more...

more jewelry. i am kind of in a groove right now. for no particular reason. just cause.



i bought this gorgeous antique pendant on ebay like five years ago. now it sits on a black ribbon, with an attached clasp, so it can adorn my neck. (if you click on the pic you may be able to see the detail in the black onyx cameo)





my friend natalie gave me this lovely, carved bead. now it has a happy home!

one of my fun, lose-myself, play, be silly, be totally free, happy places

i know i've posted about journaling before. but it is something i do so randomly that i am really posting this for me to motivate myself to do it MORE!
when i journal/paste/write/draw/color, i am five again. it really jump starts my creativity to do other things. it is one of my favorite things to do, as is going through some of the pages over and over again. it's a compilation of my favorite things, and happy thoughts....who wouldn't want to revisit that??
so having said all of that, please don't judge me. i am giving you a peek inside, and realize that the writing/drawing/etc. may not be perfect or up to certain standards. it shouldn't be. that's the point. i may use words in "improper" ways. that is me...at least when i journal. no rules. no lines to stay in. just freedom to do as i please.









this is an activity i want to do again. i collected random things throughout the week. things i saw on the ground, stuff i got at restaurants, etc. i tried to write a bit on each item to remind me where i found it, what it is.

and here are some of the contents of that envelope...


these are what some of my typical journal pages look like. depending on how much time i take.

a wee burst of creative energy

perhaps it's early nesting instincts...only instead of decorating the room for baby i am decorating me! i'm okay with that! :)
(we are waiting to find out if we are having a GIRL to make a perfectly dreamy, girly baby room)


while away on my mountain escape i stumbled upon a stellar bead shop. i was in heaven. i didn't have tons of money to spend, so i had to reaalllly limit myself. but i managed to get a few lovelies. this is what i created:


the carved rose beads in this set were gifted to me by my travelin' sister. she purchased them in china. i love that when i wear it, and play with the beads, i think of her! aww...love that girl!



and this.....sigh....this is not a creation of mine, but can be found here.
i really need this sign. but in PINK, the loveliest of colors. it is a motto i can easily adopt, and one that would make all the bad stuff just *poof* go away!

happy crafting, creating, and dreaming to you!

happy birthday kyle

yesterday kyle turned 11.
of course i have been musing on how time flew by, how he has changed...all the usual thoughts. but i have to say, i think he is turning into a great young man. he is one of the most thoughtful people you will meet. sometimes it's disguised by a bit of shyness, coolness, and a typical aloof 11 year old attitude. but it's there. it shows up in little things he does. like giving me a lego-likeness of me for my birthday. he raided his lego stash to create a mini me. so cute! or the way he is always looking out for his little brother. they fight like cats and dogs, but he is loyal and protective.
what were the big ticket birthday items this year:
an ipod nano (from my mom)
a large lego pirate village (from us)

what did he want to do on his birthday:
go to the skatepark. done.
see GI Joe. done.
have a donut breakfast. done.



happy birthday kyle. your cool humor and sweet disposition bring so much happiness to our home!

birthday weekend in frisco

my husband rocks! he outdid himself this year...truly. he surprised me with a weekend at a bed and breakfast in frisco. just us. no tv. no distractions whatsoever. perfect!



here is our perfectly charming room. let me preface this by saying that the b&b we stayed at was originally built in 1865. the room was cozy and quaint... everything my mind pictured a room in a b&b to be.
in true b&b style, we shared a bathroom with fellow lodgers.

this place was the model of alpine-ski charm.
and i should mention that we enjoyed a delicious breakfast each morning, and "apres ski" snacks each afternoon. we dined 'european style' with fellow lodgers. this was so fun, getting to know people from as far as hawaii. loved every bit of it!

this is the view from the front of the frisco lodge. breathtaking!

our entire weekend was lovely, from start to finish! if it's possible to fall more in love with someone you spend almost all your time with, then i did. i feel so blessed to get to spend the rest of forever with my best friend.
thanks for one of the best weekends of my life stephan. i love you!

overdue recent pics of my kiddos

first i want to sincerely thank those of you who commented on my last post, and showed such love and support to me! i feel so totally blessed to have friends and family as marvelous as you all.

these are some pics i took when becca was here. it was a good opportunity to take some recent shots of my boys.

feelings, thoughts, and ramblings of a pregnant woman

so i've had quite a lot on my mind these days. a. lot.

i am officially 16 weeks pregnant with our fourth child.

i am turning 36 on saturday.

i sleep a lot.

i have many fears.

i have many great expectations and dreams.

i (not so secretly) wish for a baby girl.

i often feel alone, sometimes self-inflicted loneliness, but loneliness nonetheless.

i'm not quite sure what to do with myself.

i have prayed a lot lately. prayed for strength, patience and comfort.

i have been doing some soul-searching. (maybe that's normal when you are pregnant)

i want and try hard to cherish this quieter time before the baby.

i feel fat.

oh, and not so cute.

is that normal too??

i feel very thankful and blessed that we have been taken care of in spite of stephans lack of employment.

i really do not enjoy the heat, and feel annoyed with the dragging on of summer.

did i mention i have very little patience these days?

i feel the need to justify my daily naps. why, i'm not sure. i'm a better me when i take them!

i say yes to almost everything. not so good for a tired, pregnant mamma.

i have a reaalllly hard time asking for help - in any form.

i love my diet pepsi's. mmmm...

i cannot go to the grocery store without purchasing at least 2 impulse "craving-type" items. (one of those is usually a nice fat loaf of french bread, which i consume a good chunk of on the way home).

i feel disappointed in myself when i don't say what i want, or take a stand for myself. i know better.

i worry. a lot.

i over think almost everything.

i miss california and the beach.

and my mom and sister who are in california.

at the moment i have some serious heartburn.


okay. i think i've purged most of my random thoughts. sigh. i feel better now! writing is good.

noahs first day of kindergarten

ah, this day came too soon! i mean, i knew it was on the horizon...but seriously, too soon. of course i was a mix of a thousand emotions - but i did not cry! yeah! and noah? well, he was noah about it. he went with the flow. that's my boy! (actually, he must get that from stephan because i am, and always have been a nervous mess when it comes to first days of school)
so far, so good. we shall see how he really likes it once they start the normal "grind" of kindergarten.


this is him coming out after school. apparently kindergarten is thirsty work!