The writing on the wall...

Desiree, Megan and I stopped at a Starbucks for some quick breakfast before heading back to the retreat location this weekend. This was on the wall and Desiree noticed it first. After I read it, I HAD to take a picture of it. I love it. It was like it was written just for me! =]

Time to reflect...

~~"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting."~~Edmund Burke

Sometimes, you just get in a funkadee funk!...Right? Okay. Maybe it's just me - I don't know. Lately, I have just been needing to regroup, to get myself together, to get things in order in my home (that includes my children).

My virtual friend Lee is so good about sharing interesting blogs and websites with me. Recently, it's been exactly what I need.

So, you will be seeing more posts in the future that may be more for me than for you. =] Things that I may need to work through. You are welcome to join me in this journey.

Looking for spring...

I felt like I found snow on the ground today! LOL I had gone out front to take a picture of the first sign of spring that I saw, because today is the First Official Day of Spring. =] I know, I know...I am in Southern California and don't have to look too far to find spring...BUT!!! Look at this.

The clouds were so low that it startled me when I came out. I even called the girls. I could hardly see the house across the street. This is rare for us. It's after 7 a.m.

Anyway, the girls loved it and I thought it felt nice to get a little mist on our faces this morning.

Happy Spring!!

~~"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."~~Anne Bradstreet.

Look what I got today...

Remember this post about the RAK's? Well, I've played many times and completed my side, but I have not ever received any RAK's that I commented on...until now! Of course, I don't care one way or the other. I play along with these, because I like to give and send things to put a smile on someone's face. =]
This gift from Beverly just made my day. She knows I love to scrapbook and gave me a book with tips, ideas and instruction and she must know me better than I realized, because she also included this very cool chocolate gift set! It includes a box of chocolates, a little purse with truffles inside, and - get this - a pair of chocolate high heels.
Yes, there's a piece already missing. =]
Thank you SOOOO much Beverly. I was not expecting anything today or any time soon.

Wordless Wednesday: "Bee"utiful Day

Don't wanna get pinched!...

You might remember this post from last year. I was just looking at how much my kiddos have grown in a year!!
I love to surprise them with green bagels on St. Patrick's Day and this year was no exception. Daddy did not have to go in as early today, so he accompanied me to the bagel shop on the way to school. They were definitely not as green as they usually are, but that's okay. It's just for fun anyway, right?? =] I also left a little note for them today and a shamrock necklace since they have school uniform and couldn't wear a green shirt or anything like that. I left it in their little mailbox (they each have one) with a note. It only takes one of them to realize that they've "got mail" and then they holler over to the other one, "check your mailbox!" I love it.

The little ones aren't gettin' pinched today either!

Manic Monday...

Are you a saver or spender?
I guess I am a spender, because I never really have anything saved. LOL I will add though, that it is rarely for myself.....is that better than just blowing through it all because I need some retail therapy? =]
Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes?
My family and I prefer to be barefoot. However, some days get pretty cold and most of the house is not carpeted, so.... socks or flip-flops are usually worn.
Do you talk to yourself?
No, I don't talk to myself. Sometimes I feel like I am, because I will ask certain people to do something in the house and it never gets done...but I think that just means I'm being ignored. LOL

To play along...go to Manic Mondays...

Hannah's photography...

This is the picture Hannah took. She won 1st in her category - Jr. High Film Landscape/still life.

I think she did a pretty great job! She is very interested in photography and I hope she will pursue it further. =]

This church is across the street from the famous Mission Inn in Riverside.

Great job, Hannah!

An award to make my day!...

My fellow blogger, and one who provides me with a great deal of inspiration, Lee over at Lemons 2 Lemonade, has bestowed upon me the "When Life Gives You Lemons" award, which I gratefully accept! Thank you, Lee!
I love reading Lee's blog. She always has something for me to learn from. If she finds a cool or inspiring blog, she is quick to share it. I also love that I can go to know her from so many miles away, even though I've never met her face to face. One day that will happen, but until then...
Now, I am going to pass it on to a couple ladies that I want you to meet (if you haven't already)...
Rules for the Lemonade Award:

Post the logo on your blog.

Nominate blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.

Link to the nominees within your blog post.

Notify the recipients of the award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link back to the person from whom you received your award.

