These are the moments!

Today

I woke up ready for my run.  I get out the door, and see beautiful frost all over our trees, and it was starting to snow lightly.  It was really pretty, fresh, clean. I am reminded why I love living here so much.  Seasons. Growing up a Californian, I had to drive all day to play in the snow. Poor little Daniele!

I let baby play in the car while I shot a few photo pretties, and then I knew I was missing a door shot.  But, we don't have a pretty door!  My home is newish, and boring actually.  (I say boring, because it is not awesome and oldish, etc... oh, but I love it so!)

The doorway to your home is so special, no matter how simple.  I know we will leave this house in a couple years, but this doorway holds many steps into our little lovey lives, and I really couldn't ask for anything more.

Poladroid!

ok, this polaroid site is way better than the others I have found! Fun fun!  And it when you drop the picture it makes a fun polaroid sound and it all just makes me giddy!

http://www.poladroid.net/

Light

Light has filled my days and my heart.  The warmth is coming back, although I love winter for what it is.   I feel the sun on my skin, the baby spends all her time outside.  I am getting energy and want to work, but understand when I can't.

We have been spending our late mornings, when it's warm, at the dog park.  Kelsey throwing the ball for other dogs, baby running here and there, and falling on rocks. Bella going crazy.  We love it.  The light is on us, and we run around free with nothing to do but play.  Spring is coming.

Just this 1

I have told myself that I must take a photo everyday, and challenge myself and on and on, but I am realizing that this is not only not possible for me at this time, but silly for me to waste my energy on as well.   I do, actually take photos nearly everyday, but I feel I am waisting precious time consumed with editing, and getting enough photos etc.  Some weeks I may have the time.  Someday I may actually challenge myself.  But for now, I must let things go.  I must help my girls with their schoolwork.  I must listen to Kelsey's tales of faraway lands.  I must hold this baby tight.  And I must spend less time at the computer, and more time creating with my hands, more time at the park, ...more time making a meal.

I did play with one photo this week, although I took many.  I don't know if I have this one down yet, and this is a work in progress.  I think this photo has great potential, as it is just so sweet.  So, here is my one photo for the week.  

I obviously blotched my erasing here, off the sweater.  Still a work in progress, but I adore this crop!

I am very open to taking criticism here!  Ideas for editing.  I would love to know.  

linking to The Daily Wyatt

Friend. Flashback Friday.

Once upon a time, a girl met another girl in spanish class at Metro!  They both loved Tori, although one more than the other.  They became friends. Then they went to Mexico for weeks with Spanish class.  Good times!  Then one girl got married young, and the other girl had to leave her wedding because it was raining.  She missed a good time!  During young life, these two went to Vegas for Tori, but didn't watch Alanis.  Boo.  They drank lots and were silly.  They got things pierced. They both had rough times, and great times. And they started growing up.

One girl and husband started having babies, and the other girl finally met her man. He NEVER stops smiling! ... And girl me got to wear black and a nose ring in her wedding!

But Blondie and Guy Smilie struggled having babies.  And struggled some more.  Then one day, they made their baby!  

(I can't tell you how much I miss those glasses! Lost them!  Complete tragedy!)

Sweet happiness. 

and then lady number me, had another baby, and they got to share this together. And their babies were destined to be together.

Get out of my way.  I may be little, but I'm tough!

You best get that fist out of my face, foo!

and all these years later, all grown up (Mikey, you're all growz up and all growz up and all growz up!)
they have play dates at parks, and don't drink too often, but it all is as it should be.  Happy, living a loved life.

So, go flashback here! because Tia is awesome!

(and Tia, I did read yesterday's post.  You are dead on! and your flashback today is great!)

Home

Home.  Nest.  Love.    I am sitting here now, with only a free moment or two, listening to many men up on my roof banging away.  Today we are getting a new roof over our tiny tiny home.  It is odd how happy I feel, to get a new roof which will protect us better, longer.  This tiny little crowded space is full of us, of our life.  It has been 10 years here.  10 years of making this place ours.  10 years of raising our family, protecting them.  10 years of longing for more space, but 10 years of loving that we have our own space.  10 years with dogs, cats, and a bird, and us.  Ideal for us, no.  Oddly perfect, yes.

My home defines me.  The size, the style, is who I am, and who I strive to be.  Simple.  Fun.  Colorful, yet a little dark. Conservative. Little room for extra or waste.  Full of love.

