"I'd rather be a mother..."

"I'd rather be a mother than anyone on earth

Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth...

I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed

than twine a chain of diamonds about my [carefree] head.

I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright, baby eyes

Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise."

-- Meredith Gray

Happy Mother's Day!

photo by Sherry Hammonds Photography

It's coming

Summer is just around the corner.  I can feel it in the afternoon air.  It is becoming thick with heat.  Hopefully this summer will spare us the oppressive heat we endured last year.  Nevertheless, with the coming summer, comes so many wonderful things...  

rides on swings

late-afternoon swims

sprinkler fun

the watering hose

sleeping in

fun with friends

exciting harvests from the garden

road trips

creek adventures with the dogs

bare feet

the sound of the ice cream truck

the sun on your skin

freckles

sandals

fireflies caught in a Mason jar 

What are you looking forward to doing this summer?

Crib tales

I often stand here in the middle of the night waiting...

waiting for Momma or Dada to come.

I sometimes talk, scream or cry.

Sometimes, I wonder how I will retrieve the Binky that I dropped down...

usually Momma comes to my rescue and finds it among my toy baskets.  

I can "drop" things pretty far away now.

I am just not the sleeper that the rest of the family expects me to be...

I am not hungry, teething or hurting.  I am just awake.

So, until they find a way to get me to sleep all night long, I will continue to be here...

just waiting with my Lulu and Binky.

What will you be doing at 2am?

Momma's note:  I hate Ferber....I was so proud that I never had to use him with my first child but it seems like  he is our only hope with the sleepless babe.

Monthly Organization: Project 1 -- Paint Storage

I am constantly reading about ways to organize my life, home, children, schedules, papers, etc.  I love organization and find it extremely useful now that I have children to keep up with.  Often, I get overwhelmed with all the organizing propaganda that I get hung up on all the stuff and never accomplish anything.

I am going to try to finish one organization project a month.  This is a realistic goal and an affordable one.  Organizing with all the fun accessories I love can get quite pricey so I am going to focus on one project a month.

This month, I organized and sorted through all our paint.  Our garage is full of old paint cans that are unlabeled, old, rusted and many of which are unusable.

 

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I recently read an article in Martha Stewart Living that suggested storing touch-up paint in glass jars inside.  This can prolong the life of the paint up to 10 years!  Especially in my neck of the woods, the hot summers can destroy paint left in the garage.

I love touch-up paint!  It is extremely useful to keep on hand.  Every couple of months, I get out our touch-up paint and touch up nicks and scuffs on the walls.  It is amazing what clean walls can do for a room.

To accomplish the paint project, I first ordered WECK glass storage jars from here.

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They are actually canning/food storage jars but they worked wonderfully for this project.

I filled each jar with paint and labeled it with the corresponding room and paint information on a tag.

It was so neat to see all the colors together.

I realized that I really am drawn to green, khaki and blue hues.  When we go to paint other rooms of our house, I can choose a color that will blend nicely with the existing colors...this is now incredibly easy to do because of the glass jars!!

I am incredibly pleased with this month's organization project.  Plus, it has freed up a lot of room  in our garage.  Now all I need is one shelf in my utility room cabinet to store paint.  Aahhh, the joys of a successful project!

Beans and rice

Our new favorite finger food...black beans and rice.  This was a staple for our big girl at this age and I am so glad the babe has followed in her footsteps with her love for this family favorite.  

In Awe...

As I walk through the yard on this misty and somewhat dreary Earth Day, I am awe-struck at the beauty around me.

This Oxsalis was a favorite of mine as a child.  I was always captivated by the delicate pink flowers and the large clover leaves.

Then, I noticed the bright and almost neon color to the tips of the purple iris.  I am amazed at the color.

These iris are so special because they grew in my Grandmother's yard some 60 years ago.  When she passed, we dug up some of the bulbs and transplanted them in my own yard.  Each year, I am reminded of her when they bloom.  Funny enough, this year they began blooming on her very birthday.  

Happy Earth Day!  May you be awe-struck by something Earthy today!

New Shoes

Up until yesterday morning, I didn't think my girl cared much about the shoes on her feet.  She always happily just wore whatever I picked out.  Yesterday morning (first thing, in the PJs) I found her on the kitchen floor with her new box of shoes we had purchased the day before.  I silently watched (and took pictures) as she carefully took each shoe out of its wrapping and delicately put it on her feet.  She got them on and walked around the kitchen with a huge smile on her face.  She looked up at me and said "I like these new shoes."  After inspecting and trying on the new spring sandals, she carefully packaged them back up into their box...exactly as they came.  It was adorable to watch.