whites...

i'm addicted to beautiful wine labels...

last weekend we were in of course my favorite store and this bottle stopped me in my tracks on the shelf...

it sure did...

what a beautiful, beautiful label this is

this is how I try new wines...I look at the label or the bottle first...
I love the art that goes into creating the label...or the simplicity of them too

I'm no wine connoisseur by any means
but I'm guilty as charged for purchasing wine for the labels...

I had to explain to guests at Madison's party when my lower cupboard was opened that the empty bottles I plan to save for flowers...were over several months period of time
{seriously}...
all the same bottle...because I loved the word honeymoon on it...

my mother-in-law and mother laughed when I said that...but it's the truth

can you imagine picking flowers in a beautiful dress like that?
maybe I can...maybe I can't at the same time...
but it got me to purchase the wine...
{I got to tell you it's a bit too sweet for me...but lovin' the label}

and it makes me dream of having a

lush

and

flowery back yard

where I can take my basket and load up some flowers to take inside for the table...

I did snag up almost the last of the white hydrangeas at the store...
and that did just the trick to make me smile

oh to dream...

have a great weekend everyone!

the sprinkler...

this past week...I taught our girls how to do the sprinkler...and Daddy helped them perfect it over the weekend...

I know serious stuff, right?

Something to be proud of indeed...

the girls perfected it over the weekend while our plans for the entire day Saturday were cancelled...

Madison's soccer game was held just in time from the rain...so we did get just one thing in

but the girl's pictures with my ubber talented friend Tarah were cancelled and have to be rescheduled...
she's got something pretty neat planned so I really cannot wait to hopefully give you a sneak peak when they are taken...

so with the errands we replaced our Saturday with...we did sprinkler lessons during the day...in the car...at home...it was quite the day

you all know what I'm talking about right?

yes we are one of those families when there is dancing at events that my in-laws and Bobby and I do the ridiculous dance moves...
well it takes me a few deep breathes to get started but once you do...you forget how to really dance because you get stuck doing the silly moves...

the lawn mower....
the sprinkler...
or the one from "Can't buy me love..." {you remember that one too, right? with the arms}
or the head move from A Night at the Roxbury...{ridiculous yes I realize this}

my brother-in-law even got footloose down pretty good for his sister's wedding a couple years ago...
I think we like to act like goofballs to cover up the fact that none of us cannot dance a lick you know...

but the girls had a blast doing it...
and we had some serious laughs...

that's our big accomplishment over the weekend...
teaching them the sprinkler...

Miss Madison wanted to learn another move while Hayley was sleeping, and she really got her somersault down too...

of course...Bobby still wanted to see if he could still do a somersault after all this time...
he wasn't too shabby...

the girls and I made up a dance move for him to do at the next family gathering {who knows when that will be} but according to him he needs ample time to get his wrist heeled {or "hilled" as he talks} from an old injury...

but I was pretty proud of myself for making one up...yes I was indeed...I think it will be hilarious if it works out like we imagine it...

we had some good canteloupe eating in some "super cute" shoes according to Hayley...a phrase her mama helped her coin because her emphasis on "super" makes me laugh everytime

it seems like it has been too long since we had serious unplanned fun with the girls all together so Saturday turned out to be a blast

that's about it...my car's getting some TLC today...YIKES...a little more than expected but nothing you can do about that can you?...I'm just thankful I know the owner so I got a ride home so I didn't have to wait all day in the shoppe...

and it'll be ready just in time to pick the girls up from school:)

Madison wanted to send one more sprinkler at you for this rainy Monday!

love affair number one

one of my long-time love affairs has been since this movie...

Sweet Home Alabama

not necessarily the movie...well I do love the movie quite a bit too....

but something I found I love just as much

one of my very favorite parts was when she was in his shoppe

and saw the

"deep southern glass"

or at the carnival when she first asked about who made it...

I think the movie actually coined it deep southern glass

but it is really hand-blown glass

Simon Pearce actually made the "deep southern glass" in the movie

but I'm going to call it "deep southern glass"

just simply because it sounds better to me:)

My love affair comes down to this

glassware

sound silly

not to me....I just love, love to notice and look at new glassware

it's not something I need at the moment because there are other things to do first

but I always love to look at what's out there

we have these recycled green highball glasses that we got for our wedding I just love

and now Pier One has a pitcher to go with them

how funny is that!

but I love the thickness and uniqueness to every single piece

I was looking for some new glassware inspiration because my thick green glasses are starting to break/crack piece by piece over the years...

here are some of my favorites...

