give-a-way and project

Almost a month ago I made a run to Michael's

to grab some of their blank thank you notes for a $1

I like to look in the dollar section just to mix up the notes

so my clients aren't getting the same ones with each order

plus it makes doing thank you notes for each order so much more affordable instead

of $5-$8 per pack of eight that I seem to go through sometimes in a couple days

 Michael's had some cute ones

have you seen some of them?

I'm in love with how simple they are

fly, shine, discover, and write your own story are the ones I purchased

the girls were with me

 and we found a craft project in the same dollar section

so the trip to Michael's was under $6 including the thank you notes and a craft project for the girls

we found some miniature white bird cages

and put an "h" ball inside of it for Hayley

 and for Madison I just stamped a blank tag I had on hand that Angela had given me

because they are always out of the m's...

so as soon as I find an m ball elsewhere I'll change that out for her

 we cut out miniature butterflies and dragonflies to put at the bottom of the cage

butterflies for Madison

dragonflies for Hayley

{they sure made sure that they did not get mixed up}

I already had the butterfliy and dragonfly punches from awhile back

and newspaper was free

so this literally was a $3 project with them

the punches were a bit difficult for those tiny hands to do themselves

but they enjoyed filling the cages up and putting their tag and ball in the inside

they were little happy campers and some fun smiles from them as we placed the little bird cages on an antique desk in our loft below one of our picture walls

they loved the fact that they put something together below their pictures

now this wall/room has some progress to make

so let this serve as my before picture

the antique desk and chair on the right is from my grandpa

It will stay as is...no painting it

however, the chair on the right

I'll refinish the wood to be white

and sometime next year I'll change the upholstery to a light tan linen fabric

the rocking chair color will probably stay as is...

it was the one I was rocked in as a baby and the same one we used for our girls

don't forget to enter my give-a-way for this Pink Licorice Tutu

you choose the size

last day is tomorrow {Thursday} at midnight

and if you don't have a blog

please leave in the comment a way for me to contact you {e-mail}



tippy toes

standing on your tip toes

is one of the cutest things children do

whether it's to see over the counter to grab those

little cookie crumbs or that extra salsa chip

whether it's Hayley sneaking for another permanent marker out of her stash drawer
or Madison reaching for her tutu off her crown hook in her bedroom

little ones on their tip toes

 always makes me stop

to take in the moment
even for a split second
to remember exactly how sweet childhood was

even if seconds later I am asking them to put that marker back
or "no, not another cookie"

and just maybe
"do you need help with that? can you reach it okay?"

little ones on their tippy toes
reminds me of a time where your thoughts were full of wonder

and your next thought was only if you remembered where you put your princess crown
to complete your outfit

many things signify childhood
but for me...

few things signify it as simply as when I see the girls on their tip toes

the innocence
cuteness
and cleverness
about them

the only time I stand on my tip toes anymore

 is for reaching something off of a shelf

the childlike tippy toe state has now been replaced by day to day tasks

I much rather think of tip toes
from my girl's point of view

full of excitement

smiles

and intention

I'm so excited to share Tippy Toe Tutus

a business by my friend, Tonya

she is sponsoring today's give-a-way

and I hope you love her Tutus as much as my girls do

she is giving away one Pink Licorice tutu

in the size of your choosing
{shown below}





for your little girl
or
for your granddaughter,
neice, cousin,
friend of the family
or other special little girl you would like to surprise

To enter the give-a-way...

visit Tonya's Tippy Toe Tutu website and tell me your favorite tutu

as well as something that signifies childhood to you

leave a second comment if you would like to look her up on facebook under Tippy Toe Tutus

and become a fan of her business

and if you'd like to become a follower of my blog....why yes...comment one more time for another entry and if you are a follower just note that too {in a separate comment}

Winner will randomly be picked on Friday, October 1st
Comments will close Midnight Thursday, September 30th

{Tonya's picture from her website was used with her permission}

I almost birthed twins

would you ever believe

this sweetie pie

wrote on our wall with permanent marker

and almost...just almost got it all over our white bed spread...

she did get a couple of dots on my ruffled pillowcase

the same ones LuLu just showed on her blog

the ones I got back in February but I thought I was going to birth another baby the moment I turned around and saw her laying on my bed with a black permanent marker
the cap off
ready to write

I almost birthed twins the panic I felt

as she looked up and smiled...

"what mama?"

