Life is Precious

I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. 

~Diane Ackerman

Life is so precious. Those of us whom are blessed enough to enjoy another birthday should acknowledge just how precious it truly is. Last night, I sat down and watched Letters to God with my little Mason and the tears started rolling down. It's a true story of a boy named Tyler who has cancer and reaches out to God by writing letters to Him. Just the thought of losing a child leaves me absolutely heartbroken. I think of all the families going through it and I know that all I can do is pray my heart out that it never happens to one of my own. Then this morning I came across another tragic story of a mother who went into labor at 21 weeks with twins. Sadly, the babies did not survive and a few days later they were joined in Heaven by their mother. She had gone into cardiac arrest after delivering. She was a beautiful young lady. It just goes to show that you never know what lies ahead and when your time will come.


Lives taken too soon should be testaments for us to live life to the fullest and to not frown upon turning another year older. Each day we get to open our eyes is a blessing. So, open your eyes and see the beauty that God has put in front of you.

Sherwin Williams Gets the Green Light

Today, I made OUR final decision on our interior paint colors.  That's one of the things I love about my husband.  A lot of times, he'll give me total control of things and let's me run with it, in this case it was the paint colors.  But being that I'm such a great wife, (wink-wink ;o) I like having his opinion and so I ask, what does he think of OUR final colors.  He likes, making it a collaboration and, in turn, OUR decision.  Not to brag, but I think we make a great team :o)

Now, the sheet rock waits for it's splash of color.  

My goal is to make the walls classic and put all the fun in the accessories.  Colors were selected from the Sherwin Williams collection.  It took about a week's worth of time to commit to the selection but I'm sure the final result will be exactly what we wanted.

I was really drawn to the grays and thought it would be a great partner for our furnishing and the awesome floor to ceiling, rock-encrusted fireplace.  The tricky thing about choosing colors for an entire space is that you have to make sure that the colors work well together but still contrast enough so you can see the difference between the rooms, all the while keeping it neutral enough so you can change the accessories as your heart desires.  

I was initially wanting a gray tone in the master...

but after comparing it with our tile in the bath, I decided to go with more of a beige.  It made a much better match.

Next on the agenda was deciding on a color for Mason's room.  Being that it will be HIS space, I asked for his opinion.  Of course he said blue, but not just any blue.  He wanted the most in-your-face blue available.  Obviously, it's his favorite color.  I love it too, but for a room(?), not so much.  So, I thought I'd go about it in a different direction and started thinking themes.  "Do you want cars or sports or animals?", I asked.  "I want a Batman room!", he said.  Ok, I can work with that.  So, we're going with a Batman gray with subtle hints of superhero action, much like this Pottery Barn adaptation.

Ok, the mural may not be so subtle but it doesn't jump out at you like bright superhero Fatheads plastered on the wall.  Another option is to do a simple Batman signal for over his head board.  We'll see how it goes.

For the dining room, another gray-like color and possibly a crisp white wainscoting.  A little bit of character can go a looong way.

Next to come, the cabinetry.   In the kitchen, creamy antique-glazed wall units and a mocha rich center island.  I can just picture them now...

We're finally getting to the fun part of building our home, the decor.  

Happy times :o)

Preschool Jitters

Yesterday, was the start of something new.  I attended my very first parent orientation.  Mason will be attending preschool on September 1st.  Unlike most preschool settings, this program consists of 3 buses located throughout the county which have been converted into classrooms.  The children attend classes two days a week for 1hr and 45 minutes each day.  

During the orientation, Ms. Lisa discussed all the policies and procedures.  And as I listened, the reality started to set in.  My little boy is growing up and starting school.  And although it's not on a full-time basis yet, I can't help but feel a little heartbroken.  Next year will be a whole different ball game and it will be here sooner than I know it.  It's really hard letting go, but I know the coming year will be very helpful to the both of us. 

It was clear to me that he's also going to have a hard time letting go of me as well.  During the orientation, the children were invited to visit two of the three buses.  First we visited Betsie, the cow spotted bus.  Mason was very hesitant and held on to my leg as tight as he could.  The teacher welcomed him and gave him a quick little tour.  "Would you like to stay and play for a while, while I go and meet with Ms. Lisa?", I asked.  He didn't like that idea.  So, I thought maybe he'd like visiting BeeBee, the purple bus that was full of kids playing.  Nothing changed.  He still hesitated.  It wasn't the reaction I was hoping for but I wasn't surprised.  He's a little shy, at first, but I know he'll learn to love it once he gets used to the idea and makes new friends. 

I do think that deep down inside there's a part of him that's looking forward to it.  Today we met with our builder and the first thing he said to him was, "You know what?!!! I'm going to school!!!"  He had the biggest grin on his face.  :o) 

I'm so excited for him!

(Where AWESOME GREATNESS comes to light)

I'm posting at Five Moms and a Blog today.  

Hope to see you there!

First Comes the Snack, Then Comes the Girl...

And so it begins...

I've noticed the start of something new in my life.  My little guy has started helping himself to the kitchen.  In a way it's sort of bitter sweet.  I LOVE that he's helping himself BUT there will be a day when I'll go reach for that ONE little snack that I tried to hide beneath a pile of equally worthy yummies, just to find an empty box. A little box flirting with me, saying come and get me, you know you want me.  And as I take the bait, it gets me instead.  Oh the tease of an empty cookie box.

My sister tells me it happens to her all the time.  Who am I kidding... "There WILL be a day"?  PA~lease, girl. The day has come.