I always love the slenderness of these juice glasses

and of course the color

blues are my favorite

maybe I need to venture out and do a different color...

but do you know that the only "color" I have in my home is blue

and I do have a lot of blue...just different shades

well I take that back the girls have a ton of pink!

the rest is well...you know neutral, white, etc.

I'm kind of all over the place with my glassware inspiration but I couldn't help notice these chalk it stemless glasses from Pier One

how fun are those?

and they even have a carafe with it too...

patterns in white are just beautiful to me...

and of course these matching goblets too...oh my...so pretty

the price of those by the piece would totally freak the hubby out

not to mention I don't think I would pay that right now...

so in any event...

some good selections from IKEA

why do I even look there when the nearest is over 5 hours away?

well anyway...

couldn't help but adore these mugs in blue

and I can see vintage silverware in these

I was looking for some fun glasses for the hubs...

these mugs with stems came about....

how cute are they?

I think they would be fantastic with flowers in them

of course....my little thing with polka-dots exists too...

and I found these

now they would be jumping up and down perfect if they were super narrow

now this picture...I didn't mean to upload it but

oh I'm ready to take the family to pick some peaches to make some peach pie...

last but not least...I found two places with some

deep southern {bubble} glass

oh how I fell in love

because they look exactly like my green

but clear beautiful white!!!

{sigh}

they may be the perfect ones...

photos {3,5,6, 14}  photos {4,7,8}  photos {9,10,11,13}  photos {12,15}

grey goodness...

oh my grey goodness...

the perfect ending to not such a great week...

was this lovely grey goodness...

I'm not kidding you all...

my love affair I was going to post today was put on hold because...this love affair that has been going on for about...

lets see here

over a year now

finally came true on my birthday last Friday...

It sure did...

we were eating dinner at the table and I looked outside...

my grey goodness I have been almost slightly stalking this past year...

walked by

on the verge of not sounding stalker-ish...

everytime I see grey goodness...I stop to stare...all around my house

Without further ado...

meet my grey goodness

now keep in mind...how I imagined our picture together for over a year did not turn out how I dreamed it to be

reality did not equal what I imagined here...

no offense...hubby was taking the pictures...and well....he really is kind of banned from cameras because heads get cut off....legs get cut off...he gets me where I looked semi-drugged or my mouth is in mid-sentence or mid-bite if I'm eating kind of thing...

I'm not complaining...well yes I am...but you see I had to wait until hubby was home so I could kindly ask for my picture you know with "grey goodness"

Because a guy owns "grey goodness," and if I turned on my charm to get a picture...he may think I am hitting on him and not realize my love affair is with Mency the dog {spelling of his name is not accurate here}

Friday was sorta rainy and wet so grey goodness was also not looking his handsome self as he usually does.

But here you go because I did say without further ado like 5 minutes ago already didn't I?

 here is Mency...my love...

Isn't he lovely?

I told hubby you know our bedroom I am redoing...{taking me eternity by the way but who's keeping track other than me, right?}...but that's beside the point...he would look so good...snuggling beneath my chair...or make a great pillow for the girls and I...and Miss Cadence too

He didn't buy it...

I wonder why?

which is partially why I thought a picture of me with grey goodness would help...

I'm told men are visual creatures...

so here's your visual honey...

don't you want to see your wife holding this dog...walking this dog...loving on this dog...girls playing with this dog...girls getting dragged walking this dog? me getting dragged walking this dog for that matter...

I've got to say it's NOT the best picture of me...after all we were eating dinner at home because my youngest allergies were so bad she was doing horrible ...poor sweet thing...but that's why her little nose is so red...and those glossy eyes...

didn't stop her energy though...

and yes my hubby cut off the legs of my grey goodness...when we were taking the pictures such a commotion in the neighborhood was caused that everyone wanted to see...other dogs...neighbors...I don't blame them but I didn't get to do the picture review you know...and say "take 2" honey on the pictures...

