our delightful life

New blog

2012-02-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

After 5 years of blogging here, I thought it was time for a change.

New blog address. New blog name. Same old me. Head on over to www.thelettereblog.com. Thank you for hanging out with me here for the past 5 years. Here's to the next 5...

crockpot enchiladas

2012-02-02T20:29:00.001-06:00

remember my new years goals? remember how i wanted to try 52 new recipes this year? here's one i tried today and it was so delicious. we ate it with an avocado salad and we even have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

you can find the recipe here. yet another amazing find from pintrest. the only thing i did different was not only drain the beans but i rinsed them too with hopes of reducing the sodium just a bit.

dear mothers...

2012-02-01T20:53:00.000-06:00

dear mothers...

does 6pm look like this in your house? isn't it wonderful? just enjoy it!

diary of a homemaker who uses her crockpot all too much

2012-01-31T16:22:00.000-06:00

tonight for dinner we're having lasagna. i think some are afraid of making this dish because it seems like a lot of work. honestly, it's not. i don't make crockpot lasagna but i do put my marinara sauce in the crockpot to simmer all day. but, i have a secret.

my kids don't like to eat yellow squash, so i grate them, put them in the sauce, let them simmer all day and they have no idea they are even eating the vegetable. they really think it's noodles.

and, it makes the lasagna so good. trust me.

valentine's day t-shirt

2012-01-30T21:59:00.000-06:00

a few weekends ago, i had a girls night with a few dear friends of mine. our husbands were away so it was a perfect time to let the children play, do a craft and play some games.

all three of us have little girls, so we decided to make a valentine's shirt for them. here's what we used:

-fabric paint

-paper heart doily

-t-shirt

-sponge brush

-a piece of cardboard or magazine

1) wash and dry the shirt. no softener.

2) place a piece of cardboard or magazine inside the shirt.

3) grab a doily and place it where you would like on the shirt.

4) put some paint on your sponge brush, and dab any excess off. you don't want a lot of paint on the brush or else it will seep through the doily.

5) dab, dab, dab and then dab some more all over the doily. you don't even have to be perfect, it will always look cute!

6) remove and let dry. follow the washing instructions on the bottle of paint.

and there you go. a sweet valentine's shirt for a little girl. makes a great gift. i gave one as a gift this past weekend!

a makeover

2012-01-29T16:48:00.000-06:00

apparently emma thinks i need a makeover. eli on the other hand, thinks i look just fine. notice i didn't turn the camera on me. enough said.

painted blocks

2012-01-28T09:59:00.002-06:00

this originally started as a craft my friend amy and i did with our mops group. but like always, i fell in love with it and had to make more.

the key to this craft is don't be perfect. perfectionists take note, the messier you get with your painting, the cuter the blocks are.

we bought unpainted blocks, paint, stencils, foam brushes and sand paper. here's the simple steps:

1) paint the blocks. let them dry.

2) stencil on whatever you want. you don't need a lot of paint on your brush for this. dip it in the paint, then dab it on something. then, just dab the stencil, no paint strokes. let them dry.

3) sand the blocks to give them a distressed look. sand the edges to round them.

4) enjoy.

i then found some larger blocks in my craft room from a previous craft and made these...

the blocks were already painted white, so i just painted over them. i am completely obsessed with grey and mustard yellow which is why i chose those color combinations.

enjoy!

hello morning

2012-01-27T13:02:00.000-06:00

today i had no choice but to wake bright and early and say 'hello morning.' after waking me, eli ran to the backdoor because he wanted me to see something. below is what he wanted to show me. he's so my son. i love that.

i fed eli breakfast, packed his lunch, brushed his teeth and dressed him for school. by the time we got in the car and headed down the street, the sky had completely changed.

i returned home and did the same routine except this time with my girl. after we were ready, we headed for the car. i opened the garage door, the sun was shining and emma immediately heard some birds chirping. she ran out of the garage to blow the birds a few sweet kisses. she's so my daughter. i love that.

have a happy weekend. we're already off to an amazing start.

life in a day

2012-01-25T17:38:00.003-06:00

today, it rained all day. i do like the rain, but there's no denying my love for the sun. i love waking to a house full of sun rays, blinds open, curtains drawn. my dream house has probably three times as many windows as my current house.

back to the rainy day.