Instead maybe I just had a cow

PETA don't be mad

but when I exaggerate I often reference cows...

like I'm so hungry I could eat an entire cow

or half of a cow

which is ironic because I don't eat a ton of red meat

"raise.that.marker.Hayley.high.in.the.air"

as I walked over slowly to her so she wouldn't quickly decide to think it's funny to put a mark all across my bed

it has been a looooong week and that was just the icing on the cake

so as I was closing out some things from an event for my business

she was coloring on the wall with permanent marker

and her sister's floor with a blue dry erase marker

she found our stash in our junk drawer to say the least

and thinks she it's her personal stash

to take from when she pleases

although I followed her and must admit seeing her on her tippy toes

deciphering which permanent color to pick was quite cute

just not the after effects...
of the marks all over the house

note to self...
all pens, markers will be taken out of that drawer when we are back in town

I recently confided in my mom saying

"Mom...it's like they are already ganging up on me especially when Bobby is not around"

for those that know me

running over me isn't a small feat

but her response was

"Oh you mean like you two {my sister and I} used to do to me?"

touche mom...

although sometimes we were justified...I'm just sayin'

with an added chuckle there

this week has been quite the non-stop busy week for events, emotions, preparing for a bridal shower

I think I secretly like the chaotic times where I have too much to do

because that makes me thrive a bit to have a lot on my plate

even though I'm trying to not do that

it always seems to happen

we are headed out of town this weekend

for my friend's shower

and to visit some of Bobby's family that will be in town for our hometown Fall Festival

it will be a crazy fun celebration kind of weekend

the best kind of weekend....

I may be even doing something I haven't done in ages

and I'm super nervous because I don't feel prepared

but sometimes you just need to do things without thinking, right?

makes life more fun...

I'm super excited to share on Monday I'll be doing a give-a-way...

I should have just surprised you all

but I'm not great at surprises

not.at.all

so come on back Monday as I have a sweet friend who is sponsoring one for me

right here on

Butterflies and Dragonflies

xo

ring around the rosy

lots of giggles

makes for sweet delight

that's what

ring-around-the-rosy will do for you

slightly out of focus and maybe over/under {who knows} exposed pictures...

but moments of delight that were worth enjoying

Smiles and Delight to you this mid-week day

feel

on Thursday evening I was asked the question...

"who are you?"

answering to myself...
as we were in relaxation

As I thought

I found it was easy to rattle off descriptions

or even tasks
jobs
or titles

that I perform
or am
in my daily life

so when our instructor first asked the question

the list naturally began in my mind....

wife

mother

consultant for work

God lover

runner

beach lover

type A personality

dreamer

cook

baker

discipliner

dog lover

wine "enjoyer"

house cleaner

flower lover

scheduler

worrier

planner

vintage lover

 number 13 fan

summer girl

 indecisive at times

fan of white

and light, sea blues

 fan of dresses

ruffles

but very much a jeans girl at heart

I'm also

a woman

which took me a long time to accept due to fertility issues

but now 5 years strong of knowing it...

I know that I am
with or without children

yes...really just a list...

because I make lists

but shortly thereafter

we were then asked to...

feel who we were

feel it

not think it

I began to feel

my life

not thinking about all the things I do

{or don't do for that matter}

I was feeling my compassion and kindness
warmth
and strength about myself

I was feeling time well spent

with my family

even doing the day to day routine things

but very vividly about simple things

what we were all wearing

what the sun and wind felt like

what it felt like as a mother seeing little hands play in the dirt

or little feet running up and down this side road

enjoying the sight of flowers in our yard

worrying not about some stressors we have right now

but only about enough daylight hours to spend with my family

I was feeling how wonderful it feels

to look around my home

and see my favorite vintage things

with subtle number 13 reminders around me

and enjoying a glass of wine or two

I was feeling myself on a nice long run

feeling my surroundings not just noticing what they were

but taking it all in

whether running right here in my neighborhood

or remembering the fond memory of Bobby and I running oceanside 6 years ago

where we saw dolphins

and how wonderful it felt to see that

together

yes this dark haired beauty is my personal favorite in our neighborhood

a very happy feeling I got
when the girls were pretty close to her

 enjoying the moment...as is...

and seeing them trying to get her attention by calling

"horsy....oh horsy..."

I was feeling His prescence all around me

everything else subsided for the moment

yes...