I told Bobby...darn...I should have invited them in the house for pictures...he said the owner would have thought I was totally nuts...and that's true...outdoor pictures turn out better too...but you know...

if I ask for a re-do of pictures...he will know I'm a sorta stalker of his dog

because the picture that hubby got of of the dog by himself...he also caught the owners crotch in the picture...and I said to Bobby "at least said you could have gotten the owner in the picture too...better than a close up of the crotch I tried to edit out:)"

my family thinks I'm nuts for loving this dog so much...

but I'm being honest...I love this dog...total complete seriousness...

don't you see this as our new addition?

but a big thanks to my parents and family{Bobby} for a great weekend...we celebrated at home on Friday and Saturday after my booth my parents made tappas for me...my very favorite! You all pampered me way too much than I deserved this weekend...thank you!

one of my very favorite moments {funniest} was on Friday...Madison running upstairs because I was upstairs preparing for Saturday {I was not allowed downstairs because hubby was still wrapping gifts and icing the cake}...
Madison running upstairs saying "Mama!!! Mama!!! Daddy broke the cake
I lost it laughing...
Bobby doesn't bake...and he baked two cakes over the weekend...

in case you are wondering...grey goodness is a wolfhound

talked about

and what we don't talk about...

I'll be honest...this isn't something I wanted to share, but I learned so much this week from something that has happened that I thought maybe I should just write about it to conclude it...

I went through a process this week
you'll even notice my new opening song on my blog...it has everything to do with the process I went through to heal from this.

last 6 days or so were difficult...however, I was so thankful I had Madison's 1st friend birthday celebration to take my mind away from it for a day

You see I checked my phone messages over the weekend and someone unintentionally called me as I must have been the last person they called...

the message I got...was an entire conversation about me...I'm not sure how long it actually was but I got about a 20 minute conversation on my message solely about me...

someone who just wanted to complain about me...I was talked about in not a great way...I was laughed at on my message by both in the conversation...and something really personal was shared about me that was never supposed to be.

You see a situation I entrusted with someone where I had a difficult time was shared with someone without my permission...and the mere fact that it was laughed about and used in a way to hurt me was nothing but plain mean and rude in my opinion.

I was told the situation was used to prove a point to help the other person and that I was going to be told it was talked about...but they shared way too many details without my permission or being there to prove a point...and it is 6 days later and I still haven't been told what point was trying to be proven...

six days later and that person has turned this situation around to make it my fault when I never asked their phone to call me, my phone to record it, me being talked about in a negative way behind my back, and laughed at...and hearing the conversation as it was recorded was just odd to me...

it just made me wonder...what else have they broken my trust about...what other mean things are being done behind my back.

I went inward this week in a sadness...then pain...then some anger...and yesterday I finally felt free from this sadness and anger...that person promised to not talk about this ever without me or to anyone for that matter...not because it was something so horrible or that I'm embarrassed because it is something that is "normal" ...or maybe not "normal"
but because it was just personal to us...
some things are just supposed to be kept personal, right?
did I have the best first reaction? Absolutely not...

just like we all don't share everything on the blog...we have to respect others

but finally!!! I was free from this hurt...I had to go inward and focus on taking care of my family, focus on work, and pray so much through my hurtful tears to get me through this week.

I was driving yesterday and praying so hard to please take this hurt, sadness, and feelings of betrayal from me because the weight on my shoulders was becoming too heavy and consuming me...

then this song from Kris Allen came on the radio..."live like we are dying". I have been waiting to put this song on my blog...

but this song I felt like was part of His answer to me yesterday...
I felt embraced, hugged, and loved
my intepretation of the song yesterday may not be actually the meaning it was written

that is the beauty of music to me...
sometimes the words register in a way that they move and change you

"sometimes we fall down...can't get back up"

well I do fall down...but I always get back up

sometimes it just takes a few days and maybe some crying you know

"hiding behind skin that is too tough"

I can get through things but my skin is not always tough

it may seem that way to others but truly I get hurt

"our hearts are hungry from a food that won't come"

I'll be honest...I wanted an apology and the person to take responsibility

"if your life flashed before you what would you wish you would have done?"

that phrase is where I felt changed

I felt love from Him

I knew I did not want what happen allow me to trip anymore in my steps of life

I am a person who knows who I am and what I stand for

I'll say that again...

