Perfect Sunday Morning

It's 6:30 and I have to say it is probably my favorite time of day.  Three of my sons are up in their rooms sleeping so peacefully while a cool early summer breeze is blowing through their windows.  My husband is sleeping soundly as I managed to slide out of bed without waking him.  The birds are singing so sweetly outside of the open windows, waiting anxiously for me to come re-fill their feeders.  The coffee is in the French Press almost ready for me to pour and the house is silent.  I love this time of day when everything is so fresh from the night's rest, all things seem possible and the beauty of the world just seems so clear.  It's another new beginning and a chance to make a difference in a day.

It's moments like this that I am just amazed out how blessed I am to have the life I do.  I live in such a beautiful place and have a family that many will never have the chance to experience.  After having such an emotionally charged week at work, it is nice to have a weekend to just surround myself with my children and husband, laugh at stupid little things and find joy in the pure simplicity of what my life is.  I hope to carry this feeling back to work tomorrow and keep it close to my heart so as not to let things upset me the way they did last week.  Because this feeling that I have right now, is what matters the most and what gives me my strength to go on.  Yes, I feel like my life is coming to a crossroads, but I am not there quite yet, so I  have faith that things are on course for how they should be and that in time everything will fall into place. 

So yesterday was filled with a few of those simple pleasures.  Such as, after having been taken down a year ago for our wedding reception, the clothes line has now been put back into place, which means tonight I will have the luxury of sleeping on sheets that were line dried in the fresh summer air.  BIG SMILE on my face right now.  Another simple pleasure was watching my youngest help Robby build a slanting trellis for the cumcumbers to grow up in the garden.  So many of our plants came up from seed, that it is clear they will take over their space, so Robby and Trevor created a trellis and placed it in the garden and then trained the cucumber plants to climb up.

  And though I am not always a big fan of weeding, yesterday I did take on the monumental task of weeding the strawberry bed.  Thanks to an IPOD full of great new songs, and having my husband and son out in the garden with me to keep me company, I managed to rid the bed of almost every weed.  Even though the strawberries are done for the summer, the bed looks much nicer.  Here are the before and after pictures along with the bucket of weeds.

And here is one of the things about summer I don't love.  He was in one of the outbuildings today.  YUCK!

So here's too another amazing day.  May you all find the simple pleasures in your life to be what gives you the greatest joy.  Trevor asked me yesterday if I wished I we had one really nice mall with all of my favorite stores in it here in the small town we live in.  I thought about it for only one second and said "No".  I like my town the way it is, and one of life's less simple pleasures is taking a road trip to the really nice malls and making that a special day in itself.  I had that life before, and it really didn't bring me the happiness that I have found now.  So, I will keep things as they are and be eternally grateful for them.  Have a beautiful day everyone.

Gypsy Soul is Stirring

Wow, what a tough week this is panning out to be.  Never before I have I felt more sure that I need change.  I don't think the time is here for change, but I sure feel the need for it.  I hope that this feeling is something that will ease a little as the days go by.  There have been some major changes in my  work environment and that has caused an uneasiness in my soul.  Thus causing the gypsy soul in me to stir and desire change.  Subtle change is never enough for me, it is always a drastic change.  I am a creature of habit for the most part, but when the gypsy in me starts to rear it's head, there is no stopping it and change, real change is enevitable.  I am trying to soothe this urge by doing more things at home on my off hours.  But quite frankly, by the time I get home, I am so drained both menatlly, emotionally and physically that I can't do anything but have dinner with my beloved husband, and then sit down to my laptop and read the blogs that carry me away to a world I wish to someday be a part of. 

A much needed weekend is soon coming up with my amazing sister in law whose life I admire and am somewhat jealous of.   She has a wonderful business,  Vintage Connections Jewelry, and has followed her passion and found her bliss.  Check her out here: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Vintage-Connections-Jewelry/183438365025143?sk=app_2373072738 .   I know I will come away from my weekend with her feeling inspired, energized and renewed.  Cannot wait to see her July 4th weekend.

In the meantime, I will try to keep a positive attitude, make the best of the situation as it is and move forward.  This moment is the only moment I may have, and I will not waste it being bitter and sad.

Cha, Cha, Changes......

