What I Know For Sure... One

• Everyday brings a chance to start over.
• Life - it goes on.
• Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. I admit it.
• The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
• I am loved unconditionally by my Savior, my husband and my children.
• I never stop myself from doing something because I'm afraid of what people might think... Okay, yes I do - But I need to stop!

• I like salty and sweet. Like Dark chocolate caramel with sea salt. oh.my.word.
• I forgive easily, but I never forget.ever.
• I may cry, but it's not because I'm weak.
• Potato skins will clog the garbage disposal. every time.
• I prefer being at home to going out - unless it's with my family. 
• Take this moment. Enjoy it.

• I can't stand bullies.
• I am a loyal friend and believe in life-long relationships.
• I will not let others write my life script - ever again.
• Crayons (Crayola brand) make me happy.
• Coffee is essential to life.
• I am enough. Enough.
• Everyone deserves to be safe.

I was obviously inspired to do this page by a page I saw in O (Oprah) Magazine.  She has this section, I believe, in each monthly issue.  I have always kept a list of thoughts and quotes that I've agreed on or thought were a revelation that I wanted to remember.  I transferred them to these two pages and decided that I'd like to do this regularly.  I chose just some of the ones I've written in my journals and I'm saving the rest for another time.

Supplies: 

Gesso - covered both pages with gesso to give it some "tooth" and thickness.

Acrylic spray - I put some acrylic craft paint mixed with a bit of water in a spray bottle (travel size found at 99cent store), sprayed the background.

Magazine - torn out words, quotes and pictures

Rubber stamp - swirls for border

Black Staz On Ink - my favorite ink. Water proof and permanent

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Walnut stain color for edging

Black and White Faber Castel Gelato crayons - for shading - can be used dry or like water colors

Green fine tip Sharpie Marker - Journaling

hello monday|twelve

hello  Monday Mugshots.  Started out the morning with breakfast made by my guy and a full pot of coffee.  The first cup was great - and necessary - but I love how the second cup is just a bit hotter.  The first one tends to get gulped down and the second one gets to be sipped...appreciated a little more.

Jaws!

hello universal studios - I missed Monday Mugshots and hello Monday altogether last week and this is why. The kids had the week off for Spring Break and my guy decided it would be really great to take them to Universal Studios. Except for Hannah, they had never been!  It was quite the investment, but with the purchase of one day - you get a pass for the rest of the year!  You can't beat that. We had a wonderful time together.  Marco had to work the rest of the week of course, but the kids and I enjoyed taking it slow.

Optimus Prime at the Transformers ride

Hannah and Taryn could not get enough of The Sugar store at Universal

hello family time - I really love these people. Seems I can't get enough of them.

my favorite

my specials

hello reality check - I think it was late last night when it dawned on me that the school year is almost over. My girl Hannah is graduating high school. Little Marco is promoting from kindergarten and T-girl is finished with junior high.  Time moves so fast. *sigh*

hello new week new start - many things that I feel like I've got to hit the reset button on... here's to hoping that I can.

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“In three words, I can sum up everything

I've learned about life. It goes on.”  ~Robert Frost

hello monday|seven

hello monday

hello Monday Mugshots. I love the collaboration with A Year in the Life of an Art Journal every 15th and 30th of the month. I have not completed my journal page yet but the prompt asked you to take a picture of a favorite quote with your mug.  This is the quote I doodled. It's been on my mind these days.

hello seester. I sure have missed you something awful. We've both been through so much since we last saw each other. We are both wiser, stronger and both have more children than the last time we were together. =)

 hello cousin time. So glad these awesome kids could get to know each other better.  They are doing a wonderful job of getting along and loving on each other.

hello birthday girl. I'm also glad that I could do a little something special for Abby's birthday. She turns nine tomorrow!  We had her party today because of the holiday and the kids being off school.  It was also our good friends Rick and Emma's birthday today. Great day of celebrating some special people!
hello Costco photo. I'm going to be seeing a lot of you this next week. Going to try to print out some photos in preparation for a scrapbooking retreat I've been planning on attending for months and months now. It's finally coming up. I haven't worked in my albums for so long, but my little guy keeps asking where is baby book is - so I have a bit of catching up to do!
hello new toy. My husband bought me a Cricut for Christmas and I have not had a chance to pull it out and try it yet. I have my tiny Cricut Create that I bought with birthday money years ago and have been using this, but wanted to have time to focus and get started right with the new one. Planning on doing that THIS week. Yay! Finally!
hello more rain and cold. Keep it coming. I love it!

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

“You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it.”

Good Morning Valentine!

Marco and I love to make every possible holiday special for our children. 

It doesn't take a lot of money to make someone feel special and to show your love for them.

