Creating Moments That Matter
We had an impromptu girls night out last night. There was an hour wait at the restaurant, so we decided to make a quick trip to JoAnn’s fabric store.
I found some fabric to make some place mats, pictures coming soon.
A quick pose at the buttons…
And finally some yummy food. It was such a needed night out! The food was amazing and the company even better. Thanks girls!
Keeping the Family Room clean can be a time-consuming project. Try this:
This has really cut down on the stress of running up and down the stairs. I’ll also get my kids involved and when we’re cleaning up (at 6:00 right before dad comes home) I’ll have them drop the items in the basket as well. That way we can get it done faster and with less resistance.
My basket was completely full so today I sorted through it and put everything away! What tips do you have for keeping your family room clean?
We made it home. While we were in Lake Jackson we were able to stay with Jason’s mom and step-dad. We all had such a fun time and it was so nice to be together again. We got to see Nana (Jason’s grandma – pictured above) twice which was a real treat.
With all the loss of loved ones this summer, I can’t stop thinking about how important it is to be prepared. I made this Personal Records Booklet that you can print off free, click here. I’m going to send a copy to both my parents. I have no idea what funeral arrangements they would want and I think it’s so important that a funeral reflects the personality of the loved one.
We were able to take the SeaDoos out on the lake twice over the weekend. Here’s my favorite picture. It’s of Jason and Davis. They’re having some great bonding time this summer and it’s made a big difference in their relationship. Man, Davis is getting so grown up!
Right when we got home, I had to wash the country off the Toby. Right when we got to Lake Jackson he rolled in something gross. I had forgotten about it until we were loading up and then decided that I didn’t want to smell wet dog for 6 hours and decided I’ll wash him when we get home.
We stopped in College Station on our way home and saw Lisa, Billy, and the progress of their house. It’s amazing!! All the way home I was thinking about home decor and everything I could do to it. Then I remembered, it wasn’t my house and will have to let Lisa be in control. (Darn. he he)
I’m still in Lake Jackson. The funeral was absolutely beautiful. We got there early and greeted everyone we needed to. There were so many wonderful memories and stories shared. Jason’s Uncle has 2 daughters, both in their 20’s but not married. The oldest is my height and you could tell she was the one in charge of the funeral. The other daughter was tall with Lisa’s build (my sister). I couldn’t help but think of Lisa and me at our parents funeral. Later I got to thinking about all the logistics of having a funeral. When I get home, I’m going to e-mail my parents and find out what their wishes are for their funerals. At this point I wouldn’t really have an idea of who they would want to speak or even where they want to be buried.
I have decided who I want to have speak at my funeral and that I want pink flower clips handed to every woman that attends. (ha ha) I know, so fun. I think the import aspect of a funeral is having the person’s personality reflected. Jason was cracking me up when we were talking about it. He said that he’ll be sure to have a complete agenda fully outlined and laminated for my funeral ceremonies. Ahh, He knows me so well. ;-}
My MIL lives on the San Bernard river. With all the rain her dock is completely under water.
This is her backyard which backs up to the river. We made sure we put the SeaDoos in the water a couple times while we were here.
Here’s Dylan and the cousins standing on the dock waiting for their turn on the SeaDoos. Drake cried the majority of the 6 hour drive and has been pretty grumpy. This third kiddo has really worn me out. I don’t seem to have the energy and drive that I once had. We’ll be home late Sunday night.
| You Are Cheesecake |
 Rich, sweet, and simply perfect. You’re not boring – you’re just the best! |
When my dad’s in town I try to come up with a project for him to do. He’s extremely talented and he likes to be busy. A couple months ago, I asked him to make me a couple tables and he did a great job! I finally painted the one for Davis’ room blue.
Here’s the before shot. It was really easy to make. My dad used a piece of left over shelving (ply wood), screwed on legs that we bought at Home Depot, and he finished it off with some molding.
I calked it and spray painted it blue. Not an hour later, Davis used packing tape to tape his Bionicles in place. Geez. (The note on the floor said, “Do not touch”.) Looking on the bright side, at least he didn’t use duct tape.
I still need to paint the one my dad made for My Loving Family doll house. I’m going to paint it black. I had him put the molding higher on this table so the doll house couldn’t be pushed off. (There isn’t any molding on the back.) It’s now at the perfect height for optimal playing!
Yes, even though I have all boys I do have a doll house and a kitchen. They’re in my guest room that one day will be pink toile with back accents and furniture. It’s the only chance I’ll have to decorate a pink room. Turns out the boys play in there all the time. I’m constantly having to “clean house” in there.
I read this book years ago and it changed the way I discipline/reward my kids, reward myself, and even reward my husband. Davis’ love language is gifts. He loves the simplest thing like a sticker, to a new craft, to a new Bionicle. Dylan’s love language is touch. He’s my snuggle bug. If I snuggle with him and watch cartoons for 15 min every morning, he’s a much happier kid. After I read this book I realized how important that was. My honey’s love language is also touch (he he). Enough said. ;-}
My love language is quality time. This has helped me figure out what “fills my cup”. I enjoy going out with the girls, dating my husband, and talking to my friend at lunch. I try to be sure I do those things for myself.
