Things I'm thinking about...

1. I'm sorry for leaving you for so long. I know my previous "Collections" post was interesting, but not 2 months worth of interesting. :)

2. Yesterday I heard thunder and immediately stopped what I was doing... NW Oregon is not often graced by thunderstorms. Let's just say I haven't heard thunder for a whole year. I was a great treat to sit on our porch and listen, a nice reminder of home.

3. Since April I have had dizzy spells on the barge (at work). This concerned me for a while until I realized it's boating season and the barge is slightly affected by wake caused by the hundreds of boats that pass daily. (just so you know, it didn't take me long to figure that out!)

4. The farmer's markets have been open for the past two months and we are soooo happy to see them again. I'm taking the kids to Sauvie Island later this week to the "you-pick" farms. Due to all the rain (it's been a long spring), all the crops are running several weeks behind, but hopefully there will be some strawberries to pick!

5. I have lots of pictures to share, but first I have to figure out the new blogger. Lots of things have changed during my break from the blog. Pictures include: cute kids, recent hikes, friend getaway over Memorial Day weekend, our apartment, Mom, Aunt Lynn, and Heather's visit, and recent crafts. Stick around, they'll be posted soon...

6. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about our future kiddos. I attribute most of this obsession to the line of work I'm in. I love my job, feel exhausted at the end of everyday, but it is completely worth it. We have names for two of our kids; Heath thinks we have three, but I am strongly opposed to naming one of our kids "Flora". Please back me up on this people. We don't plan on having kids anytime soon, it just excites me to think about what our future might look like in the next 5 years.

7. My family has gone through lots over the past several months, and I'm so glad I'm on this side of it now looking back. There have been and will be major changes, and it's hard to picture what my time will look like when I go home for Christmas this year. It will also be the first time to visit Tennessee without my granddaddy Daniels around. I have missed his laugh lately...

8. This can be held accountable for most of my depressed feelings lately.... we had our first 80 degree day this weekend, and have had only a handful of days in the 70s this whole year. Thus, the sun has not been around for a while. Not trying to complain... I still LOVE living here and am blessed to be surrounded by beautiful scenery daily. We are now recognizing though, the importance of a Hawaiian getaway, which we will be taking Spring of 2012. Good solution, huh?!?

9. Couponing. I'm not going to be the extreme couponer like the ones featured on TLC's tv series. I have been buying Sunday papers though, and follow 2 blogs that basically do all the work for me. I'll post more on this topic later; we did save $30 on last nights grocery bill solely due to my couponing! It feels nice to save our family money.

10. Things I'm excited about:
-Katie Buckel's visit!!!! (next week)
-Tommy and Emily's wedding (August)
-Newton family visit... and Granny and Pawpaw making the trip to see us!!! (August)
-long weekend trip with Heath to Seattle (2 weeks!)
-I'm sure there's more, but I have to leave in 5 minutes for work, so the rest will have to wait. Until next time friends.

Collections...

I have plenty of them.

My favorites are craft related, though cookbooks, ticket stubs, and themed mixes from Heath are cherished and greatly appreciated.

You see, I have this little shelf in my craft room. It holds my most important collections.



I display items that inspire me to be creative. I started collecting vintage cameras years ago, and mom has helped me add to my collection. Old books, lots of fabric from my favorite place in Portland, colorful thread, postage stamps, and buttons, of course.

I'm pretty sure I was meant to live in another era. I love old things. Give a an Estate or yard sale and I'm one happy lady.





I've collected buttons for as long as I can remember. If I could keep only one collection, this would be the one for sure! I keep them in several mason jars, but I would love to display my favorites in some way.



So, now I need your help. Your input if you will.... got any ideas on how to make use of and display some of my treasured buttons?
A pillow, frame....

Help please! :)
Have a lovely weekend friend.

Spring is here...

or atleast the Northwest's idea of spring.
It's a bit more colder and rainy than I'm used to, but still beautiful and welcomed.



Cherry Trees. They might be my new favorite tree. These soft pink blooms are everywhere. This was an unexpected treat.



I've seen lots of rainbows from the barge. This one was the most vibrant I've seen; look for the pink and purple.





