What I've been doing

I have been thinking about how simplicity makes me feel calm, relaxed and ultimately happier in general. This picture is a kitchen that says to me "I'm simple but rich in experience and detail, I may not be showy but I am efficient, relaxed, easy going. I can handle hustle and bustle of rush time or I can sit back with a warm cup of joe." I like that in a kitchen. I also like those qualities in life.

Our days have gone like this: (not so simple and relaxed)
During the week Bobby is at work and most days comes to the house to work after that as well as some side work. Our weekends are always at the house working.
My day looks like this......
7am~ wake up, feed the kids, get dressed, change over some laundry, take out the trash, pack lunch, fill water containers
9am~go to Home Depot, bank, pay a few bills, swing by McDonald's for a Caramel Iced Coffee, go to 'the property' (that is still what the kids call it)
10am~work on tile, prime, paint, rethink and plan on kitchen layout because I'm never satisfied with it, referee the girls, check up on the girls because they are curiously quiet, make time for tic tac toe, listen to LadyBug's newest book-now second grade level :0), throw LuLu up in the air until my arms feel like they are going to break, talk about colors and sing the alphabet song.
12:30~ eat a sandwich, some carrot sticks, a V8, a Powerade
12:45~get back to work, being a referee, scrape the tile down again because I made a huge mess with the adhesive, reinstall the corner caddy thingy that LuLu used as a step before the adhesive dried. Scrape off the adhesive that LuLu iced the tile with while I was gone to cut a trim piece.
5pm~ eat a few Fig Newtons, drink another Powerade, get back to work. Check out LadyBug's newest invention outside in the dirt, push LuLu around on the bike.
7pm~ go home
8pm~ bathe the girls, cook and eat dinner, clean up, put the girls to bed
10:30pm~shower
11:30pm~sleep, glorious sleep

This is the color LadyBug picked for her room. Orange Slice by Glidden, we used Behr paint. The ceiling is about 2 shades lighter. Far from the previous description of relaxing simplicity, but you are only a child once. LuLu's color is Pink Peony also a Glidden color. I will post some pics of it soon. It is dusty pink with a lilac undertone.




With the help of my little sister I have been tiling my master bath shower. The opening you see here will be a solid piece of tempered glass. I finished laying he tile and cleaned it up for grout yesterday. As soon as it is grouted I'll post the pictures. I'll have to get a better picture. You can't see it here but a rain can is in the center of the shower ceiling and a handheld is on the wall. The clawfoot will sit right in front of that.

My two little sweet girls get as dirty as humanly possible every single day that we are there! But again, you are only a child once.

A nugget. Some fire. A load of Stuff.

I've been extremely busy with the house and summer life that I haven't had time to do more than a quick look-see of what has been going on around here! I am glad to see that everyone is doing well and have wonderful things going on. I have to run again but I wanted to share a few pictures first.
AND We start priming the drywall TODAY!




My camera was on fireworks setting. I thought this was a pretty cool picture of LadyBug with her sparklers. Click on these two to enlarge them!


Here is a close up on the same setting of a sparkly something, I don't know the name of but it was pretty and my camera picked up some really neat streams of fire from it.






Here is the load of drywall scrap after the hangers (?) were done.




Here is my LuLu giving everyone 'the tour'.





Here is the patio. Well almost.


I am going insane trying to pin down my paint colors. Seriously. I wish I had an interior designer friend. I will be bald before this is over!

Blessings Unending

Hip Hooray for Bobby. He got us a leap ahead for drywall today!
Bobby and a co-worker got more done today than I could have helped him do in a weekend!

The wonderful surveyor that set up our easement for water went way beyond our expectations!
Where we are going to live - out in the boonies- we have to get an easement to run water lines to our property and the meter will also be on someone else's property. The surveyor who took care of it for us is also a notary public. This sweet man met me to get exact location, went to property owner to verify, received appropriate paperwork via fax, went to water board to be sure of what they wanted, drew up paperwork, went to property owner for signature, went to court house and filed it for me, went to water board again to give them a copy..... all for $200!! He is just a good hearted sweet man. He called my husband and asked if he could do all of that because he knew Bobby was very busy with work and since we had two small children I was obviously busy. Can you believe that?! So now all I have to do is show up at the water board with a handful of cash (a check really) and we are all set!!