emma has that darn croupy cough so she spent the day in my arms. i did manage to organize the over abundance of art work and school work the kids bring home each week. i purged some and kept all too much. i wrote dates on many and reminisced as i found little trinkets of paper at the bottom of these boxes. i found the parking stub from emma's first beach outing at san clemente state beach. i found a picture of eli and i on a picnic when i was just months away from delivering emma. i found handprints and footprints. cotton balls glued to construction paper. crayon scribbled way outside the lines.

these days are precious and i can't put them into words. i will never get these days back. they will come with the sunrise and go with the sunset. as i thought about this, i was reminded of a documentary i saw a few weeks back. life in a day. a must watch if you are a dreamer and one who notices. it documents the small details in the coming and going of a day. watch it. you will love it. i'm certain.

the paper that is a result of these precious days, somehow fits into these two canvas boxes. and i love that when they are opened, they scream life. they scream we live. they tell a story of two children who glued and glittered, who cut and crinkled, who walked and wandered, probably while holding my hand. and that is my life in a day.

our home for valentine's day

2012-01-23T00:24:00.000-06:00

if i told you i had valentine's day decor out before we rang in the new year, would you think i was crazy? well, it's the truth. and...i'm perfectly okay with admitting to it because...i loooooove valentine's day. perhaps i love it because the color RED is involved. perhaps it's because of all the hearts and glitter. either way, i love it and the moment you walk into my house, you can't help but love it too (well, that's my goal).

here's a few of my favorite decorations that seem to be perfect for the occasion...

heart shaped rug for the children's bathroom.

a single bird perched on a cake stand.

glittered heart garland.

a jar full of candy.

a chalkboard message wreath.

a little surprise message here and there.

a wreath over the living room mirror.

a sweet heart in a mason jar.

a red mailbox sitting on a candlestick.

red glitter.

a lovely reminder.

a plate on display.

and finally...the first valentine's day gift david gave me after we were married. we set a limit of a single $5 gift and i received the sweetest little book alive. this book has been brought out every valentine's day since 2001.

the end.

over and over again

2012-01-19T18:11:00.002-06:00

today was a beautiful day in texas. although most of the trees are bare and the grass is a dormant brown, the sky was bluer than blue and we enjoyed it.

emma and i arrived a bit early to pick up eli from school. we listened to THIS song over and over again. i opened the sunroof in the car and she danced. she grabbed my chapstick, puckered her lips in the rear view mirror and applied a thick layer. i like to think she was pretending she was me.

we anxiously waited for the clock to strike three. once it did, we grabbed eli, stopped at the house for a snack and headed to the park. there i sat, chatting with friends and said, "this weather is perfect," over and over again.

it's like a little tease of spring to get me excited about it's official arrival. let's hope days like this happen over and over again.

enjoying it

2012-01-18T14:53:00.001-06:00

today, i finally cleaned out emma's closet. i mean, her closet is organized but she still had 2t clothes hanging. she's in 4t clothes now. i've been avoiding removing those 2t clothes quite honestly. today, i mustered up enough courage to do it. no tears were shed as i removed some of the cutest little dresses from her closet. but, i did have a lump in my throat.

i remember things. memories i mean. like the little pink and red dress i removed from her closet (my favorite by far). i remember her wearing that dress as we watched my middle school best friend get married at san onofre beach in california. i remember then skipping the wedding reception so the kids and i could go down to the beach and just sit, watching the waves. i remember photographing the kids, the sand in their feet. i remember the smell of the beach that will never leave me. that's the stuff that gets me, those memories and the little trinkets that make me remember.

i said to emma, "this is so hard for me to do," as i formed a pile of baby clothes on the floor of her room. she responded, "i'll help you." and that's all i needed to finish the task.

sometimes, i wish there was a owner's manual to parenting. some manual that would have things like, "how to make it through the days when you realize your baby girl is no longer a baby." or "how to know when you are done having babies." or "how to just enjoy your children and not wish they were tiny again."

i do enjoy those two little children of mine. but some days are harder than others. some days i long for napping with a baby next to me. some days i want nothing more than to watch my children take their first steps once again.

i sat on the floor of emma's room with her right after i took the picture above. a floor that i sat on with a baby eli before emma was even emma. we sang and she pointed to a hexagon. a few minutes past and the lump in my throat was gone and we continued on with our day. and as hard as it might be at times, i'm still enjoying it.

a few projects

2012-01-16T18:47:00.002-06:00

i'm in decorating, crafting and organizing mode these days. and, i feel like i've been sticking to some of my new years goals and might possible share craft number two with you this month!