My Madison, 8, made a collage of our home. So colorful. So Madison.

Full of heart!

I know I have stated I am not a Valentinezy person, but I am a lovely person.  And honestly, I cannot help myself when it comes to taking photos, you know?  I have my first attempt tonight at heart bokehs, but they did not turn out well.  I will give it another go tomorrow, because it really is just too much fun!  and we all need fun, and we all need to be surrounded by hearts, everyday!!! not just tomorrow.  I think I'll even do something secretive and lovey for my hubs and gaggle.  You know, just because I love them so.

and really quick, a new photo of our new love.

This week. This torturous week.

is over!  For as awful as this week was, on too many levels, it is over, and during this no good, very bad week, we got one very fabulous addition to our family.

Meet Bella.  We adopted her three days ago, and she is the easiest, sweetest, little lady I know.  She is our family's greatest Valentines!

Paige, show me your belly button!  oh, those little hands.  How fast they change.  Don't those hands just scream innocence.  Even in the middle of her trying tantrum full days, these little hands remind me of how young, fresh, and pure this little lady truly is.  oh, my babe.

I don't care about noise, I love these photos.

I have been wanting to do this little broken crayon project forever.  Too fun, right?  I finally found a cheap pan.  I hope these turn out!  I think we'll wait to Valentine's eve to melt.

I don't care much for Valentine's day.  I never have.  I hate money making, for profit companies, that make you celebrate, on a day dictated by them to make money, something that should be celebrated daily, from our hearts. I hate when Alan spends $5 on a card to tell me something he tells me all day long.  I hate chocolate temptation everywhere.  And if we had funds to shower me with roses and gifts, I would rather Mr. to just do it when he feels, not when expected or told.  So, there.  However, I do have children, and the joy these simple holidays bring, forces me to put in a little effort, and melt some crayons shaped like hearts, and maybe even make some red velvet cupcakes!

We're melting heart around here!  haha.

and linking to  The Daily Wyatt and naptimemomtog

This week is taking me down!

It all started very well.  I started my training, and kicked ass on the treadmill. Oh yes, I did.  Well...I did for me!  I ran 1 1/2 miles and then fast walked the same.  I felt incredible, and jiggly (my legs!).  And the rest of the day my head pounded.  Nothing could rid me from this banging in my head.  I am certain it was running induced.

ok, so I knew it was be a head pounding day, and I also knew tomorrow it would be gone, and I would rest, and run again on Wed!  Nope. Not so simple.  Monday night I was hit with sudden vertigo and then nausea, and Paige was screaming all over me, and I could not get her off of me.  With my whole house spinning around me, I told K to call Papa.  I felt like this until I got in bed, and as soon as I got babe to sleep, I fell asleep with an unhappy stomach.  The room stopped spinning as I closed my eyes, but I did wake all night with this horrible, early pregnancy-type of feeling.  Oh, the horror.  There is only one reason to ever feel this way, and that is only for a baby.  No thank you.  I have many babies, I need no more!

Tues I woke feeling better, but still not great.  Throughout the day, the nausea was here and there, and everywhere, but I wasn't dying.  And again, there is only one reason to go through this.  ...I don't think this was caused by my running!

Time for a quick insert.  This has been happening to me, off and on, since last summer!  I cannot find any pattern, but I feel it must be something hormonal.  I feel like I am in the beginnings of pregnancy, every few weeks and sometimes just every month.  Then, it often turns to PMS type gassy pain, and then it all goes away.  This is getting freaking old already.  I cannot get on with my life, if I keep getting sick like this.  I also have a Merina.  Now, this is my third Merina, but somehow, I feel that this one keeps making my sick.  I cannot track much because of it, but as of last summer, when I feel I began cycling after Paige (I usually begin cycling again when babies are 1) I have been going through this.  But how can it be?  It is the same birth control I have always used.

Now you may say, well, this is probably the way your body is handling your period.  Well, maybe.  But... one, I had PMS type symptoms, minus this horrible nausea and vertigo, two weeks ago, and I actually had a period that I could see.  (If you don't know, with an IUD, you don't always bleed.  For me, I rarely do!)  So, period last week, and then bam, hit with this this week.  And now, PMS symptoms right freaking now! I JUST HAD A PERIOD!

