In Bloom

 

My yard is in bloom...

... how beautiful is the morning dew... 

... and this isn't even all my flowers captured. I watch them every day and enjoy their life, their uniqueness, and their splash of color in this world. My heart is in bloom, too...

If I had a flower for every time I though of you,

I could walk in my garden forever.

You Feel Like Home

 

Chapter 50 in my life...

He said, "When I look at you, it's like looking in a mirror, I see myself."

I am enraptured when I step in his arms, I am mentally stimulated in his intelligence and wit, I am a flower and he is the rain showering me with affections and affirmations, and I am breathless that perfect moment when I see him and the world slips away.

He awakens my soul.

And I told him, "You feel like home." 

A Confession & Appreciation

 

A confession and appreciation are like a gentle rain on a mama's heart. A text came through my phone and I had to laugh. 

My sweet daughter, the one who did not like being outdoors, is adulting with her own home. If you don't learn manual labor as a young person, you most likely will as an adult. With it comes a new appreciation and a mama's chuckle. 

A pretty photo of my Brooke's front yard lamppost. 

A Taste Testing

 

There is something magical about time etched out of two busy schedules, an open afternoon/evening with the one I am crazy about, the sun shining, and the world slips away... I am lost in him.

We both like sweet red wines and we've tried all different kinds. The question is, how do you really know which one you like the absolute best when not tried together. We had a blind taste testing game out of this! Only five are captured in the photo, when we really had six. Numbering a piece of paper, we had to give it a score from 1-10 on how much we liked it AND try to guess which wine it was.

This is the perfect way to figure out which we both truly like best. Until... I poured him straight pickle juice! Lol THAT was funny!

This is a fun game with a lot of affection in between. 

We discovered our top picks were the two Mango drinks. One is a margarita and one a sangria. 

Making dinner together, he grilled and I handled the sides, we enjoyed dinner on the patio on a warm evening in the sunshine. 

As we sat to eat, he took my hand in his and said the blessing. It was a moment that caught me off guard. While there are so many details about him that amaze and impress me, he took it to another level. My faith is absolutely important to me. Having a man initiate and lead... there are no words. 

The Opposite of Who I Am

 

I am six weeks post covid and finally getting my energy back. 

For a girl who never, ever, ever gets sick and went 8 years without going to the doctor, covid kicked my butt! Looking back I probably should have gone to the doctors during the days it hurt to breathe and I wish I would have taken an extra week off work. I was in no condition with extreme fatigue to go back into the office, let alone back-to-back events that kept knocking me back on my butt.

Trying to get my energy levels back, I started walking a little bit farther each day. Thursday I finally reached 10K steps for the first time in 1-1/2 months. Thank goodness, because the wedding yesterday, I reached 17,649 steps, and still felt fine. 

It was hard sitting still. It's frustrating having so many things I needed to do and no energy to accomplish them. It's the opposite of who I am. 

It's behind me and with renewed energy is truly a new appreciation for being healthy and active again.

1 Month Old

 

My sweet little Claire-bear turned 1 month old on May 13th. 

She's a little beauty and is one lucky little girl to be so loved by her big sister and brother who cannot get enough of holding her and kissing her. She's incredibly laid back, pretty much almost sleeps through the night, probably because she can sleep through anything with her siblings being 1 & 3 years old with no volume control. ha ha

Picking her up is so natural. If a couple people are talking and I'm talking, she looks at me. My dad even mentioned she follows me when I speak. If she's fussy in someone's arms, I feel a strong need to pull her in mine, and she's fine. 

I love to look her in the eyes and tell her she's beautiful and perfect, fearfully and wonderfully made, and I love her. 

Yummy's, Shopping, and a Farm, Oh My!

 

When my sweet girl asks three weeks in a row if we could have a date day, just her & me, without mommy, daddy, or brother, I etched out a day in my schedule and we made a day of it.

Good thing for her this grandmomma knows how to plan a fun day! Picking her up at 8:00 a.m. while Rowan was sleeping, I couldn't stand breaking his heart, we loaded up and headed out for a day of adventure. Donuts for breakfast and her favorite rainbow car wash.

A visit to great grammy & papa's house, Sofia was adamant that I forgot her Valentine's Day present. What?! I'm pretty sure I had something for her, but she wanted to go to Target. I suggested another store with... let's be honest, a variety of inexpensive toys. Very matter of fact, she said, "Target has more options." She's 3.

$103 later... she was pleased with her new dress, shoes, and princess purse and princess luggage.

Time to play at the park! Luggage, purse and accessories came, too. At one point she needed her sunglasses and her lipstick. There is no denying her, she is definitely my granddaughter! 