first of all, pintrest is amazing. i woke up sunday morning. got on pintrest and was immediately inspired by a pin. by the end of the day a blank canvas was painted and now i'm preparing to hang the canvas above our couch. i'll share that soon.

next, i replaced the photographs in the children's rooms. every year, i take a birthday photo of the children and display it in their rooms. usually i change the photograph yearly, but i snapped a few super sweet pictures of emma during eli's birthday session, so i had to display one of them.

then, i convinced david that it's a good idea to replace a large piece of furniture in our home. there's a certain piece of furniture that has bugged me for 5 years. i never mentioned it to him until this morning. before i did, i knew i had to have a plan to get him to say 'yes.' i presented my plan and it worked! it not only worked but he completely agreed with me and said that the piece of furniture bugged him too!

and last, i'm still dreaming about my garden. on sunday night the children were drawing on their whiteboard. together they drew a very detailed picture of our garden. there was a strawberry and tomato patch, flowers and a girl in a skirt watering the flowers. i love that they too long for our spring days of planting. i love that they drew me wearing a skirt. i love that they notice things, those little details i often write about. and of course it was insanely cute that they worked on this drawing together. i guess there's three of us dreaming of the garden. i think i should stop referring to it as my garden. i love that it has blossomed into our garden.

for the love of home

2012-01-14T07:53:00.000-06:00

i love being home. i plan my outings very carefully. for example, say monday i need to run a lot of errands and i'll be gone for hours. then tuesday i will stay home. if i'm busy and away from home two days in a row, i feel off and cannot wait for the busyness to end.

now traveling is a whole different story. i love traveling. but the feeling of opening our front door when we return and taking that first step in our home, is like no other.

i'm kind of labeled as a homebody to the people i know. and i'm okay with that because it's only at home that these kinds of things happen...

emma spelling out our family on the fridge.

my girl helping me make goodies for her brother while he's at school.

eli writing on the chalkboard, "the happy new year is fun."

reading and writing.

and a boy, wishing it would be sunny and snowy outside. this is genius! notice the paper sun and cotton balls for snow.

and if that wasn't enough, as i put eli to bed last night he said, "do i have school tomorrow?" "no," i replied, "tomorrow is saturday and we get to stay home all day and play." with excitement in his eyes he said, "yeah! i'm so excited about tomorrow!"

i love that my kids are perfectly content with staying home...just like me.

heart in a jar

2012-01-12T17:03:00.001-06:00

i'm completely obsessed with valentine's day. all my christmas decor has been replaced with glittered hearts and all things red. today, i made a heart in a jar that i originally found on pintrest. just like the christmas snow globes i made in december, i think this one is worthy to give to friends and teachers and family.

i bought 1/8 of a yard of red and white striped fabric from the craft store. this will be plenty to make a dozen or so. cut a heart template from a piece of paper and used that to cut the fabric heart. i stitched the heart with bakers twine, stuffed it with two cotton balls. then, placed the heart in a mason jar with a few dashes of red and silver glitter. finally i tied a bow of bakers twine around the lid and there you go. a sweet valentine's decoration for my home.

these kids. cute kids but total boring post

2012-01-10T20:34:00.001-06:00

i love photographing my kids. i photograph them doing the everyday but sometimes it's super sweet to dress them up, take them outside and go click, click, click.

this day, was a sunday. david wasn't home so i was on my own. my favorite time to photograph during the winter months is 5pm. they so weren't into it, so i had to beg and bribe them to work with me. i took my dad's kindergarten chair to a walking trail in a local park and we set up our photo session. i never know what i'm truly going to get until i am home and upload the photos. this time, i uploaded and my heart stopped when i discovered these 3 photographs. about 75 pictures taken to get these 3. so, so worth it.

so back to these photographs. i have convinced a few of my friends to let me photograph their children so i can practice on someone other than these two. let's see if i have the magic to get other children to smile.

we shall see...

welcome home

2012-01-09T15:51:00.003-06:00

he's home. life as i know it can continue. last night, i fell asleep on david's side of the bed. i knew he would wake me when he got home if i did that. at nearly 1am, he did.

i got eli to school on this rainy monday. emma slept in until almost 8am. when david woke, he took emma out for some father/daughter time and i had the house to myself. he brought gifts for both he kids. our family dog is back to her normal tail wagging while sleeping in her bed self. and there's a calmness over me that cannot be described. and tonight, i will sit in a coffee shop with some great friends and talk. and only worry about myself and which pastry i choose.

i told you, just his presence makes everything better.