And I was able to take my sweet girls swimming. That was a blessing.
Time is something I haven't had a lot of lately. But blessings have not run short!!



Me, LuLu - Granny, LadyBug




LadyBug, LuLu, DD, Mom, and Granny

art and stuff like it

Please click on the pictures to enlarge the view, you will not want to miss the details...





















I believe art to be a product formed through many mediums. I believe nature, ink,paint, crayon, chalk, voice, motion, instrument, concrete, machine, tools and clay are all different mediums to reach the ultimate goal of art. My children are artists, My God is an artist, Tattoo professionals are artists, dancers are artists, painters are artists, I am an artist, my husband is an artist, a builder is an artist, a musician is an artist, a teacher is an artist. The question then is, What is art? My answer, Anything created. No matter, professional or novice. Anything can be art.

So now lets eat granola and hug some trees ;)

OK. Here is the scoop.... My HVAC guy will be at the house early in the morning. HIP HIP HOORAY!
Through God all things are possible.

Don't know much 'bout Penelope's....

Don't know much about Science books

Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you

And I know that if you love me too

What a wonderful world this would be......

LadyBug found this

I think it is a millipede??? I don't know.... She insisted on calling it a Penelope all day though! It was so cute... (her watching after it, not the bug!) She kept up with it and made a make-shift amusement park for it out of plumbing parts. LuLu found it quite entertaining to push it with her foot so that it rolled into a impenetrable ball....making the mothering instinct of LadyBug come out...

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We (and when I say we, I mean Chad and Bobby) did get a lot of the plumbing done and I think they are finishing it up in the afternoons this week. By the way the plumber's name is Chad. They are our friends and it just seems very impersonal to say the plumber. I mean hubby is a concrete machine operator and mechanic but I'd rather call him honey. Because that is who he is not what he does.

We have to get water to our property now, yep, I said to our property! the nearest meter approx. 400 feet away. This is a frustrating and costly issue that must be dealt with when moving to the 'boonies'.

Here is a quick shot I got of the boys. Don't tell them I put this on here :) You know how guys are.... Oh that is not my good side, You should have told me and I would have fixed my hair, you know I need to know in advance.... Oh, wait.... that is me, I'm thinking of.... They probably wouldn't mind after all.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Wordful Wednesdays

My sister DD and I have been walking three to three and a half miles three times a week together. Sometimes Jess comes with us and this time Mom came. LadyBug was also with us because she is out of school for the summer. LadyBug tuckered out by lap two and sat on a soggy stump while we finished. We walk across from the fire department *wink* *wink* :) I kid my hubby about that, but honestly we are so busy gossiping (I mean.... talking) that we don't even notice.

Here is Mom pushing LuLu, DD is in the back.

See LadyBug way up front?? That is why she tuckered out so quick!!

This is why I love him Thursday-New Blog

Every Thursday I like to share with the world why I love my husband. Doing this has helped me look for the little things that make a big impact on my heart. Things that he does to show his love or things that are uniquely him.

Why do I love him:

He works outside in 85 degree heat in April without complaining to be the provider for our family.

He smiles with his eyes.

He is well beyond his years in wisdom.

He gives with all his heart.

He is dependable.

He is trustworthy.

He is himself no matter who he is around.

He is willing to go outside his comfort zone to do the things I enjoy.

I have a new blog. I have decided to do a pro life blog in addition to this one. I will try to keep it up to date with government and pro life announcements. Please follow and share so that I will know who is reading and you can add or comment at any time.

Wordful Wednesdays

LadyBug and I took advantage of LuLu's nap time to do a manicure and pedicure at home. I haven't taken the time to pamper her in a while and I am very thankful that I did!



