Spring Break

The kids had their Spring Break last week and I had such great plans but ended up with one of those head colds that knocked me back a few days.
Then I got slammed with a UTI just two days ago, so this has been a week of unhealthiness. But I can't complain, since it's not the norm, thank God!


We did get to the lake one day with the kids, which has sand...sort of. Dirt & sand mixture, but the kids loved it, built sandcastles, caught salamanders, and made them prisoners in the castles, lol.

Here is the week in photos:

 She was my mostly willing model for bubbles

I love these things! What in the world are they called?!

Old fashioned catching of creepy crawly things. Hello, Spring!

Had to throw in a pic of my windchime from Folly Beach :)

Salamanders and Sandcastles

I have a lot of Ben because he loves the camera, lol

A lot of reading on Spring Break...for us both :)

BFFs

Changes

So many things are changing around me, it seems. My children are getting older by the minute. I am getting older by the second...NOT fun. I sobbed my eyes out on my 35th birthday last month because I realized, not only am I getting older, my parents are aging too. I'm one of the lucky ones who will see their parents again in Heaven, but still...I can't even think about the day they're not here for me on earth.

Enough of that!

Spring has sprung, a very welcome change. And I had to change to a new, different brand computer to keep up with all things photography. It's been a challenge to get everything switched over and I'm still not done. Just as I sit down, a cappuccino & some background noise via the tv at the ready, I realize the program I need is on the other laptop. That finicky, "maybe I"ll start, maybe I won't" laptop. For some reason that really stresses me out right now!

So, I'm trying to adapt better to the changes I don't love. I really don't like that I'm looking a lot older in the mirror than I feel in my body. And I REALLY don't love that I feel older in my body that my mind thinks I should. Vacation really brought that home, in some ways, when I realized my body loved and NEEDED my own bed. I no longer adapt well to other mattresses or sleeping arrangements. Coincidentally, I no longer want to give camping a try. ☺

Plus, all those teeny boppers and college aged girls in their bikinis...well, that didn't help, lol.

So, I'm dealing with all those pesky changes.

Last Sunday we decided to spend the afternoon doing something outdoors with the kids. This is a peek into our nature filled family outing:

Life & Death

"Like apples of gold on pictures of silver."

I drove over Graveyard Hill (a nickname) the other day and found it covered in fog, with beautiful fall leaves all over the place. I had Ben with me so we pulled in and I started snapping pictures like a fiend. I turned my back for 5 seconds and guess what my little boy was doing: marking his territory. Yep, desecrating a grave stone. Boys and dogs @@.

Anyway, I can't decide which one I like best. You decide!

A girl moment...

Okay, I'm going to do a total girl thing and ask:

To bangs or not to bangs? I like the shorter cut, mostly. It has grown on me and is SO easy to take care of now. But I think I need some longish bangs. And maybe at a gradual slant on the sides. Need to hide that lake of a forehead (thanks, Dad!)

Whatcha think?

Also, straight vs. curly?

Straight...

or curly
Leave comments & suggestions, please!

Random pics

Dad came home with an unusual present a few weeks ago:

He had mentioned in church one night that he needed a shirt that said, "I see stupid people", like that kid from the movie Sixth Sense. So some crazy person had one made up and gave it to him the next night. He wore it proudly :D


This next picture is why I DREAD rainy days right now:

Thankfully, they clean up good and go to sleep eventually, looking like little angels:

Face painting, yard sales, and kisses...oh my!

My fanTABulous mother in law, otherwise referred to as Jody, came to visit this past weekend for two days. Originally, Katie was supposed to sing with her Chorus group at the Fall Festival, but her teacher got sick and they cancelled their performances. Personally, I think she should have sucked it up and drug her sick bottom to the festival for 20 whole minutes while they sang 3 songs. But what do I know :) All I'm sayin' is, she better have the pig flu!



But Jody was already on her way when we found out and she was dying to see the kids anyway, and vice versa, so she came on. It's a six hour drive, so that was pretty sweet of her.
We had so much fun. She got to be here when her son signed the bid on the house, got to see the house, and she loved it. She was almost excited as I was! Almost.


We just had fun hanging out. She & I get along really well, plus she thinks my kids are the best, smartest, prettiest kids in the whole world. So we REALLY get along well :)

I found out something new about her this trip: she can BARGAIN. As in, she went yardsaling Saturday morning with Katie, armed with a list of sizes and clothing items needed, and came back with bags full of name brand, very nice, some new clothing...all for $17! I was supposed to join them around 11am but she seriously got the kids everything they needed for now, so I didn't have to.

Anyway, we had a blast. Took the kids to their Fall Festival (I forgot my camera. She didn't, of course!), yard saling, a vegetable soup party, and house bidding.

Here are the only pictures I got of her this trip, including outtakes of her with the kids:

Ben, Chad, & Jody have the exact same eyes.

They were being so goofy!

Good enough!

Princess Katie & her tattoo - at least it's not a dog!

How sweet are they?!

Jody's 51st birthday was that weekend but she really didn't want anyone to make a deal out of it, so we didn't, but I regret that now. I wish I had gone all out and baked a cake, put up streamers, and sang the birthday song everytime she entered the room. Just like we did Chad :)

Somehow, I think she got her birthday wish, though, by spending two days with her grandbabies. Cheap gift!

A few more pics

I had to go out to the house (I LOVE writing that!) Monday and I took a few more pictures, to try & show just how large this house is:

A better picture of the kitchen, from the den

Oh, look! I found a Beth! Who apparently thinks she's in a gang...

Left side - all those cabinets have me itching to unpack!

Right side - see the desk? Gonna have to get some bar stools, too :)

The dining room

To be honest, I kind of prefer an eat in kitchen to a separate, formal dining room. Especially not loving the carpet. Who puts carpet in the dining room?! So, going to play around with ideas on how to make it more adaptable for my family and our needs. Ideas are appreciated!

Already planning my mantle decor ;)

Plenty of windows & light, perfect for keeping certain monkeys in view

The door out of the utility room - for easy grocery unloading :)

A driveway made for our "Smith" family parties :)

Oh, and the PERFECT tree for a tree swing...two, in fact!

Can ya'll tell I'm happy?! It's a great deal with lots of square footage, a great backyard, a safe, quiet neighborhood (until we move in LOL)....I'm content.