and today, there's a reason to celebrate.

eli's 6th birthday video

2012-01-08T14:44:00.002-06:00

music by the white stripes, we're going to be friends

breaking point

2012-01-07T10:50:00.000-06:00

i have reached my breaking point. in my mind, over and over, i am reciting my motto for this year. remember?

david has been out of town. i can manage pretty easily by myself for a couple of days, but a few days have passed and he's still not home. i have two more days to go. sigh.

for obvious reason, i want him home. like the kids. he is the enforcer. the kids don't need much enforcing, just his presence works wonders on the kids. friday night we went out to celebrate eli's birthday. the kids were wild. and although my parents and david's family was there, i needed him. emma has been insanely whiney these days. i knelt down to her this morning as she was whining at my feet and said in a calm voice, "what's wrong? why are you whining." she said it's because she's trying to feed her baby doll and she can't concentrate because of the noise in the house. "but there's no noise, it's really quiet in here right now," i replied. she continued to whine. finally, in my frustration i said, "honestly, if you're going to whine, you probably should have a really good reason for whining."

then there's eli, who got up at 4am and started building with his legos. we woke me up to show me what he built. i love that he can entertain himself, but 4am? really?

finally, the family dog, shelby. let me tell you, shelby is david's girl. when david comes home from work, he kisses me, gives the kids a hug, then heads towards shelby. shelby has been a wreak since david has been gone. she paces through the house. she wakes me up howling. she's an amazing dog and typically doesn't roam through the house, just sits in her bed, but not this week. she has shadowed me everywhere and i already have two shadows. last night she woke me at 3am howling at my bedroom door.

i know i am typing most of this out of frustration. what i truly need is for david to come home. to bring peace back to our house. and for me to go out all by myself. for hours. alone.

two more days. i'm sure i can make it.

on your 6th birthday

2012-01-06T09:14:00.001-06:00

3 months

one year

six years

dear eli,

today is your birthday sweet boy. you kept me up all night too. before i went to bed last night, i wrapped a present and placed it by your bed so the first thing you would see this morning was a special gift just for you. my plan backfired because you woke at 1am, grabbed your present, ran to my room and woke me up. you crawled in bed with me, i placed the present next to you and we went back to sleep together while holding hands. i remember right before i drifted into dreamland, you kissed my hand and said 'i love you.' then, you woke me at 4am wanting your gift. then again at 6am when i finally let you open it.

the clock keeps ticking and you keep growing. you thought you would be as tall as dad when you woke up this morning. you have two loose teeth which you tried to pull out the other day because you wanted money to buy legos. you've also tried to convince me to tie a rope around your teeth, attach the rope to the car and drive away. you love chinese food, you have an engineers mind, you hate when i clip your nails, you listen to classical music all night and your recent report card showed that you have mastered your current reading level. you are amazing in so many ways and i love that you look just like me.

you made me a mother on this day six years ago and completely changed my life. all i have ever wanted to do was be home with you. to lay you down in your bed for naps, to fix your lunch, to give you paint and a piece of paper and watch you make a perfect masterpiece of a mess. the greatest accomplishment i could ever dream of is to watch you grow and live and be a part of helping you become you.

i love you from here to the moon. and that will never change. ever.

your mother

first day of 2012

2012-01-01T14:29:00.001-06:00

well happy 2012. at midnight on new years, i looked out our breakfast nook window and saw clouds of fireworks. "this is going to be a good year," i thought to myself.

today, i am typing on a new computer because i am insanely spoiled. yesterday, my parents came to my house at 10am. my mom stayed with the children. my dad and i got into my car and he told me to drive a mystery location. we ended up in dallas at the apple store where he walked up to an apple genius guy, gave him a few details and within an hour, i walked out of the store with a new macbook pro. i didn't realize how slow my previous mac was until i opened this bad boy. needless to say, i am thrilled. david made out also because he gets to rework my old mac and make it his own.

the weather has been beautiful the past few days. it truly feels like early spring weather. i have been thumbing through a new issue of texas gardener and dreaming of what my garden will look like this spring. i am so dreaming about spring, that i slipped on my favorite and very old pink skirt. yep, the pink skirt i threw in the trash last year, but just couldn't keep it there. i tucked it away in my closet and today it was begging me to wear it. on it went with my favorite new grey cardigan with like a thousand little hearts all over it. thank you mom! love the cardigan. notice the silver toe nails. not red, silver. already sticking to those new years goals of mine!

