~a great day for a parade!~

Small town parades! I love 'em! Love watching my Ste march and play and love seeing the kids in our community participating!
I'm feelin' the love today! ;D

Pioneer Day 2011

~birthday celebration weekend~

We celebrated nephew Cole's 14th birthday today!
His birthday is actually September 11, but this day worked better so more family could be there!
He chose a Chinese buffet restaurant for the location.
What is with teenage boys and Chinese buffet? Stephen loves them too.

His momma made cheesecake for dessert!

Happy Birthday Cole! I'm proud of the young man you are becoming! Love you to pieces!

~Happy Birthday to my LOVE♥~

Today is my husband's birthday!
He is 39. I like that he is older than me. { Even if only by a month. ;)}
I have loved him since I was 17 years old. I'll never stop!
There are many reasons to love him:
We fit each other.
He seeks wisdom.
He is GODLY. {One of the things I love most!}
He loves our son. And shows it!
He is quiet...but not.
His laugh is a burst of hilarity from down deep.
He is a lover of nature and doing right and doing for others.
He enjoys traveling..even if it is just a day trip.
Learning is a passion.
So is fishing.
He's a hard worker. A provider.
He loves me for me - warts and all.
He's pragmatic...but still has dreams..{he'd call them goals, and that's ok too! ;)}
He enjoys spending time with me as much as I enjoy spending time with him.
He's trustworthy, honest, sincere.
He tells it like it is, and doesn't concern himself with pettiness.
I could go on and on, but I don't want him to sound PERFECT or anything!!
hahahahahahaha

I love you with every ounce of my being, Virgil.

Happy Birthday!

~Aiden at 14 mos~

He ♥s to hollar!

He ♥s to play!

He ♥s to smile and laugh!

And Aunt Mamy ♥s him!!

~our boy likes reptiles~

Our boy L♥VES reptiles.
I know. Ick.

or at least I used to say, "Ick!"

But now?

They're kinda growing on me.
Stephen found a reptile show online and we headed down to Arlington on Sunday afternoon to take it in.

He is holding a Crested Gecko here. That's what he wants next.

Besides lizards and geckos there were snakes. Lots and lots of snakes.
All different sizes and colors of snakes.

Ste's favorite snake...

I kinda liked her too!

No, Stephen, you still can't have one in my HOUSE!
;)
Dad enjoyed the Reptile Show too...
But this is what he thought about draping a python around his neck! :D

~cross country~

Today we traveled to the land of thistle and cacti.

{In these pictures you can tell we have had basically ZERO rain in the past 3 mos. Sad!}

We had a special reason for traveling (ok...it's less than 40 miles from home)

Miss Katrina was running in her first cross country meet of the season. She did a great job! She barely seemed winded at the end of her 2 mile run. We loved watching her run and getting to yell for her!

Afterwards we drove around the countryside.
I love old barns and outbuildings!

Virgil composed this shot. He was inspired by the juxtaposition of old energy sources and new energy sources in the same frame.

~game face~

{First 8th grade game. Sept. 8, 2011}

~lamp re-vamp~

I've had this lamp for a million years. Well, maybe just a thousand. But it definitely needed a change, and I definitely need to add color to my living space!

I painted it with eleventy hundred coats of Krylon Bauhaus Gold paint. And I must say, I LOVE it! Then I bought a small drum shade from Target and trimmed it with burlap I had left over from my niece's wedding decor. I like it. Alotta, lotta, lotta!
Oh, and here's something I made this weekend. I've seen this quote all over etsy and blogland and had to have it on my wall. I made the printable up on picnik, sent it to Wal-mart for printing and stuck it in an inexpensive frame. Lovely. Now I need to actually get it on the wall. ;)♥

~garden snakes~

Saturday morning Virgil cleared out our flower bed to prepare for planting Fall color.
He found a family of garden snakes.
Which Stephen promptly decided to house in this plastic bin to observe.

This morning, we decided it was time to release them back to the garden.

But we had to let them crawl all over us first!

Did you love doing this as a kid? I loved playing with them then...and now!

~TEXAS fan~

~Reading with Ste~

One of my favorite things to do is read with Stephen. He's not always eager, but once he gets into a book, he truly enjoys it.

He's currently reading Spite Fences. After he goes to bed at night, I read to catch up to where he is. And sometimes we read it aloud together. It's fun to see what he thinks of books and to get to share my perspective with him.

I hope this is a tradition that lives on!

(photo from amazon.com)

~Things I'm lovin' Thursday~

I'm trying something new! I got the idea from Rachel and she sweetly said I could copy!

On Thursdays I'm going to blog about things I'm diggin' at the moment. And for now these are a few:

Have you tried Greek Gods Honey & Strawberry Greek Yogurt? Umm...YUM! I want to eat it everyday topped with:
ground flaxseed! Which has a yummy, nutty flavor and heart healthy Omega 3s. I must warn - the yogurt has a bit more Carbs and Sugar than I like to have for breakfast on a regular basis. But an occasional treat? Hells ya!


Something else I'm lovin':
www.skinnytaste.com
Gina has packed her website with light and delicious recipes. I've tried several and haven't been disappointed yet!

Vintage pillowcases! Love 'em! Want to use them on every bed pillow in my house..everytime I change the sheets. A little bit of whimsy. Makes me smile!

This print will be hanging in my kitchen soon. MUST. HAVE. ;)

(from etsy)

And last for today, Carried Away body spray from Bath and Body Works.

Wear it everyday. Head to Toe. LOVE!

So, what are you lovin'?