Farmer's Markets are finally open again. Which means we can eat plenty of these sugary strawberries again! yum.



Hope you are having a great week. We are really excited for next week! My mom, aunt Lynn, and Heather (my cousin) are coming to visit! Woohoo! Can't wait.

A typical day in pictures...

My days are filled with lots of laughs...



Brother-sister bonding time...



Messy lunches with an 18 month old... I love her eyes in this one :)



Sweet little toes...



Crazy bed hair, and cuddles with Andy and Mr. Beaver...



Sweet faces from a baby who looks like a little girl now...



And swing time...


Aren't they cute?

I'll answer that for you... yes, they are!

Birthday post to come in the next day or two. Thank you, dear friends and family, for making this birthday one of the best to date! I love you all.

our day in pictures.....

I had the day off today and it was wonderful!

I slept in, watched my favorite morning shows with a cup of chai latte, and enjoyed my quiet morning. Heath and I shared lunch and desserts downtown, then headed south for a hike we've been wanting to do for a while now.

Bagby Hot Springs in Estacada, Oregon. This place did not disappoint, and neither did the drive out there. We made several stops along the way for some pictures of course.







Please notice the color of the water... so beautiful!!!



Find Heath....



Hiking to the hot springs





Hollowed out log at Bagby. Please note that I am the same color as snow. yikes



Bagby Hot Springs. There were private soak cabins and a public cabin. We opted for the private ones.



The water was 136 degrees. (Let's just say it didn't take long to warm up.) Heath frequently visited the stream nearby to fill buckets with cold water...



After our soak, we hiked to a waterfall. No matter how many waterfalls we've seen, every one of them seems to take my breath away.









That's all for now. Back to work early in the morning. Lots more pictures of the kids will be posted soon! :)

Hope you are having a great week.

Kids are Cute

Where is Trinity???



There she is!!!!



Yep, Trinity and I played this game for a good twenty minutes today. Her laughter and smiles were contagious for sure! I'm in love with my job and head-over-heels for these kiddos.

(Don't get any ideas though... we won't be making any additions to our family for a while, I hope.)

So there it is. My icebreaker to begin blogging again. Let's just say, I'm ready to see the month of March. It's my birthday month, the beginning of Spring blooms, the reopening of my Etsy shop, a girls trip to the beach, a relocation for our church, one more snow shoeing hike (hopefully), and one month closer to my mom's visit. :)

More updates and pics to come in the next few days. Miss you all.

Is there a positive side?

So this week has been pretty hard. Terrible, in fact. And I've found myself wishing that this week had never happened so things could just be normal. But that can't happen, and in retrospect, I'm glad about this.

You see, even through the most difficult of times, God still blesses us with lots of positives. I'm really happy I'm beginning to see those.

1. I've been blessed to see several beautiful sunrises this week, which seems a bit abnormal for this time of year.... I guess they always happen, but there's usually thick layers of fog blocking my view.



2. I treated myself to two carmel frappuccinos from Starbucks this week. Mmmm, such a treat. (I knew all that change in my change-purse would be put to good use.)

3. After doing 4 loads of the kids laundry at work yesterday, I dreaded coming home to do ours. When I arrived, I found all my clothes neatly folded on the bed, and the laundry hamper empty. Thank you, Heath. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help. (oh, and he did the dishes. :)

4. This week has brought an overwhelming presence of love from my past and present friends and family. It's so nice to receive these texts, emails, and phone calls. What a blessing to know how much we are loved and cared for.

5. Mt. Hood has been hiding for a while, but I've seen her 3 times this week from the barge. What a beautiful sight.



6. The kids decided not to take naps yesterday. (Why, oh Why?!? No, that is definitely not the positive.) I think Shirley (their mom) noticed my stress levels were high, so yesterday afternoon we did something abnormal. We danced around the kitchen and made chocolate iced cupcakes. It was magic. And, we each got our own spatula to lick at the end. Tristan got the whole bowl and paddle... I'm glad I wasn't there to put him to bed :)



7. Last Thursday, I used my JoAnn's coupons and bought supplies for watercolor painting. I was debating on whether or not to keep the set... I'm glad I did. It's provided a good outlet for me this week. You should try it...

8. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in my job. I didn't think nannying was beneath me, I just never expected to be doing something like this. My full-time job is being a mom to these two kiddos, and you know what? I'm pretty darn good at it. I love taking care of them and receiving their sweet hugs and kisses each day. I am so thankful for this family.



I'm sure there are other positives, but I just started to allow myself to see them. Give me a few more days, and I'm sure I'll come up with some more.

I love you all. Thank you for reading.

Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5

Home for the Holidays: Part 1

Heath and I were lucky enough to spend a full week at my parent's house for Thanksgiving. A trip down south was greatly appreciated, and I was blessed to land my nanny job the day we left for Franklin. What are the odds? It was a wonderful trip, filled with good eats, time with family and friends, and memorable sight-seeing as always.

Much to my dismay, Heath and I decided not to purchase a christmas tree this year, or put up Christmas decorations for that matter. Being gone the week of Thanksgiving, then spending three weeks in Texas, our tree would be dead and sorry looking by the time we got back. I was sad about this, but there's always next year. My parents had quite a pretty tree to admire though....



While we were in town, we celebrated Christmas with my family as well. It was a treat to have Christmas 1 month early! :) Thanks mom and dad!

We were also lavishly treated in the food department. Oh my goodness, I don't think we've eaten that good in a while. It was mildly depressing when we came home to vegetable plates and pasta dishes. If you live in Franklin, please go eat at Wild Ginger for me!!! I'm begging you.... get the Skittle salad and the Firecracker sushi. Then call me and tell me how good it was. I want someone to enjoy it if I can't. SO GOOD.



We spent Thanksgiving with grandmom and granddad Daniels, along with mom's side. We took lots of pictures, and cherished our time with granddaddy.



Heather and Matt with their puppies.



Neal with his new puppy, Chevy.



Family picture....



So, if you've never been to downtown Franklin, you should stop what you're doing and just go now. Walking down Main St. continues to be one of my favorite things to do while I'm home. The stores have changed overtime, but the buildings have so much character and it reminds me so much of my childhood. I liked this store window... it reminded me of Anthro.



While visiting downtown Franklin, you can treat yourself to a some Sweet CeCe's. It's soooooo yummy!



We were lucky enough to see gmom and gdad twice while we were in town. We spent a day with them alone right before we left. Granddad was much more talkative this day with out so many people around. We shared lots of laughs and special moments together. And took this wonderful picture...



On one of the non-rainy days (yes, the rain followed us from Oregon), mom took Heath and I to Radner Lake in Brentwood. I loved taking pictures and enjoyed the sunny sky. It was a good day.



Though I was not able to see everyone I wanted (there's always next year :), it was a great trip, filled with nice memories and lots of love. We love our Tennessee family. Thank you for treating us so well.

Playing Catch-Up

Hello there, sorry I left you for a while. Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone... so has Christmas and New Years for that matter. But I'm going to pretend like they just happened yesterday. Why? Because I have a ton of pictures to share. :)

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Not quite sure why.
Maybe it's the weather.
Maybe missing our dear old friends back in Texas and Tennessee.
Maybe it's the adjustment of working full-time.
Let's be honest, it's probably all of those things.

It's okay to feel low every now and then. Hoping these updates will cheer you up, and me as well. This is just a teaser for what to expect this week. Yes, I will blog at-least 3 times this week... I'm a little overwhelmed (in a good way) with everything I'd like to share!

First up... our tender Tennessee Thanksgiving/Christmas.



Visits with dear Texas friends, and a few weddings...



Our Texas family and an unexpected Christmas-in-the-Hospital (not to worry, everything is fine)...



Scott and Hannah's trip to the Rose City. I'm missing you already Han!



And last, but certainly not least, an update on my job and the introduction of two precious kiddos.



That's all for now. Hope those few pictures will hold you over for the next day or so! Check back soon... I'm looking forward to posting more this week.

Happy Sunday everyone. This is going to be a great week! (Please note my positive outlook. :)