdies, and although there is snow on the ground, it's just warm enough that it's starting to melt promising more days to come like this one.

Afternoons and coffee spoons, one of the songs on my playlist right now. I looked up the lyrics, and they don't make a whole lotta sense, but i like the melody. it makes me feel better... and i think it's about being sick haha!

Scrapbooking. I got all my stuff out today and did 2 whole pages! I guess if i had my camera, that's something I could post... but i don't!

the color green.

the color pink.

the color green and pink together.

flowers that are green and pink.

Flowers. Especially when they are popping through the soil in the spring. It's just the beginning of my love affair with them though. the few months of winter where they are scarce are what make them such a treat when they come back!

I love laying in the grass in the summer. Especially this last summer with the kids. We would take a blanket out in the yard and the girls and I would lay on it and read... or just talk. I love that.

Reading a good book.

When the sun is shining like it is today, I make sure to go out on the porch for a few minutes and ingest some vitamin D. It does the body... and the soul good.


There's a lot more I could come up with, but those are top on the list right now. What are some of the things that make you feel better?