::happy birthday dear Angie::

Pickle juice!
Gilad Janklowitz!
Recipe research!
HQ and Cracker Barrell!

Through it all...

Thank you for being my listening ear, my help in need, my counselor and my beacon.
Even as your sister I can say you are truly one of the best people in the world. Always good, always honest and always trustworthy. Thank you for all you are to me and always will be. I wouldn't give anything for our Monday chats and our memories of time shared together. I couldn't be happier that you are going to be a Mommy x2. No one is more deserving of the treasure of another child. I love you to bits.
Happy, happy Birthday Ang.
Gina
xxx

::mystery revealed::

I'm finally getting to Leila's baby album.

Not only are we not expected to do it alone...we can't!

"To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory..." Col. 1:27

The hope of glory!!
What an uplifting phrase.
This spoke to me today.
Christ in us.
Let that sink in.
Not our own strength.
We must rely on Him.
Yes I know
Usually
but sometimes (most times)
I forget.
I am a
vessel.
It's not about
me.
Use
me.

I'm enjoying me coffee w/cinnamon these days. Yum. Still on a yogurt kick.
Greek Yogurt.
The tangy-ness of
goat cheese and
the texture of
a light cream
not too sweet
topped with Splenda
and cinnamon.

What's with all the cinnamon?
Not really a springy spice.
(As opposed to a wintery one)

Flowers on the back garden wall.
Completed yesterday
New pump for fountain
So it's running again.

I'm obsessed with digital scrapping again.
Can't get enough.
Going back to earlier days
As you can see (above)

::family ways::

I've been wanting to put together our family "creed" for some time. Something the kids can refer to and see regularly as reminders to do things like forgive one another, not complain, etc. Ours is based on one I found in Mission for Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. I hope to use it as a teaching tool and put it in a prominant place - like the breakfast nook.

::almost family portrait::

This is the closest we came to getting a family photo on Easter.
I must get a tripod.
I must get a tripod.
No, I really must get a tripod.
I hope your Resurrection Day was as beautiful as ours.
Despite having no idea how to cook it, some of our lamb was actually salvegable and made for a pretty nice meal.

A couple of you asked about photo filtering. Basically, if you use Photoshop for editing you can download what are called "actions" which do some pretty cool things to your photos. (I'd be happy to run some actions on your photos and email back to you if you'd like.) One is called Midnight Sepia. Then there is glam blur, portrait effect, etc. You can whiten teeth, smooth skin and even erase bruises off your kid's heads should they happen to fall the day before Easter and are sporting some nasty ones for your almost family portrait.

::filtered photo-ing::

Angela, from InBloom reminded me how fun filters can be so I went a little nutty on some recent pics of the squids.

Rent this film and tell me there is no Creator.

::fuel for my purse fetish::

Handbags tailored to your creativity.
"Retro chic design with delicate pleats. Gathered exterior with elegant piping."
This is a dangerous site for me.
Very.
Dangerous.
Indeed.

::trader joe::

You have the power to change. Quote for Day 8 from Rhonna's 21 Day Challenge.



As I have to limit my errand stops to as few as possible I've been spending more time at Trader Joe's than any other store. I've found myself having to try to be a little more creative because even though it's a fantastic store, they just simply don't have everthing. But then I found this site: (I'm a Trader Joe fan) and armed myself with recipes for dinner and lunch. They also give reviews of new products.

I ordered a door swing for Luke. It is so very difficult to buy just one swing for a child. We searched high and low. With this he'll be able to play inside.

::rare and beautiful::

Day 6 & 7 of the 21 Day Challenge

"A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit." Desiderius Erasmus

"A flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." ~Mulan

This quote Rhonna chose really hit home for me. The ribbons jumbled together represent adversity and some of the crud that we go through in our lives. I have some anger from some childhood junk and adversity is something we can all overcome. It doesn't matter where you come from or what you've been through. It's so inspiring to know that we are given the tools (friends, counselors, hobbies) to help us work through things and so that even though we've been through ugliness, we can (and will) come out amoung the most rare and beautiful. Thanks Rhonna. You helped me in ways you may never know with this simple selection. Keep doing what you do!!


A simple lunch idea that I really enjoyed today: apple sliced really thin with really good cheddar cheese sliced really thin and buttered wheat toast as a sandwich. I have this total unnatural passion for yogurt now. I've tried about 7-8 different kinds in about 2 weeks. Not the stuff that you get in most grocery stores mind you. This has to be the good Greek or Mediterranian version. Just plain with a tiny bit of sugar sprinkled. Just scrumptious. Luke has taken a big liking to it to. But he likes to suck it through a straw.

::part of something extraordinary::

Day 5 of 21 Day Challenge...
I went digi for this one. Sometimes it works better for me (less mess). I'm a bit behind on the journal but the habit is kicking in nicely --- this works!

The swing we wanted to install for Luke didn't work so we're on the hunt again.

What a lovely weekend. Chock full of family time. Luke had some good moments, pointing at flying planes and quite a bit of smiling interaction.

Mom's family is all getting together in July for a camping extravaganza. I would love for us to be a part of it. Rob probably won't be able to come but at least Leila and I might be able to fly to the east coast for a week. I won't be flying with a baby and a toddler. Not even my two little lovelies.

::potential of becoming::

Saturday morning jammas.Day 4 of 21 Day Challenge.

Think the unthinkable. Do the undoable. Be the person you have the potential of becoming.

Mixture of paper and digital.

I'm truly "enjoying the process"!

...becoming. Trying to keep this concept in mind. No perfectionism. No ridiculous expectations. Baby steps to becoming.Today we plant more flowers. We look to spring and feel it in the air. A long-overdue removal of our awning allows more beautiful light into our bedroom. Giving us an even greater sense of spring.

We'll try our hand at assembling (scary word in this house) a hammock swing we bought for Luke. The process of swinging is supposed to help with his sensory issues (vestibular system). Even if it doesn't, he loves to swing anyway.

Spicy, Savvy Sanity Saver 8 ~ Be passionate. Pursuing interests creates positive feelings that translate into physical energy. Revisit your dreams. Spend time thinking about your talents and abilities and find ways to use them now if possible. (From Focus on the Family)