I made each of the children their own mailbox designed just for them, got them a pair of fluffy dollar store pair of house socks, and a little thing of chocolate. Then their dad, who was also planning on spoiling them, had picked up some inexpensive chocolate for each of them.

For My Little Guy Marco

For my sweet Naomi

For my "Directioner" Taryn

For my all-grown up Hannah Joy

Marco and I prepared breakfast for them before school/work.

Yummy Valentine Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream, bacon and sausage.

Celebrating our 23rd Valentine's Day together. <3

Take time to show your love to those around you. All it takes is a little bit of thought! 

You'll never regret it!

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.” ~~Mother Teresa

hello monday|five

hello monday.

hello dreaded dental appointment. i went to see a new dentist today. i know there is lots of work to be done. i will be returning for more appointments in the upcoming weeks. thankful for the opportunity to go, but not looking forward to the anxiety i am already feeling at the thought of it.

hello swim season. with only one game of water polo left for my Hannah, we will be going right into the swim season.  i'm excited that she may be doing fly this year. her coach encouraged her to try it last year because he saw some potential in it, but she was scared to try it at a meet. i'm proud of her for wanting to take that chance this year. it's better than not ever knowing.

 Camarones (Shrimp)

 Ceviche 

hello ceviche. we used to go to this little hole in the wall in the city of Bell to get the most amazing ceviche. i've missed it since we moved out of the area, but my father-in-law treated us to some after our dental appointment. it was so good. very fresh and tasty!

hello soul journaling.  i haven't been working in my art/soul journal as much as i'd like to, but i am starting to realize that whenever i get super busy, it's the important things that usually get pushed to the back burner.  some people may not think that journaling or art journaling would be important, but it is for me.  it is therapeutic and relaxing for me and i know i must make time. 

it is definitely my happy place.

hello tutoring. i've been helping out at Marco and Naomi's school in their classes during the week and i really enjoy it. i don't know if i'll ever go back to full-time teaching, but i love getting a chance to be in the classroom every once in a while.  i learned about a really cool gadget that my daughter gets to use in her class. it's called ACTIVOTE and it is a little remote control type voting system that lets them participate in the lessons presented by the teacher. she gives answer options on the promethean board (also very cool) and each child has their own ACTIVOTE and the teacher can see who answers, who does not answer, if they answer correctly... it's great!

 ACTIVOTE Controller

My Naomi demonstrating how they use them.

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'! 

~~Audrey Hepburn

hello monday|three

hello beautiful day. the kids are out of school and we are going to have a family day.

hello boiling crab. we love this place. lots of great seafood at reasonable prices. fun atmosphere.

 hello silly boy.  three out of my four kids decided on eating chicken strips at a seafood place. marco decided he'd rather play with the seafood than eat it.

hello new semester. all four of the kids start their new semester tomorrow. i can't believe i will have one child graduate high school, one graduate junior high and one graduate kindergarten all in june. crazy. where has the time gone???

hello water polo and winter formal.  hannah has several water polo games this week and then her first formal on saturday.  My girl has to play several games where they tear each other up and then get dressed in heels and a fancy dress. 

that is her in a nutshell. haha.

hello super quick trip.  marco will be flying to washington, picking up a truck from my parents and driving back to cali all between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon. crazy, but it must be done. this family of six has been a single car family for over a year now and it's been pretty tough. 

hello etsy orders. i'm so thankful that i've been able to stay busy with my simple creations. i'm grateful for the opportunity to do what i love and to make a little money 

on the side while i'm doing it. :)

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do Right...

Hello June and welcome summer!!

This is the last week of school for my children.  I will then officially be the mother of one SENIOR in high school (Hannah), one EIGHT grader (Taryn), one SECOND grader (Naomi) and KINDERGARTENER (Marco).
All four children will be in school this fall.  It's a bittersweet feeling, really.
Hoping to make the most of this summer.  We all have plans of:

• getting in shape
• getting organized and simplified
• making the most of each day
• spending lots of time outdoors
• catching up on reading

Of course, there will be a lot of other things thrown in for good measure, but this is what we're thinking for now.  How about you?  Do you have any big plans for the summer?  =)

Worth Repeating...

I have been writing...

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” 

― Martin Luther

I have been writing...a lot.  

I usually get pen to paper. Ink flowing freely.

Thoughts about those I love.

Thoughts about those I have trouble loving.

Funny things that spring from the mouths of people I know.

Especially my children.

As tears fall hot from my eyes to the point where I can hardly write,

Ink mingling with paper moist and at ripping point, 

I scribble words of fear, anger and anxiety.

My pen doodles flowers, swirls, hearts and owls. 

I try to ponder things that bring me joy or at least a smirk to my face.

I glide the pen - always medium point - to record Scripture that I want to commit to memory.

I jot in margins things I need to do, buy, write and say. 

