hello monday|eighteen

hello monday! You wait for no one.  *sigh*

 hello monday mugshots.  This is my favorite mug these days and the other belongs to my guy.

He's always my Monday morning coffee date. My sister, Esther, bought this mug for him when she was visiting and he won't use any other mug.  

hello coffee with sugar-free french vanilla creamer. You are so needed today.

 hello piles of laundry to be folded. We had an issue with our dryer, but it's all fixed now, thanks to my amazing Marco and YouTube how-to videos. =)  Just a little backed up on folding, but that'll be caught up today!

hello faithful friend. Our dog Oso. He's a mix of Jack Russell and Chihuahua. We've had him since he was a puppy - about 6 years. This is his favorite place to hang out and that's at Marco's feet whether he's watching t.v. or working in his office.

hello senior pictures.  We drove down to Oceanside and La Jolla for a session with Digilife Photography.

I was able to capture a bunch of shots from the sidelines.  The little ones got to play while Hannah was busy posing.

 Ah. This girl. I love her so much.

 She's a little bit of me and a little bit of Marco and a whole lot of something special. 

I love that she's not afraid to be herself.

 hello to new decisions.

hello being honest about my feelings.

hello to the unknown...

This is my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  No matter what we are doing or where we are, we are first and foremost - FAMILY.

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.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

~~Winston Churchill

hello monday|six

hello monday.

hello selfie. Not a great one (taken with my phone), but trying to get in the camera a little more often thanks to this article.

hello preparation for my sister’s visit. My dear sister Esther has finally moved from Michigan back to New Mexico.  She and her family will be arriving sometime this weekend for a week-long visit. I am seriously beside myself with excitement!  Cleaning house, making a menu and planning little activities, but mostly looking forward to late night talks and lots of laughing and maybe even crying. It’s been too long!

hello rain and cold weather. We are finally getting some rain and temps cold enough that we are even experiencing snow flurries and hail!  That’s not a big deal if you are back east and experiencing blizzards, but for us, even a little snow is exciting. =)

hello new readers in the house.  Naomi is in second grade and has been reading wonderfully.  My little Marco is in Kindergarten and the other day I told him to go read a book. He said, “Mom! I can’t read yet.”  So I had him bring his book from his reading group and he sat down and read the whole thing. I was so proud of him and told him he did a great job reading.  He still looked confused and then asked, “Is this a real book?” haha! I laughed so hard. I finally realized that he thought that it wasn’t really reading unless it was a big chapter book like everyone else was reading. Funny boy!  I told him that any time he recognizes a word or can sound it out, he IS reading. Oh, my goodness!  He finally understands.

hello quiet time.  I don’t get enough of you, but I’m so thankful when I do.

hello Monday Mugshots. I took my coffee to go today because I am on my way to the dentist. I will be spending my next several Mondays and Fridays at the dentist (hubby too) to catch up on some much needed dental work. Not my favorite, but I am thankful we can do this.

hello mail art exchange. Taking part in a fun post card exchange from an Art Journaling blog I follow. Sending some hand-made post cards to Germany, Netherlands, Minnesota and Great Britain! Can't wait to see what I get back.

hello Valentine’s week. I look forward to planning a special day for my loves this week.  Last year I surprised them with a nice Valentine’s breakfast before they went off to school. We shall see what this year holds. ;)

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.

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”

~~Eleanor Roosevelt

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|nine

hello monday.

hello flu bug. I don't like you. I want you to leave this house at once. =/ Marco and I are sick at the same time. That is not good at all.
hello garage purging. I have been wanting to get in and get the garage cleaned out for so long. It is on my list of things to MINIMIZE for the year.  All other reasons/excuses for not doing it are gone, but today my husband and I both woke up with some kind of flu. I am getting in that garage this week one way or another!! Postponed another day... *sigh*

hello march mantel.  I got you up a little late and will be adding some Easter stuff to you. So glad to be welcoming spring to our home.
hello new swim stroke.  Hannah has been swimming the 50m free, 100m free, 200m medley relay, and the 200 free relay.  She has been doing the butterfly for the medley relay and I'm so glad to see her doing that one. Marco works part-time at a university and has been missing her games and meets. The university is off for spring break so he will get to go this week!!

hello Monday Mugshots - it's all about the green tea this morning. The thought of creamy coffee just makes my stomach even more queezy - that is evidence enough that I am sick. 

hello new kindle. my kindle fire was no longer able to charge. I tried everything I could, but it was just dead. I called amazon and they quickly sent me a brand new replacement. I got this lovely "vintage" looking book cover for it at tjmaxx.  Perfect.

hello new walking plan. Of course we are sick - we made plans to get things in order in the house and with our health. pfffft.  Not going to let it keep us down. As soon as we can venture away from the bathroom, our new plan will be put in place. 