and finally, this. a friend of mine sent me this christmas card. i opened the envelope, read the words and knew it was a keeper. i pulled out a black frame from the closet, placed the card in the frame and now it sits on our kitchen counter. our motto for 2012 in all its glory.

well happy happy new year. with everything within me, i believe, this is going to be an amazing year!

new year goals

2011-12-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

i've been reflecting on the year and the year to come. a few goals or twenty-five have been floating around in my mind lately. it's time to write them down.

when i think about my life, i can't help but smile. i mean, i have my bad days from time to time, but i truly have a delightful life. i choose to focus on the small, insignificant details that many don't. it's those little things that make me truly happy. i have a lovely home that is bright and reflects my personality. i have a husband who adores me and i adore right back. we have always refused to let our marriage grow weary and tired. we have kids running around us and we trip on toys on the floor, but we're still those two high school sweethearts that fell in love while walking to class. we been a couple since we were 14 and 15 years old, and now, our almost 12 year marriage is amazing.

i could go on for miles about that. and probably embarrass my husband to pieces, so i'll move on.

so these goals. they are small and detailed and everything that i dream about for this upcoming year.

1) make my own laundry detergent for an entire year.
2) have an unplugged day at least once a week. this includes computer, phone and television.
3) document my garden on paper.
4) paint my toe nails a different color other than red.
5) go on a kidless get-a-way with my husband.
6) repaint our master bedroom.
7) do at least one new craft a month and possibly document it here.
8) i almost typed, make a new friend. but! i believe in quality, not quantity. so...this year i want to grow closer to the friends i currently have.
9) try canning.
10) get rid of negative influences in my life.
11) take a nap outside often.
12) surprise eli at school no less than once a month and have lunch with him.
13) wear more jewelry.
14) paint more.
15) make 52 new recipes this year.
16) write a letter to my children.
17) make a skirt all by myself.
18) finish the audio books on my ipod.
19) make something out of the wine corks i've been collecting.
20) go out with my best friend more often.
21) grow something new in the garden.
22) make more handmade gifts.
23) learn all the buttons on my camera.
24) make this blog prettier.
25) enjoy the seasons more than i do already.

so there you go. twenty-five goals and an entire year to cross them off the list.

happy new year!

closing

2011-12-27T12:41:00.000-06:00

we're closing christmas at our home. i'm attempting to get our home back in order. slowly boxing up snowmen and lights and ornaments. all that remains is the most perfect silver cake plate that i found yesterday. when i saw it, i instantly knew i had to have it for my collection.

i love the way the house looks after all the christmas decor is boxed up and the presents have found their place in the children's rooms. the house feels clean and fresh and uncluttered. today, i walked around our home listening to THIS song over and over again and feeling so incredibly content and grateful for this life of mine. i started thinking about the new year and the goals i have floating around in my head. i'm yet to put them on paper but will, soon.

i know we're still in the midst of the winter chill here in texas, but i can't help but dream about the garden. about the hours i spend shoveling compost into all ten boxes. about sitting on the edge of each box while i plant seedlings. about the day when i spot my first tomato and cucumber and zucchini, how i feel a sense of accomplishment and somehow want to tell everyone, even if they could care less.

so you know what i'll be doing over the next week as we prepare to welcome the new year. i'll be dreaming.

some things never change.

merry christmas from us

2011-12-25T07:51:00.000-06:00

on the eve

2011-12-24T09:57:00.000-06:00

christmas eve morning i woke to two excited children.

the previous night we drove around our small town looking at christmas lights. there's just something about bundling up, warming the car and taking a drive. we didn't make it far before we all exited the car to visit our neighborhood santa. the cutest couple who lives a few doors down from us. the husband dresses like santa and sits in his front yard handing out candy canes.

during our drive, we spent extra time looking at this house. although it's totally not our style to have blow up yard decor in our front yard, it sure is fun to enjoy it in another yard. this house took the award for the most blow up yard decor in a small little front yard for 2011.

this morning, i spent making a few batches of my favorite molasses cookies in my new mixer. well, it's not exactly new. it was actually my grandmothers mixer and it's probably about 20 years old. it sat on my grandmothers kitchen counter and now it sits on mine. i love how it's white. it matches the milk glass vintage cake stand i also have of hers.

in a few hours, i'll bake the gooey molasses treats, package them, bundle up in the warmest of clothes and walk down our street delivering them.

may the remaining days of 2011 go by incredibly slow.

merry christmas.