I wish I was here...

I am of course daydreaming of Hawaii. :) Imagining I am a beach bum instead of a couch potato. lol. This pic is from the North Shore, Oahu, April 2004. Those little specks are hubby and I with Jayla in the sling. She was only 3 months. I'm hoping that we'll make the trip back to Hawaii as a family next year. I have a cousin getting married so it would be good timing...

While Jayla was at her little afternoon class I let the kids play on the nearby play area. I took a lot of pics. This is one of my faves.

pic from Nordstrom

And I know we're saving, but Mother's Day is coming up. I've been eyeballing this bag. I haven't told hubby yet so we'll see how up to date he is on the blog. I'm still debating but I think this one needs to come home with me. I don't have anything like it...yet. :)

xo

Everybody needs friends!

It's so funny that Lissa posted about friendship today. It's been on my mind too. I started thinking about it when I read this post on Stefie's Journey, and reading some other lovely ladies posts about long lasting friendships between women. I'll admit I was even a little jealous. :) I have great friends, but sometimes it is so hard to cultivate a friendship when life is so busy. I can only imagine how well you would know each other if you'd been friends since kindergarten or even jr. high. I want that for my girls! A very dear friend of mine asks me every so often if my oldest has a special friend. I'd never really given it much thought. But honestly how special would it be if my girls (and boys) could have such meaningful relationships. So I am on the lookout for friends! :) And of course reminding my kids they are each others best friends too.

We went to Pioneer Farms today. It was fun. I'm so tired. And I just remembered my french press has been on the counter since before I started writing. I guess I will be extra awake for movie night.

Happy weekend! xo

Reap what you sow

I was convicted today in Bible Study. It happens a lot. Somehow in the business of each day it's so easy to forget my priorities. One of the biggest priorities in my life are my kids. Our Bible study is the Beth Moore study on Esther. There is so much to get out of it. Today when I heard the words "reap what you sow" I thought oh boy. What am I sowing into the life of my kids? I'm a good mom, I know that, but I could be doing so much more. I know that my kids see hubby and I trying to live godly lives, and they learn from bedtime Bible stories and prayer time, and they'll pick up lots of great (and not so great) things from others around them. But I want and need to be more deliberate. I want kids that are so filled with God's love and spirit they're overflowing into the lives of people around them. I need to pray about how to exemplify that for them.

God also told me (for the millionth time), I need to be on my knees. I must be one of his more annoying children having to be told the same thing over and over. I know how frustrating that can be. :) I'm just glad he's so much more patient with me than I am with my own kids. Here I am in one of the most difficult times of my life, I don't know why I'm not down there all of the time. He wants so much more for me than just getting by.

Lastly, he told me to trust him. I can't even get into all that that entails for me. I just love being reminded how much he loves me, all of us, and how faithful he is. He will never let us down. Some of us need that drummed into us more than others. :)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

xo

These are a few of my favorite things...

I wanted to do an easy light post. I'll dive into my Hawaii trip soon enough.

Since it's Earth Day (There's a few hours left on the West Coast) I thought I'd throw in couple Earth Friendly things. :)

We love Kleen Kanteens.
This one is my little guy's. We got it from greenfeet. You can get them almost anywhere now. I think I saw them the other day at Pottery Barn Kids. lol. My husband got into them last year. They last forever though and now they come in fun colors and not just the stainless steel they originally did. They're a little pricey, but considering you shouldn't have to replace them, they're a good investment. We've had all of ours for at least a year if not more, and they're all just like new. :)
This is my cruiser. I love it. I have a basket for it, just haven't put it on. I was happy to get it out of the garage Monday when we had a little sun, and take it for a spin. I drooled over this bike for a long time before I convinced my hubby I had to have it. I'm sure he was glad to see it out of the garage too. It had to grow on me (it turned out to be a lot more pink than I'd thought) but now I love it. It's by Electra. They have a great collection of fun bikes. Love them!

I love Free People. I like Urban and Anthro too, just right now they're the favorite. I can't wear everything and sometimes it's a motivation to get to the gym (see pic of me and my bro below) but they have a lot of cute not over the top stuff mixed in. :) I wish they would have existed when I was in high school. If they did, it's probably good I didn't know about them.

I think the majority of the clothes in my suitcase were from them. Any excuse to shop will do... My fave thing from them right now is this Floral Tiered Convertible dress. It is so cute and comfy. I think I'll wear mine tomorrow. I bought mine on sale from Nordys but I don't see it there anymore.

Worn as a skirt. (I'm not pregs I just like food a lot. :) Although it would make a good skirt/dress for that.)

Lastly, I love Juicy accessories. I'll admit a few years ago I was a Juicy skeptic. A year or so ago I broke down and bought a super cute plaid purse. I love the "J". I'm so easily sucked in, but in my defense how could I not be? We do have a J thing going on over here. Purses and shoes, they've been my vice forever now.

My current fave is 'The American Canvas' Crossbody Bag. You can't have too many purses right? And it's even canvas. :)

Needless to say I'm now on a shopping diet. I don't have Hawaii as an excuse to shop, I've exhausted my summer purse budget. It's time to save. Wish me luck! xo

Adjusting...

xo

A quick aloha...

Waimea Falls, Kauai

Hi guys! I just wanted to do a quick post to let everyone know we're doing okay. We leave today. :( I'm ready to see Johnny and the kids, but I am going to miss being able to sit out on the lanai, soaking up the sun, listening to the ocean while doing whatever. That's where I am right now. I'll do a more detailed post later about everything just no time now.

I love Kauai. There is something about this beautiful island that feels like home. I could go on and on and I probably will, just not right now. :)

xo

God's Garden

Today's the day. I wanted to share a poem that some of you may have heard. We had it on the program at my mom's memorial. Some pics of my mom...

I hope everyone is having a good week.

xo

This is one of my favorite pics of my mom, her mom (who is in heaven), her dad and me.

The most recent pic I have of mom and I

God's Garden

God looked around His garden and found an empty place.

He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest.

God's garden must be beautiful. He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering. He knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough and the hills were hard to climb.

So He closed your weary eyelids and whispered "Peace be thine".

It broke our hearts to lose you but you didn't go alone.

For part of us went with you the day God called you home.

-author unknown