Instafriday

I have so many things i am dying to write about.
Like blog Sugar and all the awesome bloggers I met there.
My kids are starting AWANA and I cant wait.
And how this small little town in the sticks of Arizona is starting to grow on me.
But for now here is my week Instagram style.

1. Holding a sleeping baby on the beach is pure bliss. 
2. How cool does my little California girl look ?
3. thats how we know we are almost to Cali.
4. BLOG SUGAR BABY
5. From the swag bag
6. pretty blog sugar tables
7. more baby beach bliss
8. Guess where we ate ?
9. She was so tired.
10. Cute baby boy
11. Myka surfing
12. Myka and Grammy talkin on the beach
13. more chatting
14. Lexi taking it all in
15. so big !
16. more surfing !

What 6 am the morning of blog sugar looks like

So excited!

I missed instafriday

Boo !! But I have a good reason. I didnt take any pictures !! I am awful ! Life has been busy. I did use my real camera more though. I got some SWEET new Florabella actions.

Today i have a wedding and then home to pack for CALIFORNIA !! And we are leaving at 6 am !! And by three pm I will be in the company of some of my best friends who I am pretty sure have no idea I feel that way :) yay for blog sugar !!

here are some pictures of some of my favorite things and faces !  I will be posting and picture taking from blog sugar !!

Ash looks so emo here !  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend !!

I will have a pumpkin spice thingy please.

Thats what I asked he bistro for the last time I was at Starbucks. i am so sophisticated sometimes I amaze myself.

hello friends. I am so happy to be meeting you all again for coffee. This last weekend was crazy and I am so feeling the need to spill my guts. Friday night was the women's conference at my church HOLLA ! The grace girls rocked the house down ! I can not put into words how wonderful it feels to be surrounded by so many other women who Love God.

To be around women who uplift each other rather then tear each other down. Who encourage me to be a better wife, mom, and daughter of the King. It's so hard to be a girl sometimes. We struggle with so many feelings of self doubt and insecurity. Rising my daughters I am really seeing the impact society has on them. My eleven year old already worries about make up and being skinny enough. I tell her she is beautiful and perfect and she smiles at me and assures me she knows. But its always in the back of my mind does she really know ??  I pray she does. That they all so. That every daughter of God knows how loved, chosen and set apart she is. No matter how dark this world gets gods people, Gods GIRLS , will rise up and SHINE light into this broken world.

And this world is oh so broken. there is so much hurt. Sometimes hearing someones story just takes my breath away. Leaves me with no words. And I am learning that sometimes its okay to not say anything. To just be a friend who listens. And a friend who is ready and waiting for your call. I am learning to be more sensitive. To appreciate the small things. you know, Like putting rag curls in Ashlynns hair tonight and the fact that lexi asked me to french braid her hair this morning before school.

Thats the good stuff.

i am oh so excited for Blog Sugar !! Will you be there ? i swear just breathing in the California air uplifts my soul in a way few things of this earth can. I can't wait to put my toes in the sand. It will be a short trip but a good one. I am anxious to see how little baby Isaiah handles his first road trip. I will let you know.

Is it friday for real ??

Like really for real ?
Oh my.
Few highlights from the week.
Lexi had her curriculum night at school and the teachers exact words were " She is one of the best fifth grade writers I have seen in a long time " Go LEXI ! Future blogger, I think so.
It's hot here. But I do suspect that the "extreme" heat is over. This week it was in the 90's !! It was glorious. We even went to the park once. of course the nice weather does mean i do need to make good on my promise to myself to walk or run every day. I'll let you know how that goes ! HA!

i did make it to the grocery store in case you were wondering. I even managed to plan some meals. that's no small feat these days. Ash is the worlds pickiest eater. I swear the kid would live off hot dogs if I let her. Tomorrow is the Women's conference at my church. i am running the photo booth and I am super excited ! I love conferences. I love praise and worship. I love laying everything heavy on my heart down at the foot of the cross.

and just letting go.

Why is that so hard to do sometimes ? I worry about so many useless things. Worry will not add one day to my life. In fact it will take away. A personal goal I have is to let go and just let God.

Let God be God. he knows what he is doing. it's not up to me.

Thank goodness.

next weekend I will be at blog Sugar HOLLA !!

time for Friday phone dump !

1.  We did a cereal bar and it was seriously fun. I let the girls top their cereal with all sorts of stuff. Even some junk food !
2. Pinterest is how i find motivation these days. 
3. Sweet comic I saw on Sept 11th. 
4. A pic of sats wedding Instagram style.
5. Sometimes people do dumb things with smart phones.
6. and again. Dont i look sexy ??
7. gah ! Adorable ! i love my job !
8. and more with the editing and job loving
9. and back to square one !

i am linking up here !

Coffee Tuesday: A look back at Monday.

 The Instagram version ofone of my favorite pictures from last Saturdays wedding.

There are a few things I want to remember from yesterday.  Myka jumping up from my lap this morning shouting mama, Jake and the Neverland pirates are on,l I have to dance ! taking the kids to the park to play for the first time in close to four months ! Isaiah has NEVER sat outside for that long in his whole entire life. That blows my mind. He was so happy and so content the whole time we were there. I wished we could have played until dark but it is a school night.