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.

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.”

hello monday|ten

hello monday. You've managed to sneak up on me again. Looks like our regular Monday dental appointment has been cancelled so I actually have a bit of free time to try and catch up on some projects... or I could just lounge around and make my sister proud.  I seem to have issues where I can't let myself relax.  Still trying to work on my One Little Word: MINIMIZE. *sigh*  It's a work in progress for sure.

We have Hannah's Water Polo banquet to attend tonight. I'm sure there will be pictures to follow. :)

hello  Monday Mugshots. So, here's my mug this a.m. Filled with Folger's Black Silk coffee and Almond Joy creamer.  It's in the middle of my messy art table because that's what's going on this morning.  I really feel like I have not had a break all month.  I need to clean up this mess before I can think straight and get to work in my journal.  I have a prompt from A Year in the Life of an Art Journal that I want need to work on.

hello new hair style and locks of love. Naomi finally decided that she was ready to cut her hair.  She also decided that it would be really nice to donate her locks to Locks of Love.  I'm so proud of her and I love the new look.  Ready for summer!

hello Easter mantel. I usually do a new look each month on my entry way table. However, we have two holidays this month that we like decorating for around here.  Bring on the Cadbury mini eggs to finish this look! ;)

hello Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant. My husband decided, on a whim, to take us to Farrell's last night.  We recently had one open near us and he remembered how much fun he had there when he was a kid.  We had a blast.  Good food and even better atmosphere of fun for the whole family.  The servers there were awesome!  Will be great for special occasions in the future!  

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.

hello monday|nineteen

hello monday. you are beautiful.

hello memorial day. So thankful that we can take time to remember.

hello busy weeks ahead. Swim banquet (I'm in charge of decorating), plans for graduation and promotions, dress shopping for Taryn, field trips, family arrival from out of town, prep for end of year celebrations...

hello to new beginnings. With growth comes change and new things - new experiences...

hello to discovering truth and reality.

hello to bottled up feelings that are dying to get out. I am looking forward to more relaxed and unrushed mornings to get back into my journaling regularly.

hello monday mugshots.  We were out of flavored creamer and had to run to the grocery store. My sweet hubby stopped and treated me to a Toffee Hazelnut Latte. Yum.
I uploaded the picture on picmonkey and played with some of their filters. Loved this painty one...

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.

This week's quote is one my sister shared with me on pinterest. She said I needed to pin it to my forehead. What?? Well, I can post it here. That's almost the same. ;)

Hello Monday|thirteen

**I think I may have to start calling these entries "Whoosh! There goes Monday!" Haha! 

I started this on Monday very early in the morning and then I took a break and it wasn't long before I was hearing the news about the tragic bombing in Boston at the finish line of their Marathon.  I didn't watch the news because I did not want to have the images burned into my mind.  I can still picture so much of 9/11 and I just didn't think I could do it.  I listened, with a heavy heart, to the news on the radio as I ran errands with my husband. It had both of us silent as we listened to the details. We are still praying for the city and we are still praying for our beloved country.**

  

hello  Monday Mugshots. This week's mugshot is in collaboration with A Year in the Life of an Art Journal.  They give a prompt every 15th and 30th of every month. Here's today's prompt:PROMPT: What's your Story? (everyone has a story about a person, event, emotion, feeling, whatever, tell me yours)
SHOOTERS Shoot your mug with a stack of books.
BOOKERS: Focus on lots of journaling! Use stencils or masks. If you don't want your journaling to SHOW, journal THEN PAINT! Cover your journaling with your paints and embellishments!! 

hello lifeguard training and summer job!  My Hannah has been attending Swim/Aquatics camp at Lake Perris for the last several summers.  Last year, she worked as a volunteer helper to the lifeguards.  I was so proud of her.  There are two sessions of camp that last two weeks each time. Campers learn to swim or improve their technique if they already swim, learn about nutrition, CPR and basic first aid.
Well, this past Saturday they had their once a year testing to qualify for a possible position in the program for the PAID summer job.  She had to swim 1000 meters in 20 minutes or less and then run 200 m., swim 400 m, and run 200 m. in 10 minutes.  She passed!!  It was no easy task, but she did it.  She got called back for an interview that day and then today they called and told her she had been accepted.  I am so proud of her!  Training starts when school is out.

hello surprise photos.  These are just a few of the photos that I find from time to time on my phone. You can see the two guilty parties due to the "selfies" they took. Haha! Looks like my boy has a thing about taking pics of his toes...sometimes clean and sometimes not! haha!

hello prom dress shopping. Here are just a few of the dresses that she tried on.  Took us two days, but she finally chose THE dress.
hello senior prom!  Yes, my baby has her senior prom this Saturday.  She is going with a friend who sweetly asked her by spelling out "PROM?" with rose petals at school.  Can't believe it's already here. Getting kind of weepy. My baby girl.
hello etsy orders. I am so thankful for them, but what's up with them all coming in at one time? lol That's alright. I will take it!!  Lot's to do still. Mailboxes with affirmation cards, banners, journals and mini journals...