I neatly list goals and dreams and things I want to DO in 2012.

I want to share all these things here - but I find that I can not.   I share what is safe and even struggle with that.

I feel like I should be truly free to write words that need to come out - to let me fly - to really let me soar.

But I wait...

Simple Woman's Daybook :: Week 6

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...it is cloudy and gray. I love it. I got up and cracked the window open in hopes that I'll catch the smell of rain...so far I am feeling a cool breeze, but I don't smell it.

I am thinking...that the weekend is going to sneak up on me and our Valentine Banquet will be here before I know it and I am not ready!!  *insert panicky voice*


I am thankful...that I can be home with my boy.  He will start school next year and I can work part time if I need to, but right now, I'm glad that I get to experience all these special moments with him.

In the kitchen...I've got a whole chicken thawing so that we can enjoy a Roasted Chicken dinner. One of our favorites. Yum.

I am wearing...jeans and a black t-shirt. Socks that are so ugly by my feet are chilly. 

I am creating...centerpieces for our Valentine Banquet.  Yes, I am using my Pinterest ideas! =)  What's the point of pinning if you're not going to try the things you pin?  That would be a waste of time!

I am going...to try to get back to eating right.  For me, that means cutting out sugar, processed foods, white flours, pastas...  I need to eat clean and eat fresh.

I am wondering...what the month of February will hold for my family and I.  January was a pretty hard month.  From day one all the way to day thirty-one.  *sigh*

I am reading...Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs still. I am finally into it!!  Wow, it's nothing like I thought it would be.  Very interesting so far.



I am hoping...that it rains hard.  Did I mention that I love the rain? haha. I do. =)

I am looking forward to...our Valentine's Banquet.  It won't be for "couples" only - so that should be fun for everyone.  


I am learning...that we can not and should not assume.  

Around the house...there are red hearts, pink and white birds, and hints of Valentine's in the air. 

I am pondering...many lessons that I've learned since this new year started.  I want to be smart and I need to be realistic.  I am usually an optimist and I think that's how I made.  However, I am struggling with that just a little bit.  I guess I need to continue to remind myself that my source of JOY should come from Christ...NOT my CIRCUMSTANCES.  Circumstances change.  PEOPLE change.  I even change.  Christ does not change and He is my joy.

A favorite quote for today...in honor of Charles Dickens 200th birthday anniversary this week:

"There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart."

"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely; in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest."

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else."

One of my favorite things...is when I have a quiet chunk of time to just read.  With 4 kids, a husband, and all that goes with it - you just don't get much time to do something as simple as reading for fun.  And sometimes you get that chance, but you're too tired to focus on the lines. haha. 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Hannah's got her last game tomorrow and it's tournament.  I am also hoping to go to a play that my friend's daughter is performing.  Thursday is Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, Friday is Band Practice, and Sunday is church and then the banquet in the evening.  Yup. It's going to be busy - but that's what keeps me out of trouble. ;)  Hope your week is going well!!

A peek into my day...

These were the little favors I made for our Bible study.  They are little colored paper clip bookmarks with bits of grosgrain ribbon tied to them.  They are clipped to a verse clip-art from Ephesians that can also serve as a bookmark as well.

Linking up with Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook Blog

This made me laugh out loud, but it's soooo true!

Diary of 5 :: Week 4

I am seeing... that my future is bright - no matter my past.  I am so thankful for Grace and new beginnings.

“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” 

~Anne Shirley― L.M. Montgomery

I am hearing...the hum of my laptop and the occasional cough by my daughter Hannah.  All that swimming and playing water polo rain or shine, day and night seems to have caught up with her.  She's got a good case of cold and sinus going on.  =(
I am smelling...the Vanilla Bean Noel lotion my husband got me for Christmas.  It's from Bath & Body Works and is probably one of my most favorite scents!  One whiff of it and I am instantly cheered!

I tasted...the most amazing Clementine "Cuties" just now.  I love those.  So sweet and tangy.  Easy to peel.  Of course, I love them best when they are chilled!  If you click on the SOURCE of the photo, it will take you to a link that tells you a lot of other great benefits to eating and enjoying these. =)

SOURCE

I am feeling...like my throat and nose is getting affected by this terrible wind we've been having along with the dryness in the air.  I refuse to let it get to me.  I can not lose my voice again!! =(   I am also feeling very comfy in my very most liked pair of pajamas.  They are grey and have little polka dots.  They are by Ellen Tracy and are 95% Rayon and 5% Spandex.  Not fireproof, but oh, so comfy. lol  It's about time to get some new ones 'cause I wear these all.the.time.  TJMAXX here I come!  =)

A diary of 5 was created to give your senses a gentle work-out in helping you to become more aware of those little moments around you. To join in with others that are participating, you can click on the picture link below.