Happy Valentines Day

I LOVE....

My Husband

This Guy



And This Little Man



My Sisters


My Parents

Running




My Wonderful Friends

And My Testimony of The Gospel of Jesus Christ



Happy Valentines Day!

Love,

A New Reality

Is there anybody out there that finds the HGTV channel as wonderful as I? I love love love it. I'm not sure what the addiction fascination is about looking inside other folk's homes and watching how other people live. I'm sure it has something to do with the lack of Carrie design skills.... I just know I've got the bug.

Imagine my excitement when the concept of room and furniture renovations spilled over into the world of blogosphering. Actually spilled over doesn't really do it justice. More like taken by fire. There are sooooo many cute DIY (Do it yourself) blogs out there with umpteen fabulous project re-do's that quite frankly you could spend hours and hours a lot of time getting lost and inspired and then not understand why there wasn't any time left in your day to clean the house.

I was filled with all kinds of butterflies when I discovered a new twist on reality TV. It's called a Reality Blogivision and it involves all of the elements that I love. Competition. Projects. And inspiring results galore! It's called, So You Think You Can Decorate and the inaugural Season 1 begins, Sunday Feb. 28th. In my obsessed humble opinion, it's worth checking out.

Brilliant Stephanie... truly brilliant!

Calebism

Overheard by Mom.

Caleb: "Porter, do you want a graham cracker?"

Porter: "Yes!"

30 second delay...

Porter: "Heyyyyyyy, I want two."

Caleb: "Porter, you get one. I have two because my mouth is bigger."

Brudderly love.

Note To Self

When am I going to realize that the time to look for festive holiday ideas is really the month before the holiday...

I was searching for some FHE ideas and came across a fantastic Valentine tradition. I think I'll hang onto this lotsa-love fest idea and introduce it to our family in 2011. Why? Because I think my youngest will get more out of it and (the real reason) because we've already missed a week of the fun!

In a nutshell: Everyone in the family creates a Losta-Love envelope for them self. They are hung on the fridge and within reach of all the children. A stash of pre-made note templates and crayons or markers are kept close by and for two weeks the family spreads love by writing or drawing secret love messages for one another.... and who doesn't love getting mail?

I'd be willing to bet that the overall level of raised voices and fighting may very well decrease in a household over that two week period. I may even just chart that progress next year. And heck, if that's the case I just might institute Holmes Losta-Love Fest all year 'round... :)

I thought I'd pass along my find. If you're interested in doing something similar, you can find the templates here.

Happy Love Month!

Endurance

This month marks the beginning of my marathon training. 16 weeks and counting... 16 weeks doesn't feel like nearly enough time to train and running 26.2 miles sounds uh a... slightly excessive (sarcasm).

I hope this preparatory period will go as fast as a turtle speed-o-meter.

No pain, no gain-

Easy As Black and White

I love all things black. And black and white. Why? I'm not sure. But, I'm truly drawn to them. It's the first thing that I reach for on a clothing rack, the first pair of shoes I peruse through at the store, it's the first car I notice on the road and it's the first home accessory that catches my eye. I'm a creature of habit and I absolutely have tunnel vision for it.

Unless you've been in my house, it might surprise you to know that although I have a fetish for black I don't have any black decor in my home.... This is really unfortunate and frankly quite a bummer. :)

When Damon and I first married we chose to go with the cherry (matchy matchy) look. I've been tempted over the years to purchase a distressed black furniture piece but chickened out due to fear... fear because it would stick out like a sore thumb against the rest of our furniture. And as a realist I also know that it would take awhile before our home would be furnished to fit a new "style".

I have several friends that have LOADS of talent in interior design, they can find a piece of furniture, see a vision for it, refurbish it and put it together with the rest of their house. I love their eclectic style. Along with a good singing voice, this would have been a talent that I would have LOVED to have stood in line for.

Just looking at these things makes me smile...-

Gorgeous Pillow:


I love this vinyl clock pattern:



Cheeky Ottoman:



Collage of Black and White Photos:



Cozy Black Chandelier:



Large Wall Clock:



Magnetic Weekly Planner:



Fabulous Black & White Apron:



Step Stool:



Circular Rug:


Serving Platter:



Table Linens:



I really like this chair:



Newsprint Baskets:



Yummy Barstools:



File Folders:



Black & White Frames:

My wheels are turning...

-Chillax'n

Damon and I took the boys to Mt. Rainier. We went sledding, built snow forts and threw snow balls. And had an absolutely fabulous time!

Snowflakes are one of life's most fragile things, but look what they can do when they stick together...

A Toss in the Bucket

Have you ever wondered why some people have all the luck? You know...

The people that win a raffle prize with only one ticket dropped into the box. These are the same people that stay on number 22 during a cake walk and they call number 22.

...Who are the same people that happen to be caller number 9 during a radio station concert ticket contest give-a-way.