I am in such a state of, umm, what is the word I am searching for?  Well any way, my problem is I am itching for a change.  But a change I don't think I can possibly make right now.  I am yearning to be able to stay home and make my living from my home.  Raising cattle, getting chickens, learning to sew again, basically be a farmgirl.  I am so craving being able to stay home and start working on home projects, be here to do chores with Robby around the house, and be a housewife again.  It has been years since I have been able to stay home and just be a simple wife and it is what I crave and love the most.  Recently I have stumbled across some amazing blogs by people such as www.parisiennefarmgirl.com and her mother's blog at www.savvycityfarmer.com and I long to have this life again.  Clearly I don't want to have babies again, or actually I would love to have more babies but my age and body have different ideas, but I would love to be able to make a living in the same manner as these ladies.  I am such a frugal woman and require very little money to get by that I think Robby and I could be fine without my income as a nurse.  But I am not sure I can convince him of that and I would have to do something to make a little money somewhere.  But in order for me to find the time to dig deeper into such pursuits, I need be home  and working full time right now is not allowing me that time.  I hate this itching feeling and wish I could come up with some way of achieving this dream.   If anyone out there has any ideas for me, please share them with me. 

I also am dying to redecorate our house.  Now that Robby and I are married, I really feel like this is my home now and therefore feel somewhat the right to make some changes to it.  Only problem is, I think Robby has more opinions about the way this house looks inside than most men.  Not that he is any interior decorator by any stretch of the imagination, but my French Country ideas may just not be what he is thinking of.  I need to find a way to gently bring this up and see what I can get away with. 


Well, I don't have any pictures relevant to this post so I am just going to post some pictures of my favorite things. Hope you enjoy them and if anyone has any ideas or words of wisdom for me, by all means, leave me a comment. I don't even know why I write these posts as if anyone reads them, but maybe some day I will be pleasantly surprised and someone will read them.

Kids are proud, not one tear shed.

So last night was Reed's graduation from high school.  It was an awesome night filled with lots of love and laughter.  I have never had so much fun at a graduation before.  The speeches given by the class president and the SCA president were funny and heartfelt.  The ceremony was short and sweet and the kids added their own personality to receiving their diplomas.  Quite a few danced their way across the stage to receive their diplomas, and my Reed was one of them.  He Dougied his way across the stage and I got a great little video of it.  It was so great to see kids enjoying themselves and celebrating their accomplishment.

As I looked around during the ceremony and especially to the left and right of me, I realized how lucky I am and how lucky my family is.  Reed had his mom and dad there to celebrate with him, plus the wonderful addition of a step dad that loves him as his own, and a soon to be step mom who I know loves him dearly.  Two of his 3 brothers were there to celebrate with him, as well as one of his grandparents.  We were all one family last night and all past problems were put aside, where I hope they will remain.  All I felt was a peacefulness that things were right in the world, and I was right where I was suppose to be.  Jokes had been made as to how much I would cry during the ceremony, and I had taken precautions and not worn mascara just in case the tears broke through the waterproof barrier.  But for some odd reason, not a tear was shed.  Not because I didn't feel complete pride and joy about the events at hand, because I did.  My heart was swelling with pride and I felt as if I could bubble over with happiness.  But all I could do was smile, laugh and sigh a huge sigh of something.  Perhaps I have finally reached that place where I have forgiven myself for our family breaking apart 9 years ago.  All I know is that it is a great feeling and I hope it never goes away.

 The festivities will continue through the weekend.  More family will be coming to town to celebrate Reed's graduation.  Another party for my nephew who is also graduating will take place this weekend too.  A new chapter is beginning in many kid's lives, and I hope that they are all excited about it, if just a little bit scared.  A summer filled with beach trips, working to make some money for college, parties with friends before everyone heads off in different directions, shopping for college stuff and dorm room paraphernalia lies ahead of all of them.

It's a great time in their lives and I hope that they all take the time to enjoy it and realize what a great time it is.  You only go through this stage once in life, and it is a great one. I wish them all the best of luck, and to my Reed, know that your mama and the rest of your family is always here to help you along the way and give you support when you need it.  We believe in you and trust in you.  You will stumble and fall along the way, and when you can't pick yourself up, we will all be there to do it for you.