So I don't mean to be venting like crazy, on my blog of all places, but what the heck is going on in my body, only since I have had Paige.  Is it my extreme old age?  After K and M were born, everything was like it was before.  I can handle a swollen belly with gas, and cramps, but I cannot handle feeling pregnant almost allll the time!!!  I almost feel I should just try for my boy, so I can really be pregnant and  not deal with this.  (No, not really...but actually!)

So there is my nice photo of my journal for one day of training. Ugh.  I have a serious goal, and I need to get my butt running.  Let's hope tomorrow brings me a new day, and all this gone.  And I would appreciate it, oh mighty universe, if we could move on and I don't have to endure this crap anymore!  I need to run!!!

Week 5 of 52 and some happy news!

again, and again, I didn't get out much this week.  Colorado was frozen, and we basically had to stay in.  At first, it was fun.  And then it began to eat at the soul.

Day before the freeze, we went to the park.  It was a dark day for my Kelsey.

The girls needed projects to do, which made more mess than I could handle...but I tried. Can you believe these are 8 year old hands?  Madison has such confidence in her sewing abilities. Unfortunately, her cat kept getting up and pulling at the string.  We gave up and she worked on her scarf project by hand.  ...She is wearing socks, made into gloves in one second, on her hands!  I did love those socks!

I worked on some LOVE letters this week for my Sunday Workshop.  I am not ready for it!  

and I snapshot!

Linking the weeks photos The Daily Wyatt and NapTimeMomTog and ClickitupaNotch

happy news?  My piece "Create" will be in the Spring Somerset Memories! 

and The Daily Wyatt also picked another one of my pics this week! Fun!

I finished her, and some LOVE letters! (And a Friday Flashback, a wee bit early!)

she is very pretty.  she is a star.  she believes in herself.  she loves who she is.  she doesn't try to be anyone else.  be you.

I am giving another workshop this weekend.  A good good friend of mine, who looks very much like this pretty girl above, is hosting it for me in her house. I just show up, bring my messy necessities, and have some fun!  I am pretty excited, and it takes away a lot of work on my part, which I don't have energy for!!!

So, I have been working on Valentines stuff, which is fun, but not really my thing.  I rarely make anything that is holiday related.  But LOVE!  Love is everywhere.  My entire life is based on these four little letters.  So, no time wasted.  I can create all day and night about love, because that is ultimately what I do anyhow!  

I may not get anytime to do this later, so I am adding it now.  I have found this GREAT blog that I am in LOVE with.  It is http://christopherandtia.blogspot.com and every Friday she hosts a linky thingy about flashbacks.  Sound fun to me!!!  But I never know when babe, and daughter, and daughter will let me be and do this, so I do it now, with todays post.  Her flashbacks are great, and I have no time to compete with the best.  I must say this here and now, because her blog is comment free, that I LOVE YOU Tia!!!  I can't take my eyes away from your family stories and fun narratives.  I love your style.  I love the parent you try to be.  LOVE LOVE LOVE.  There are those four crazy letters again!

so, here is my flashback for this week.  I am linking it to her blog here!!! and my story is below.

I don't know why I was drawn to these, but the story is bittersweet to me.  This is, (if you know me) obviously, before Paige.  In fact, this little outing to Chipotles with Grandpa, was right after my horrible horrible, in the hospital twice, lost so much blood I fainted and threw up on the way to the ER, miscarriage.  Ugh, it was ugly.  UGLY.  I now know the feeling of waking up with four people lifting me onto a hospital bed (insert awful details here about being naked and too much blood), and not really knowing if I was ok or not.  I was white as a ghost, and had a pretty bad month of trying to miscarry this 14 week old baby.  A long day in the ER trying to stop my bleeding, and my mom jumped on a plane as fast as she could and was in Denver to help take care of me and my children.  (Now I need to add that she didn't have to do this.  We were fine, but WOW!  I felt so loved and cared for.  I cannot express!)

So a couple days in bed and I was feeling good, but a little traumatized, I must say.  My mom stayed a week and one fine spring Denver day, I got my butt out of that bed and decided to move on.  We stopped for lunch, and point in shoot in bag, I just started taking pics of my girls.  My lovely, healthy, girls, whom I adore the most.   Aren't they cute?  Man, this was 2 1/2 years ago.  They have grown into big older girls.  So different.  And of course, we now have Paige.  Paige, the cutest, naughtiest, smartest baby in the land.  I often feel it may be this babe that causes my death.  If I can survive her toddler years, I can do anything!