Mornings

It's almost 9:00 AM and I'm the only one up in the house. Well, except the dog. I think Chris is awake, just not up and moving yet.

I've been faced with the same decision since 6:45 this morning: try to lay back down for a while or be productive. You see, Grandma was up every couple of hours from midnight on, adamant that she had slept "all day and all night." Finally, at 6:45, I gave up and decided to start the day. I go into her room to get her up, she wants the baby in bed with her, I tell her there isn't a baby, we argue about it, she's not sure she wants to get up. I go into the kitchen to get a drink, she falls back asleep. I lay down in the guest room, hear her talking as I'm about to fall back asleep, go check on her only to realize she's talking in her sleep. At that point, I make the decision to start my day. She has continued to sleep through me gathering the trash and carrying it out, running the blender to make my smoothie, noises in the kitchen (which is right next to her room), and the phone ringing. I keep thinking I would like to lay back down for a few minutes, but I know she'll wake up as soon as I do. So, I'm enjoying the quiet time to myself. I do appreciate quiet mornings, but I also appreciate my sleep! ::sigh::

Window Turned into Idea Board

My parents remodeled their living room and dining room a few years back and gave me one of the old windows they replaced. I had them hanging in living room in our house in Illinois. We also had one hanging in our living room in our house in Texas.

Windows hanging in living room in Illinios

When we moved into this house, we put one of the windows in our guest bedroom.

Window in guest bedroom with scrapbook paper

 

 

Before: Empty window hanging in my craft room

I also wanted one in my craft room. I had trouble deciding what I wanted to do with it. I thought I might find some pretty fabric to hang behind it or maybe blow up a picture. It just stayed blank for several months. Then a few weeks ago, I had several ideas floating around in my brain and needed somewhere to write them down where they could be seen. I grabbed a dry erase marker and wrote on the window. The idea hit me to find some scrapbook paper to match my colors, but that would also be light enough to still see the writing, and make the window an idea board.

After: Pretty scrapbook paper behind the glass and dry erase marker to write on the glass

I found the paper at JoAnn and Hobby Lobby. I love how it turned out! Now I have plenty of room to keep my lists and it's pretty!

After: Window turned into idea board

33rd Wedding Anniversary

Today is my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. I am thankful for the example they have shown us of a committed, loving, and faithful marriage. It is a blessing and an honor to be able to think of them today and wish them many more wonderful years together. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I love you!

Mom and Dad's engagement picture

Mom and Dad on their wedding day 5-19-1979

5-19-1979

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad on their 30th wedding anniversary

Healthy Snack Options

Snacking throughout the day is one thing that always gets me when I try to stay focused on eating healthy. I've been trying to find healthy(er) snack options to keep around the house that don't cost a fortune. Here are a few I've tried and really enjoyed:

Salt and Vinegar Chick Peas

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I love salt and vinegar chips and I love chick peas, so this was a win-win for me! They were super easy to make and irresistible! My pantry is now stocked with chick peas at all times. 

 

Frozen Yogurt Dots

 

 

 

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Who doesn't love frozen yogurt? I love yogurt just about any way, but it's more refreshing when frozen. I squirted yogurt droplets on a baking sheet covered in wax paper, threw it in the freezer for an hour or two, and had a tasty treat ready when I wanted it.

Peach Smoothie

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  I enjoy smoothies for breakfast or as a snack and I'm always looking to try new combinations. One of my favorites is banana, peanut butter, spinach, and coconut milk. But this peach smoothie ranks pretty high up there now. This was so refreshing and yummy! Now, the recipe has alcohol as an option addition, but I refrained.

Fun with the Little Ones

Grandma and Ruth riding in the wheelchair together.

 Last Monday, I had a day full of kids and I loved it! Since I don't have any kids of my own or nieces and nephews (yet!), I'll just borrow other people's kids! In the morning I got to spend a few hours with Miss Audrey, which was a lot of fun. After that I picked up Britt and Ruth for the day. Gary B. and Danielle were working on panting the sanctuary, so I offered to take the kids to make it a little easier. They both fell asleep on the way back to our house, but after their naps we ate a quick lunch (well, Britt refused to eat, but I didn't take it personally) and headed to the park.

Britt climbing up the "big ladder"

He was so proud when he made it to the top!

Britt was so excited to go to the park. When we pulled into the parking lot and he saw the playground, he said "We made it to the park. Grandma, do you see the park? We made it!" It was adorable! It was a little challenging since I had Britt, Ruth, and Grandma. The park is next to a lake and I kept having these visions of one of the kids taking off and falling in the lake. My imagination can run wild sometimes! I put Grandma in her wheelchair, plopped Ruth on her lap, made Britt help push the chair, and away we went. It was pretty cute to see Ruth sitting on Grandma's lap. We played at the park for almost two hours. It had been awhile since I had played at the park with little ones, and I forgot how exhausting it is to go up and down stairs, down the slide, and push the swings! It was fun, but I sure was tired!

After we were done at the playground, we walked across the street to see the ducks and geese. One goose came out of the water and came pretty close to us to eat corn someone had left. I was a little scared at first, but Britt was so excited to see it coming close. We stayed and watched for quite a while and talked all about the ducks, geese, and other birds.

Watching the ducks and geese.

Looking across the lake and watching for fish.

Once we came back home and had a snack, Britt wanted to go swimming. We didn't have their swim clothes and the water was still a bit chilly, so we sat on the edge and put our feet in the water. We talked all about the floating chair, the alligator thermometer, and the beach. Chris came home around this time and Britt was very excited to play with "Brudder Chris." The rest of the evening was spent wrestling, watching Land Before Time, and playing with Mr. Potato Head and the horse. Chris also got a good laugh out of antagonizing Britt with Wesley. Ruth would follow Wesley around and laugh, but Britt didn't want to get close to him. He would jump up in the chair and just watch. Chris kept making Wesley bark. Ruth would get this terrified look on her face, then laugh. Britt would say, "Hush, Weswey, hush!" It was quite comical.

Longing and wishing to go for a swim. (sorry for the blurry picture!)

It was a fun day and the kids were SOO good! Ruth was pretty much asleep by the time we pulled out of the driveway, but Britt talked my ear off the whole way home! Britt already blogged about his day with me.