I know who I am and what kind of person I am

I know that people can trust me

I may mess up as a person in life and continue to make mistakes but I know that I will take responsibility for it

I *wish* for a life that I can trust people no matter what 

I am a person who likes to trust but it also is the thing I am most scared to do too.

It may have taken me several days to get the giddy back in my step

but you know what

I did get that giddy back in my step

I had a process I had to go through...

sadness

crying

anger

more crying

prayer

and relief to know I made it past this

I may have my breakdown moments in situations

but it wasn't life or death

I simply felt..gosh darn hurt by someone

"I can turn it all around ~ 86,400 seconds"

like the song says

I had been asking for comfort, encouragment, and wisdom from Him...

and this song came on...

I smiled and would have jumped in my car if I could have

while I longed to be free of the hurt...I felt it yesterday...

and now I can finally return to my regularly scheduled blogging after today...

it may be a few days...but I want to share something next week...

something I have a love affair with...

I've just got a busy weekend ahead with work

my favorite part about the song is that it re-emphasizes that it is never too late...

never too late to say I love you...

never too late to live your life everyday like you were dying

never too late to let go so you can be free from a hurt

never too late to have fun and enjoy

"you never know a good thing until it's gone", right?

for my friends/family and parents that would say..."why didn't you tell me?"

I just couldn't...I had to get through this in my way

and I didn't want to talk in anger to anyone else about this

I wanted to talk in praise when I made it through

you see the final step to this process is me writing about it because I have found this blog to become therapeutic in a way too...

thanks for the love everyone...

my hopes are is that you turn up that song by Kris Allen and dance away to the love of life

by the way...these are my winnings I received on Monday from this beautiful prairie girl's blog...it made my day...

happiness...

happiness was my answer to the question {or equation} Bobby gave me...

on what does "that house" + beach =

our happiness

well it could also mean....love...bliss...

because I know that house and the beach can't make you happy...but it would be happiness

because that is what this family loves...

the beach...

every single one of us...


but moving on because this is even more happiness to me...

Miss Madison Ella

 she is pure happiness

and has pure sweetness

she has a smile that makes me melt, laugh, and smile myself

she has a love for God in her life at age four

she is gentle and loving when she needs to be

and so motivated and serious at other times...

I love to watch her do anything because how she does it is amazing

she has been a fighter from day one...and we are so thankful for such a sweet and loving little girl...

granted she has pretty good arguments in her too
{I wonder where she gets her fiestiness from}...

not me I say {as I am snickering and chuckling}

I love that she has a quietness to her but then she doesn't at the same time...

she has a sweet love for boys...already swooning at three in particular from her class but this little guy below has been tops in her life for a couple years now!

she loves the simple surprises in life and already appreciates those...as I picked her up from school today...she said

"Mama...do you have a surprise for me?"
{because Monday is surprise day with Cadence usually}
"Oh sweetie...today I do..."
"Cadence!" she exclaims...
"No honey...it was a little too hot for her to wait in the car while I picked you two up from school today"
"Okay then what is it Mama?"
"You'll see..."

But she had the bounce in her walk and she was so excited to see...

Madison has a special relationship with her sister Hayley and her Daddy...
that itself makes my heart swell big enough to get me teary-eyed writing this

but oh goodness I just had to stop and take a break from writing because my youngest jumped down each stair...yes, you read that right...

Saturday was her official birthday of which we had a full day of celebration for her!

She started off with her first soccer game!

{yes...we realize no soccer shoes on her feet which is a big deal for two soccer playing parents...but someone put in charge of purchasing the shoes waited last minute to find out her size is not carried in stores}

But we were soooo proud of her...

Then a celebration with her friends...at the Carousel House...

with a Fancy Nancy theme...
ooh La La as Nancy says...

carousel rides for two hours, friends, cake, punch, balloons, flowers, presents, running around with friends and family...it made her day!
{and ours for that matter since she had a fabulous time}

Of which we came home and celebrated with a BBQ with family and a few friends that evening...so more cake...more food...and presents...

by the time the evening ended...we were all worn out...but a well worth it celebration for our little butterfly!

Happy Birthday my sweet and beautiful girl...you amaze me every day with your actions, words, and love for everyone...you have a gift that I know will bless everyone...