I wasn't thinking

but accepting

I have always been one to shove my feelings away

for whatever reason

even very fond memories or feelings I have had in the past

I feel disappointed I have forgotten or filed away some of the ones from long ago

because I became so task orientated

forgetting to really feel along the way

through things

I would pull away

 bury them

close the door

and set down the key

so I have felt challenged lately in our class

it's odd because I didn't know this would happen

but each time He is providing exactly what I need through our instructor

to not only be still

but to feel

and appreciate what I feel

and to not file away any of my feelings

but have them as constant reminders

the special keys to my heart

because it makes me me

this is why I've been focusing on not having a schedule lately

for things I really don't have to have one for

especially with my family

because even though I love my routine and completed tasks

I'm really much more of a dreamer

and I want my family and friends to feel that from me more than the other

 that's the real me

the part of me that the close ones really know

but the part that most haven't seen

I love to feel and I love to dream

and just in case you wanted to know

the horses belong to a home that was here before our subdivision

we always love to watch them

I have a bit of a crush on horses...
I always have, and I'm not sure why

other than the fact that my dad had them growing up
maybe

and they make me smile

few and far between

few and far between will be the {daylight} hours

as fall and winter near...

so on a cold {cold} day

I want to look at this picture

and take a breath

giving myself some reminders

of what is ahead for spring and summer...

flowers

warm temperatures

sitting on my bench

watching the hummingbirds

and spending time outside as a family

that bench is one of one of my favorite spots to sit at night

{when I get the chance that is}

or when I feel a bit stressed...

sometimes I sit here in the morning with coffee

before the girls wake

and most definitely I'll try to sneak out here to sit

when it storms

because it's peaceful and calming to watch the rain

I didn't make it out there tonight

maybe because I took so much time driving back and forth to my house

I literally had to drive back home for the same thing three times

because I kept forgetting what I needed this afternoon

now what I walked out with the first two times

I couldn't tell you

I have no idea

but it wasn't what I needed...

{obviously}

it took two more times to actually walk out of the house with what I needed...

I'm sure it made people laugh to see me come home

three times every ten minutes for half an hour

way off point...yes I know

I won't quite get started on my super glue incident {again}

well maybe I just did...

lets just say

it wound up on my face this time

and fingers glued together {which is the usual}

super glue...we just don't get along...

never have and never will

so...

today as I was dropping off something to a client

{the important thing I kept forgetting}

we came across this little place with a pond

the girls wanted to stop and get out

well just maybe

 I also wanted to get out

and take a few minutes

so we did...

I'm trying more and more to make the time to stop and do those sorts of things

it's good for them

and most definitely good for me to not always have a schedule

come to think of it

I really haven't been keeping my regular normal schedule

and I'm kind of liking it

it's good for me not be structured so much

and I'm loving I'm trying to take in more of these moments...

{probably why I forget everything now-a-days}

but

behind the scenes

lets just say

you aren't seeing me get frustrated

at some whining

or two little girls ignoring me

in particular my little one

thinking she doesn't have to hold my hand in parking lots

with cars driving by

or stay by me in stores

I was plain annoyed at being ignored...

ick...

and Hayley's response to me...

"the famous Hayley scowl"

otherwise could be known as the Madison scowl

or even the Martha look

which she quickly turned her scowl around

 into this "sweet stuff" girl

who wanted a hug

that is always her diversion

the stare down until we laugh at her

or she showers us with hugs and kisses

{I have no idea where that comes from...no idea}

anyway...

you've probably noticed

the big red stain

although it looks pink in the pictures from the sunlight

you wouldn't have guessed just before another errand

I took Hayley to get her and her sister a special drink before we picked Madison up from school

and dumped her red slush all down her white shirt...

but because I wasn't going home four times in another 10 minutes

she was

"as is"

until we got home

{well actually until after bathtime to be honest}

there is only so much laundry that I really want to do

but you know...

sometimes... 

"it is what it is"

and when other mothers smile at you because of it

it makes you smile

so

that was just "how we rolled" ...

stained shirts from both girls

whining

a mom who got her fingers glued together {again}

and super glue on her face

not to mention I hit the new record of how many times I can drive back to my home in thirty minutes

 as well as

all three of us stopping by the pet store on the way home

because they always love walking around

{which I even forgot we went there today until now}

we closed in the evening with some sweet stories, goodnight hugs, and kisses

today...

I can say...

was the sort of day I felt like I failed

but also had some great moments too

and

tomorrow

lets just hope I'm a bit more productive...

and don't have to run home three times for the same thing