My days

My days lately have been filled from top to bottom with STUFF to do. A lot of running around in circles, it seems. Before I blow my top, I am stopping to remind myself to step back, breathe and just take each day as it comes. But I am looking forward to a small break.


I'm not the only one going a little nutty, I guess!

It's still summer vacation for the kids so I'm thankful for not having homework to deal with. I don't have to pack lunches or go though paperwork yet (sorry to those across the country who have kids that have already returned to school!). My kids don't start back up until Labor Day.


Dad might have put on too much sunscreen...

I am thankful that the weather has stayed relatively cool after some very hot days earlier in the summer. We don't have air conditioning, so keeping the house cool is paramount! Particularly thankful for ceiling fans in each bedroom and we run them on low all night long.


Saturday in the city

Having a yard to play in and a place to go sit outside has me so happy. I certainly don't miss apartment living, where the kids could only play in the parking lot. At least here they can play on the patio and run around on the dirt patch. Hopefully soon we'll have some landscaping back there too. I have plans, I tell you...plans!


Took the afternoon off to take my boy to a baseball game

I am thankful for my little flower garden, that has already brought me so much joy with minimal amount of work! My gladiolas bulbs are flowering and I've been decorating the dining room table with fresh clippings for weeks. They have really brightened up the yard and the house.



I am so happy with the contest wins I've had these past few months. Last week I got a delivery of Jane Iredale make up and skincare that I've had a great time testing out! I won that with my What Summer Means to Me judged Pinterest Board.



I got an email from Kohls last week about a $100 store gift card random draw win from a Pinterest entry (great, because I shop at Kohl's all the time!). Mariposa sent me a surprise runner's up prize, what a lovely treat! I also heard from KraftMaid that I won their Return to Your Roots Pinterest contest, which is a $500 Visa gift card. That will come in very handy when Danny & I go to NYC next month on the trip I won from Armitron! *wink* I appreciate the creative outlet that Pinterest allows me and so thankful to the various judges that have chosen my board as their favorite in these contests. I am so grateful that they see my art and the hard work that has gone into my boards.


My gift from Mariposa

I'm always every so grateful for my parents and mother-in-law who step in and take care of my children when I can't. I wish that we were in a position where I could be present more and take care of the kids 24/7 but right now, if they have to be away from me, I'm so glad they can be with the kids.


A view of the city

I'm grateful that my husband is working and making a good salary. What I'm not so pleased about is his 3-4 hour round trip drive every day out of the county, his having to wake at 3:30am and not get home until nearly 7pm, the six-day work weeks and the fact that he pretty much eats dinner and falls asleep on the sofa, exhausted, every night. I miss him (and I miss the help around the house with the kids!).


On the ferry from San Diego to Coronado

Happy that we live within walking distance of a great park. I am able to walk the kids there and let them play in the evenings. It takes us about 20 minutes to get there. And there is a Mexican shop, where we stopped for a quick dinner the other night for rolled tacos and horchata.



I am so glad that my dad is turning the corner in his illness and has begun to get his appetite back and his symptoms are leveling out. He has renal (kidney) cancer throughout his body and after some tense moments earlier in the year (transient stroke and pneumonia, both requiring separate hospitalizations) he is on a new medication. He has some nasty side effects, one being loss of appetite and nausea. When your 6' tall father weighs as much as your own 5'2" frame, that is a problem. But my mom said he's feeling like eating now and has been regaining some strength, which is wonderful to hear.

Finally, I am thankful for next week, when I will have a bit of time off to spend with the kids. Not sure what I'll do with them yet, but I'm hoping for something FUN!!


My baby Potato Head!