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.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”    

~~Nelson Mandela

hello monday|fifteen

hello monday mugshots.  One of my favorite things about Monday mornings is that Marco and I both have that day off.  This means that once the kids are dropped off for school, we have the rest of the day to ourselves. Our weekends are always so busy with working at church, that this comes as a great break for us.  He usually makes breakfast for us too and that's always a plus.  Pictured here is a new mug that I picked up while out thrifting.  I have been obsessed with the turquoise blue for quite a while now. I love the shape of the mug and that's always just as important!
hello CST testing. My 8th grader and my 2nd grader will both have to endure the state testing this week.  I've heard that there's lots of controversy over all these state tests... I just know I need to get up a little earlier on these days 'cause the girls want a hot breakfast to be ready for testing. ;)

hello dark chocolate caramel with black sea salt bar. At first I was just standing there in line at Trader Joe's and then... I don't know how it got in my basket. I don't know... hehe.
hello New Doodle Class. I am so excited about this little on-line class I am taking by Stephanie Ackerman. It is my opinion that we have very similar handwriting styles and even a shared love for red hearts. I can't wait to pick up new tips for my doodles and art journaling.

hello dinner with the mom and pop in-law.  They are coming over for dinner tonight and I have 2 yummy chickens in the oven that have been roasting super slow. I also prepped a bunch of yummy sides and a big 'ole salad.

hello may day.  May already? Wow. Seriously, things need to slow down a bit so I can catch up.  Picked up these potted Sun Stars for my mom-in-law.  Thought they looked really May Day-ish.

hello birchbox subscription.  So I've been wanting to try this for a while. It is a monthly subscription where they send you a bunch of goodies for $10.  There's usually a theme that goes with it and so far, I've liked what I received.  I also feel that - so far - it's been worth the $10 (that's including the shipping).  It's a fun way to try out new products for the skin, hair, body, make-up, etc. I like that I get to try out new perfumes since I've really been out of the loop with those.

On top of all of these products, I also got a one year paid subscription for Women's Health magazine. Love that!

I am looking forward to possibly getting some rest this week.  I've been under the weather and even lost my voice.  I had several etsy orders that all came in at once.  Those have all been sent/or delivered and I am so glad.

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.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

hello monday|seventeen

hello triple digit temperatures! Looks like the warm weather is here to stay. Got over 100* this weekend.  My husband promised the kids he'd "hose them off" and he kept true to his word. They had a blast.  We sure do miss having a pool.  It's been a couple years, but we still talk about how awesome it was while we had it.

hello first time dentist visit - this would be for my little guy. We are hoping he gets a good report.
hello birthday dinner - We are looking forward to a birthday dinner for my father-in-law this Friday. I have been blessed with wonderful in-laws and love getting together with them when we can.
hello senior pictures - We are headed to the beach this weekend for Hannah's Senior pictures. The family is looking forward to playing and enjoying the beach while she gets her picture taken. It means that announcements will be sent out shortly after!

hello family fitness - We've made a decision to really get moving this summer.  Hannah will be attending school nearby and it will start this summer. She will also be playing summer water polo for the college. The two youngers will be attending swim camp and Taryn will hopefully be playing some volleyball.  We plan on getting out more and MOVING and being ACTIVE.  I am excited about this and really hope we can stick to it!!

hello paleo eating- It's high time we start meeting up again! I was doing so well until sometime around November.  I let "life" and stress dictate what and how I ate and it's time I reclaim that control. It may be slow getting started, but once I'm in - I know I can do it.

hello RLS - why do you have to haunt me?  Hoping the improvement on my eating and exercise will help relieve some stress and in turn relieve some of the RLS.   

hello monday mugshots.   This is how I've got my washi tape and baker's twine sorted.  I got these lovely dishes from a friend in Pennsylvania.  I love them and use them for all sorts of things!  In my mug today is Lipton's Vanilla Caramel Truffle tea.  It's one of my favorites.

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.

“If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”  ~~Jim Rohn