I have to admit, it's pretty cute hearing the pitter patter of little feet and a chair scooting to it's final destination - THE KITCHEN CUPBOARD or THE FRIDGE.  It all depends on the snack attack.

This is the start of him going out to dinner on his own, with his own money (nahhh, most likely still mine), with his own friends, WITH A GIRL!!!!   I may be getting ahead of myself.  After all, he IS just going in the kitchen, right????  I can't even think of girlfriends right now....

How Do I Look?

Visit 5 Minutes For Mom for more Wordless Wednesdays.

A Super Celebration!

I can't believe it's July 15th and I've yet to have posted about a very special day.  It was May 23 and there was lots to celebrate.  It was on this very same day that my life changed forever.  Time has advanced 4 years now and the baby that once was, is now a superhero fighting crime and ridding the world of evil doers, even on his own birthday.  Yes, it's no fair but when duty calls a superhero MUST answer.  Luckily for him, he had lots of SUPER FRIENDS to back him up.

The Invites

The Cake

The Goodies

The Medals of Honor

In the end, the mission was accomplished.  Batman and Friends banned together for a super celebration.

hello out there...

can anybody hear me?

no?

nobody?

good, i'm whispering for good reason.

you see, i have to be quiet because if i'm not then you all are gonna go to tarah's blog and try to win the prize that i'm trying to win.  so, i'm just gonna quietly mention her giveaway, get an extra entry by blogging about it and just hope that no one out there has super hearing powers.  o.k.????

p.s.  please ignore everything above about a giveaway.  it's nothing really.  don't even bother to look.

awww, man...

how did this big box get on here???

So much for trying to keep it on the down low...

A Moment I'll Remember

When something really special's happening in your life and you want to shout it on top of the rooftops, do you find yourself trying to find the perfect way to share it with the world?  I, for one, want to make it a meaningful moment, one that I'll remember forever, down to every little detail - the atmosphere, the people, the reactions and the way the message was told. 

Which brings me to this little figure.  It  doesn't belong to me.  Nevertheless, it's very special to me and it always takes me back to a dear moment in time.  It was a gift I gave to my mom on her birthday a few years ago.  The whole family had gathered at a Mexican restaurant for her special day.  Little did everyone know that there was going to be more to celebrate that night than a birthday.

Like always, I thought long and hard about the perfect gift for my mom. But this particular year, it had to be extra special!  I searched high and low and I was beginning to think I wasn't going to find what I was looking for.  I didn't know exactly what it was, but as soon as I saw it, I knew I had found the perfect gift.  Hidden behind a collection of nick-nacks, laid this beautiful little figurine of a boy sitting on his grandmother's lap with the sweetest little quote. 

~El amor mas perfecto a veces no llega hasta que nacen los nietos.~

Sometimes the most perfect love doesn't arrive until the the birth of your grandchildren.

Not only was it in Spanish but it was also exactly what I had been looking for and it was the perfect way to share my big news with my mom.  It took her some time to realize the meaning behind it, but when she did, it was a moment to remember!

Wishing Every Mother a Beautiful Mother's Day!

Especially Mine!

Easter 2010

Thanks to God, 

we get to celebrate a beautiful holiday known as Easter.  Everything about the day is beautiful.  This Easter has to have been one of my favorites.  It's days like this that make me realize how lucky ,or maybe what I should say is BLESSED, to have the life I live.  The cherry on top was when Brad said he'd go to church with me and he said it all on his own (without any pressuring from me :o)  That just made the day even more beautiful!  My husband sat through one hour of service that was entirely in Spanish and he did it for me!  I was so happy!  All in all, it was a beautiful Easter.  We gave thanks to God for His sacrifice, enjoyed time with family, ate some yummy tostadas, and rummaged through the green grass for some good O'  Easter eggs.

A knock at the door, but no one was there.

All that was left was a basket full of goodies and a BIG O' SMILE.

 

 Scattered eggs brought scattered brains...

 and the sweetest moments.

May the beauty of Easter 

shine with each passing day.

3-D Eyes

 Waiting at the ball park...

 and goofing around with 3-D glasses.

 ***********************

Capture yourself in a photo and join Carin @ Forever in Blue Jeans.

This is the story....

of a lovely friendship.

Not long after I started blogging, I found this blog. It's about the life of a beautiful christian family.  I knew right then and there that it would be an awesome blog to follow and so I did.  She is the most generous blogger I've ever run across.  One day Mimi was having a giveaway and to make things a little more fun, she let us comment as many times as we wanted.  Each comment would give us an entry into the giveaway.  So, of course, I went crazy.  And so did a few others.  Everybody went so crazy with her giveaway that she ended up having 739 comments.  I didn't end up winning but I did get something much better in return.    She emailed me and said she wanted to ask me something.  I had no idea what it could have been.  All kinds of questions went through my head.  Did I say something wrong???  What did I do???  Oh, no I must have went too far with my comments.  But, I didn't say anything too crazy.  Did I???  What was this all about???  Well, she finally responded back and I couldn't believe my eyes.  Mimi invited me to be part of a group blog with some of the other crazy commentators.  At first, I was so relieved.  Then I was SO excited!!!  My bond with Mimi got a lot closer and a few months later, I was able to meet her in real life.  

Today Mimi is celebrating her 2 years of blogging and I couldn't resist posting about how our friendship came to be.  I'm so glad Mimi decided to share her life through blogging.  Otherwise, I would have missed out on a great friendship. 

If you are one of the few who haven't visited Mimi, please do.  Everyone loves her and I'm sure you will too.  Once again, she's having a giveaway.  She's like the gift (lady) that keeps on giving.