LuLu loves lemons. No salt. No sugar. Just lemons. I don't let her have them as often as she would like because I guess it is bad for your teeth, but she will just eat on it until there is nothing left but the yellow outside!

ABC meme from facebook

ABC meme from facebook. Adapted from The Mommy Diaries. Tag you are it. Let's see what you've got!? Here are my answers:


A - Age: 28
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: MOP, window washing
D - Dog's name: Buddy
E - Essential start your day item:green tea
F - Favorite color: robin's egg,white
G - Gold or Silver: silver
H - Height: 5'7"
I - Instruments you played: clarinet
J - Job title: mom,wife,bookkeeper
K-Kids: Alexandria 5, Kaylee Grace 1 1/2
L - Living arrangements: family of 4
M - Mom's name: Donna
N - Nicknames: Beth, Pooh, BethyPooh, Mom, Mommy, Momma, MaryBeth
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None!
P - Pet Peeve: dishonesty
Q - Quote from a movie:"You lean against me, and I'll lean against you, that way we don't have to sleep with our heads in the mud" Oh and "Shake and Bake, yeah, that just happened" Oh and one more "give me some of your tots. No way, man, I'm freakin starving."
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: Jess, DD
T - Time you wake up: Alarm goes off at 6:30, but I usually get out of bed around 6:50 (me too)
U- Underwear: mostly, haha.
V - Vegetable you dislike: those nasty green Lima beans, but that is it.
W - Ways you run late: last minute diaper or potty and empty already sippy cup
X - X-rays you've had: teeth, back, stomach
Y - Yummy food you make: Homemade potato soup and carrot cake
Z - Zoo Favorites: hippos, giraffes

Is anyone out there? Tornadoes and Joe's!

I am so happy to report that my unfinished home is O.K.!! We were watching the weather/News last night and heard a report that there was a lot of damage... very close to our property yesterday evening so as soon as I could I went to check on it today. It was perfect, unfinished, but perfect.

Bobby took us to a late lunch at Joe's yesterday. I felt like I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner! I had two crabs, shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, fries, great-balls-of-fire, and cake and Ice cream!!! Yep, I ate all that. It was one of those steamer things.... anyway, it was delish. But, I was miserable for the rest of the evening. LadyBug was so cute with her crab, trying her hardest, and doing pretty well, at opening it up to get at the meat. LuLu hasn't developed a taste for seafood so she mostly ate fries. I didn't ask to see the bill, I just enjoyed the food. We don't get to do that often so we just enjoyed it! I do really, really, really want to go to the beach now!

Oh, and I need an ego boost... is anyone out there? Am I wasting my time posting?
Just feelin' a little slumpy...

a day of reflection

Today I've been thinking of several things. I feel like I have been slacking lately with my girls. You know, sometimes you just become complacent. That is where I am. lately I've been feeling burnt out. I want so badly to refresh. The problem is our whole family has become a little lazy at looking out for the best interests of each other. We have made a bad habit of watching too much TV, eating too much junk, and just getting through the day. With spring coming we need to do some spring cleaning. To the house? Definitely! But we need to do some spring cleaning internally too! After a visit to my baby cousin at Children's Hospital on Valentines Day it all began. Looking down at a six month old baby hooked up to various tubes and wires, I started to realize just how blessed my family is. I already knew this but a visit to the PICU will really drive that deeper into your thoughts! So I've been thinking today about what I can do to motivate my family into moving more, trying harder, saying the simple words of please and thank you a little more often, eating healthy again, and thinking about how each person in our family is part of us and if we neglect or hurt one it neglects and hurts us as a whole. So I am going to do the 'family meeting' thing tonight at dinner and see what each one needs to feel happier, healthier, and more confident people. We have options in our lives, blessings or curses, life or death. If we sit on idle the choice is made for us. I want to make my own choice!

Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now choose LIFE! Then you and your children may live.Deuteronomy 30:19

I want to live. Really live. If our life on earth is but a vapor, I want to make enough of a vapor that is becomes humid.
Nobody who visits the south in the summer forgets the humidity!