I found this meal planner while surfing my twitter feed this morning. Print it out and stick it in a plastic page protector. BRILLIANT !! MAYBE I will have time to fill one out tomorrow. And maybe i will have time for a grocery shopping trip. I'll let you know.

I talked on the phone with a good friend today. She helped me with one really BIG problem in my life and a whole lot of little ones. I love friends like that. Friends that seem to posses a wisdom I don't have yet.

As i was driving home from picking up Myka at preschool i saw a rainbow. It was green yellow and pinkish. very pretty. I didn't have a single way to take a picture of it. So I made a mental picture. Rainbows are a beautiful reminder of all the promises God has for us.

I have lots of work to do today. Lots of editing and blogging over at my other blog. I think I will light an apple pie candle and pretend its chilly outside. This time of year makes me long for the coziness of the midwest . the apple picking, the leaves changing, the slight chill in the air. Seasons bring a rhythm and a normalcy to life that i dont think people have in a climate like Arizona.

But today i am not going to dwell on it. i am going to stay busy and enjoy the SNOT out of the ridiculously blessed life God has given me in the desert.

Oh , and I definitely have some books to buy for my Kindle thanks to this girl and her book reviews !

I am linking up with Amy here !

Hullo Friday

 

Its nice to see you !

This week was great. First MOPS meting of the year. Thanks to my awesome friend Shilo who started one way out here in the sticks,

Lots of picture taking and people in love. two of my favorite things.

and tonight it is raining.

Just a little, but I hope it is enough too usher in the fall . 

I know I won't be apple picking or wearing hoodies anytime soon. 

But maybe a few days where we can at least play outside. 

Please mother nature ??

We just want to go to the park. 

1. Fun cups for Ashlynns beach themed birthday.
2. making biscuits
3. Biggest baby and littlest baby
4. Arizona has pretty skies.
5. Lexi talked us into a hermit crab
6. I hate hermit crabs
7. baby magic is indeed magic
8. Lexis awesome fashion sense.

Linking up here.

Random Tuesday post

We are wrapping up from a eventful weekend. A long really hot but super fun weekend. Ashlynn had a 8th birthday party on Sunday. Only a handful of kids showed up but thats ok. It was a holiday weekend. Want to heat something funny ? I remember exactly where I was a year ago on labor day. I wasnt doing anything fun. Then it would make sense that i remember no, I was getting chick-fil-a listening to Glenn beck for some unknown reason ( I am not a fan ). But he was giving the reason behind labor day. I can't rember the spefics but it was pretty intresting.

I also had a great engagagement session this weekend. So much fun. Such a sweet couple. I arived at the location which is a old thetre in Phoenix called the Orephum a few mintutes early to scout around. When I parked my van I realized I needed change to feed the meter. 1.50 a hour ! I was livid. thats a lot of money. So i freaked out a scrounged aound my car like a mad woman and all I could find was a five dollar bill. ok, now to find somewhere downtown to make change for me without making me buy something. I put Burger king in my GPS  and waited. YES ! there was one 1.2 miles down the street. I found it no problem and there was even a parking spot right up front SCORE!  I pulled my minivan in put it in park.

Then I saw him.

he was older, unshaven and thin. he was the face of one but the voice of many who wander the streets of phoenix where the temps get well above 110 degrees in the summer . he was asking for money. I wished i had some. But i gripped my five dollars in my hand as tight as i could. I mumbled something about needing all my money for the meter when i walked by.

i felt like a jerk.

but i really did need to get change at least.

I got three dollars in quaters and debated getting more. I had no idea how long my shoot would last. But a littl voice inside me said no. And I smiled and handed the two dollars to the homeless man. I know i am lame. I could have done better by that man. I wispered a prayer for him as I drove off. He is still on my heart ....

I am dreaming of coffee right now. is it bad when all you can think about is that first sip ?

i took the older girls out shopping today. We bought a hermit crab and a go go walking dog. I loved watching the girls have so much fun spending their birthday money. They were VERY blessed this year.

I am linking up over here. you should too !

Monday

First some loveliness

I am trying really hard to make my house pretty. 

Can i be honest ? 

Sometimes i don't feel that "home" feeling in my house. 

I am trying to figure out if it's just me who feels that way , or if it's all of us. 

So, i am working on making things a little prettier. Having more cookies in the house for after school.. Starting each morning out with a long hug for each person.

I saw some wire at wal mart for a dollar. And some teeny tiny clothes pins. About 5 min and a few nails is what it took to add these pictures to my wall. 

Now i just need a small square table and a globe to put underneath it.

get some lovely in your life and link up with heather here.

InstaFriday

How can it be Friday already ? How can my little baby be 6 weeks already ? How can it be wedding season already ? I have lots of questions tonight.

But the main thing on my mind is drinking. No, not that kind you silly billy. The normal kind. I have coffee and a smoothie every morning. Then water. A Diet Coke at lunch, more water . And a glass of wine and water at dinner. I have special drinks that mark each part of my day. but I have nothing for bedtime. And I am not a big fan of tea. :(

Any suggestions ?

Onto my week

best  picture EVER!

Another birthday with the mouse

Wall art by Lexi

Jeans that fit again and new shoes.

Doing what I do. 

Linking up here