What’s your love language? Click here to take the quiz.
| You Are Coke |
 A true original and classic, you represent the best of everything you can offer. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of energy… you’re the life of the party. Your best soda match: Mountain Dew Stay away from:Dr Pepper |
We finally enjoyed 6 consecutive days of sunshine. Yeah! We spent almost every day at the pool, friends pool, or spray park. I’m calling this a Grandparent post because it just about the kiddos.
So what do you get when you combine mint dental floss and a binki? Drake found out, a minty binki!
Dylan’s such a cheese when it comes to the camera. He took a break from Webkins to make a silly face.
Davis designed his best K-nex yet. It’s a helicopter with a motorized propeller and landing gear. I swear that boy is gifted.
Guess who had to move the storage place for the pens? Yep, me. I can no longer keep all my pens in a convenient place in the study drawer. Drake can now open the drawer and take off the caps. He drew all over himself. Luckily not on my carpet.
As for me I’ve been reading this book on Michelangelo. It’s not a thrilling read (per se) but for some crazy reason I can’t put it down. I’m completely intrigued by his life. The boy had some seriously bad luck. Poor Guy. I’m really looking forward to this week. 3 of my friends come back from their month long vacations/family visit. Yeah! And because I’ve been a little down, I planned a brunch/play date on Wednesday with some of my other friends and their kids. It should be a better week.
I can’t help but be completely amazed by this blogging world. I’ve been inspired, uplifted, challenged, humored, empowered, and engaged the past month and a half. When I decided to start my own blog I wanted to contribute to the blogosphere as my “authentic self”. I didn’t want to pretend to be someone I’m not or try to be someone I perceived others would want me to be.
After going back and reading my archives I realized that I haven’t really done that. Sure, I’ve been honest in all my posts and I’ve had a LOT of fun. However, I feel that I have only shown you the best part of myself. Maybe that’s the point of blogging. Maybe I should view it as my personal grateful journal that I expose to the world. If that’s the point, then skip this post all together. But for some crazy reason, I feel the need to express to you why I adopted the motto “Create your own Experience”.
I’ve been trying to convince one of my friends to start blogging. Mainly because she’s going through a major life-changing event and I have no idea how to help her or relate to her particular problem. I think that there are many of you out there that would. As I was showing her where to go and how it works, she kept asking me questions. Her main concern is that she feels like she is in a place in her life where she can’t read about how great other people’s lives are. She wants to read how people are overcoming their obstacles and not that their life is perfect. I assured her that the blogging world is vast and you’ll be drawn to threads of people that have the same interests as you do. With that concept in mind I posted about Davis’ autism and a little about our struggle in that area.
Since school ended and we’ve had continuous rain, I have struggled myself with finding day to day joy. One of my friends recently posted how she has stopped posting on her blog because she titled her blog “Happiness” and she hasn’t felt very happy lately. Therefore, she felt that she had nothing to post. That’s the exact reason I titled my blog “Create your own Experience”. I’m not happy all the time and I’ve really had to work on it this summer. However, I am constantly trying to take the initiative and create happy moments and create balance in my life. It’s still a work in progress. ;-}
During the summers here in Texas, my friends who have family in Utah or Idaho make the great exodus there, searching for cooler climate and happy reunions with family. That leaves the rest of us stranded and out of our play dates and girls night routines. I’ve been a little lonely this summer. To make matters worse, I’ve been following some blogging families and love how tight their relationships are and how they vacation together and support each other. Even though I was raised in a strong christian faith and my parents where very strict regarding family and moral values, I didn’t end up with the family support that I had always imagined I would. My parents divorced 2 years ago. I don’t have the support system that I want for my family. I’m so glad that there are other families out there that do and applaud the effort it takes to maintain those relations. It just makes me a little sad for my own family.
For some reason I didn’t realize it until I already had 2 kids that I was in charge of my life and could direct it however I wanted it to. I guess I’m a slow learner. I was so busy putting out fires all over the place and being on the defensive that I didn’t realize there was an offence! Thankfully, I figured it out (yes I mean a LOT of self-help books later) and I changed my life completely. I started planning, organizing, and streamlining my life.
We’ve overcome so many obstacles and we’ve finally gotten off the roller coaster ride we were on. But life isn’t always sunny skies on the lake. My wish for people reading my blog is that you’ll draw strength from it, maybe find some fun ideas, and be inspired to make your life a little easier. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I would feel awful if someone out there is going through a very difficult period in their life and read my blog thinking I was happy all the time.
What has surprised me the most about this incredible blogging world is how welcoming and accepting you are of each other. I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your kind words and encouragement. Thank you for letting me take a peek into your lives and thank you for helping my overcast summer be a lot brighter!
Your Blogging Friend, Laurie.