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM! When we stopped for ice cream, I confess I was a bit confused when Sofia requested her face mask (eye mask). I'm thinking, she won't be able to see. Sofia insisted we must wear our masks. I told her we were outdoors, we didn't have to. She was adamant and so, we wore masks. *For the record, I would never go anywhere where she had to wear a mask. 

The new luggage came filled with travel accessories and her eye mask (which she calls her face mask) was requested when she was getting sleepy. 

Back to my house, I was hoping to rock her in the chair for a nap, turned into riding bikes and playing vacation. With her new luggage, we traveled to the beach in the back yard on the yellow bus (large yellow garden wagon filled with pillows for comfort). We played ice cream shop with whip topping and we were off for our next adventure.

One of my dearest girl friends has a farm and I simply couldn't wait to take Sofia and show her all the animals. Yesterday morning, Charlotte's lamb had twins and we got to experience her going into the barn to pick up and hold the babies for the first time and how to check their genders. There was a girl and a boy! 

Chickens, turkeys, and ducks, we watched them be fed and they followed us. 

It was the baby bunny's that Sofia liked the most! Charlotte had 4 left and Sofia in the car asked if she could take one home. That takes me back in time when Mariah (her mommy) rescued 4 kittens and hoodwinked her dad into believing I said she could bring them home. To my house, not his, and he did. ha ha 

Dropping her off at church, my girl had a great day and I did, too! 

Honey + Mango

 

I confess, I love mango flavored just about everything. Yet, I had never heard of a Honey Mango until last week. One of my New Year's resolutions is to continue to try new fruits and vegetables that I've never had before. So, when I saw honey + mango, quite possibly a perfect combination, I wasn't fully prepared for it's extraordinary sweetness!

Yayyy, God! 

Can you imagine His joy and excitement as he created the earth and filled it with perfect fruits. Each so distinctly unique, and then, He filled them with vitamins He knew would beneficial to our bodies. 

The next time you taste a fruit, close your eyes so you are forced to slow down and really taste it.

The next time you walk in a grocery store, slow down in the fresh produce section... really look at the variety of colors, their shapes, and each unique distinct flavor. All healthy. All beneficial. 

Just when I think I have savored much, I am caught completely off guard, and I stand in awe of Him. 

At that first bite, I wonder if our Creator watches our surprise and joy and thinks, "Yes, I am especially fond of those, too." 

 

  

Mother's Day

 

I am blessed because I've never gone a day without knowing I am loved.

I am blessed because I have a Mom who loves God, my dad, and my brother and me. 

I am blessed because I've known the joy of carrying two babies. I'm blessed because God always provided for us, and I'm so significantly blessed to have a close relationship with them both now.

I am blessed because when you think your heart cannot hold any more love, God smiles and says, "My sweet girl, you haven't seen anything yet..."  

... and then my grandbabies arrived, one by one, and my heart bursts with love with every snuggle, kiss, and time with them.

Blessings for me have never been in "things", but all the things money cannot buy. 

Today we get to celebrate Mother's Day being together as a family, and that in itself is such a blessing and I don't take that for granted. 

Happy Mother's Day, Mom, I love you!

Happy Housiversary

 

May 1st was my 1st happy housiversary. What a year! 

So many home projects (thanks to my dad) with renovations from farmhouse to shabby chic, painting, painting, and more painting, to new carpet, personalizing, crystal chandeliers, and this home is now such a reflection of me. 

I enjoy being comfortable, having what I need, all I want, and being happy and content. 

My home is my oasis. 

My Heart in Bloom

 

Dinner with Brooke last night, breakfast with Mariah tomorrow morning, and a weekend full of wedding events I am responsible for. I'm so grateful my energy level is finally coming back. 

Know how to refresh.

Know what you need... and give yourself grace.

To heal and refresh, I've always needed to be home. White noise shut down, sometimes I need the silence, sometimes I need music filling my home, and these natural wooden floors carry the tunes. If the sun is shining, I need to sit on my deck and feel the sun's energy warm me. When my home is clean and tidy, my balance is regained.

Only you know what you need and when you need it. 

When my girls were young and at home, that's when I learned to love flowers. My yard was the only place that was quiet I could lose myself in, while being at home for them. As flowers were planted, and I learned what I found to be beautiful, our yard became an oasis. 

I love flowers and I appreciate their beauty. I buy potted flowers, so I can plant them when the season is over and they come back year after year. My trees are blooming with flowers, my rose bushes are coming back to life, and tiny leaves are filling what will turn into lovely hydrangea bushes with heavy flowers. 

Spring is here. 

My life is filled with a beautiful complement of my babies, my girls, family, work, balance, and with all that in place... my heart is in bloom, too.