...Who are the same people that can catch an autographed pro fly ball after it's bounced off of a chair then off of the back of someone else's glove and then off of another's someone glove.

You know who I'm talking about. "Them."

Is this just a perception phenomenon or are the words "golden" and "favored" somehow intergalactic-ly tied to their zodiac sign? I don't have an answer people. If you are a "them" by all means please share your secrets... we, the "others" would love to know. (However, don't be surprised if "They" don't even know. Their usually lucky and it's effortless.)

It's disgusting.

I started my post talking about luck because my husband is one of those people... only he's a half-breed "them". A half-breed is one of those people that are lucky only half of the time... A fifty-fiftier. I am neither a full breed or a half breed (although perhaps being married to half-breed might qualify me as an eighth "them")... but that's for another discussion.

Whether people share it or not, almost everyone has a bucket list. You know a list of things that they want to accomplish or experience before they die. Mine is half organized and kept mentally in my brain. I love lists. Grocery lists, Daily To Do lists.. they are gotta haves for me. But what I love more than the lists themselves is the ability to cross things off... it makes me feel so productive even on the smallest of days, wouldn't you agree?

Clean out junk drawer
Change baby's diaper
Laundry
Mow Lawn
Clean bathrooms
Vacuum
Pay Bills
Empty Dishwasher
Shower

Uh, bucket. There are a few things on my bucket list that are beyond my control. They are the things that no matter what I do, I still wouldn't be able to accomplish them unless divine intervention or luck swung my way.

But last week luck arrived in my mailbox!











Now, I realize that jury duty is not for everyone. I realize that in the cosmo of stars not everyone is wishing to waste their days in a large crowded room filled with unexcited potential jurors who may or may not be selected to participate in a case. But, I can hardly contain my excitement. For I am about to be paid $10.00 a day to belong to Juror Group #6 in a Superior Court for which I would undoubtly in a heart beat do for FREE. Think I'm being sarcastic? Wrongo!

Being crossed off my bucket list...

Get Selected for Jury Duty

Wishing everyone a very lucky week!

Love,

Defined As A Naturally Recurring State of Relatively Suspended Sensory and Motor Activity

-Soap Box Adjectives

Millions Shmillions.
Spending Schmending.
Mula Schmula.

Is anybody else tired of watching our money do the hotfoot dash?

I don't care what political party you belong to. It doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter. As a human being who pays taxes, you should be (... thinking of the right descriptor.)

The sad reality is this.. If it doesn't belong to you, it takes more effort to cherish it and respect it like it was your own. The "it" here being soaked in green, silver and gold.

The sad reality is this... That this is just one little needle story in a haystack of several hundred others. However, this little needle was only sung to the tune of 1.1 million dollars. Only.

(This little needle story can be found, here.)

Perhaps if spouses were denied the opportunity to travel on this business trip we could have shaved a few grand off of this number? After all.. surely the spouses weren't expected to demonstrate any influence in the Copenhagen Climate Conference, right? But grand schmand, what's that?... only a few tiny zeros.

Perhaps if our government elected officials who represent us, The People (and our tax schmax dollars) would have stopped for one moment and said, you know what?... our country is in financial crises and in debt beyond our eyeballs. Let's reduce our attendee list down to only those Senate and House Representatives that "need" to go we might have used that money for another constructive cause or better yet... not have spent it at all.

Excessive.
Wasteful.
Feckless.

If only they weren't allowed to come back... now THAT may have been money well spent.

-Hospitality

My mother flew home from Dallas last week with more then just her suitcase. She also brought with her a bad case of pneumonia. If I had a normal mom with two normal lungs this wouldn't be a problem. But, I've been blessed with an extraordinary mom who actually only has 3/4 of one working lung. Yeah, you read that right. She does what you and I do (with the exception of running) with less then one lung and without an oxygen tank.. oh... and without complaining. Isn't she fabulous? I think so.

So we took the boys to the hospital for a visit to provide some comedy and cheer. Before we could enter the room we were required to put on the mandatory "gear". Then, the boys serenaded Grandma with the cutest rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" (mask style). We are glad to report that Mom is now finishing up the rest of her horse pills from the comfort of her own home and is feeling much better.

There are so many amazing people in the world that have physical struggles and yet manage to stay so positive and not just live, but really make the most out of their lives. They make a choice that their challenges will not limit their goals, their dreams, or their potential. And in lots of cases they defy odds, surpass their goals and dreams and do more in their lifetime with their body then we would ever choose to do with our own healthy ones.

Number One Complainer here needs to kick it in high gear.... I walked away from this weekend hoping to be more appreciative of the things that I have. I hope that I will live more consciously... making the most out of what I've been given. I'm grateful that we are surrounded by people that lift us up and make us better.

Mom, you are one of those people and I love you...