Many blogs come to mind - but I will nominate just a few, so that others can pass more around! I nominate:
Lea over at The Shabby Olde Potting Shed...always with a gratitude attitude
and
Shirley who always seems to have a great outlook on life
Both ladies are very inspiring to me!

March 12 of 12 Challenge...

Thanks to my good friend, Lee, I did not forget to participate in March 12 of 12. She even let me know that you can sign up for an email reminder...and I finally did.
Today was just one of those roller coaster days. I went through so many emotions...you'd think I was a girl. Anyway, it ended well and that's what counts - right?
Well, let's see what I was up to today!

Here's Panini. She's Hannah's new pug. I don't want to love her, but I do. She's so cute...in an ugly kind of way. LOL

A friend at church had a ton of these kumquats and offered them to whoever would take them. My family ended up taking almost the whole bag. I love the little "gem of the citrus family". You have to eat them, peel and all for them to taste right. I brought some to school and let my Jr. High history class try them out. They loved 'em.

I had to include a photo of myself this time...Not my favorite portrait. LOL I am still all puffy and red. This picture was taken early in the day...before my coffee!

Had to make a quick stop at Walgreen's on the way to school. Picked up an issue of Scrapbooks etc. and still haven't had a chance to crack it open. =[

I got this package in the mail today. It was the book I won for the February blog challenge hosted by Traci. I also got a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Thanks Traci!!

This turned out to be the tastiest omelette I've ever made for myself! It may be that I don't really ever make omelettes. =] Anyway, it had egg, monterey jack cheese, mushroom and spinach. Yum.

Marco found this little toy Beetle car in one of my boxes. He and Naomi were playing with it. They were having fun pushing it around...then Naomi discovered that if you pull it back, it would zoom off on it's own. Oh, Man!! That's when the party started. =] They had a blast with it!

Stacy Julian recently talked about a company that sells mismatched socks...I think they are called Mismatch or something like that. Well, Hannah has been doing that forever. She doesn't care. I think she does it on purpose. This was on the way home from school.

This was taken on the way home also. They are knocked out! Hannah was even sleeping until she realized that I was taking pictures. Long day.

Marco announced that the two of us were going out. Woo Hoo! We went to one of our favorite places. Korean BBQ. We love cooking our own meats on the little hibachi type grill in the center of our table. Makes me homesick for my mom.

The picture does not do this moon justice. I have a simple, digital, point and shoot. It was very beautiful tonight, but pretty chilly (for Southern California)...You get the idea though. That's the moon. =]

Last, but certainly not least, the item I wait all year for...

Sweet Tart Jelly Beans. I am not a big Jelly Bean fan, but these? These are special. You need to try them. Just the right amount of sweet and tart! Hey they should call these Sweet Tart....oh, never mind, they already do!

Well, there you have it! A peek into my day. My dear hubby and I had a great talk at dinner. We were writing out some things that we thought we needed to change at home to help us be more organized and help us stress less...we'll see if I have the discipline to really FOCUS! =] Thanks for stopping by friends!!

Remember this?

I've been trying to stay FOCUSed and part of my FOCUS is to make sure that I spend some fun, quality time with the little ones every day. I had finished most of the things on my "To do" list and was trying to think of something Naomi and Marco would enjoy doing. I remembered the Jiffy Pop popcorn that I bought a few days earlier. So I called Naomi in and allowed her to watch as I started to warm it up on the stove. I smiled as she kept asking, "What is it, Mama?". Then to my delight, I saw her eyes grow very wide as the foil started to puff way up. I wish I could've gotten a picture of that, but I am sure you remember how one has to keep that tin foil pan moving and shaking! Here's a photo right off the stove:

Ah, the steam. She had guessed popcorn already when she started to smell it coming together. She was so excited when I tore a little bit open for her to take a peek.
"Yes!! It is popcorn!!", says she.

Yum. She approves.

Here's Marco joining in on the fun. They both thought it was great!

We had a snack, had some laughs and had some fun. The best part? It didn't take a ton of time or money...just the 3 of us and our Jiffy Pop!

Manic Monday... Time...

What would you do with an extra hour each day?
I know that I would probably want to fill it right up with all of the things that I have to/want to do. However, I think that if I really want to keep on track with my "one small word" - FOCUS, I should use that extra hour to relax. To just "be". I have a slight (ha!) tendency to fill up every second of my day with something. I just commented to a friend that I do not understand how a grown woman could ever make the statement "I'm bored." I just don't get that one. Even if you were a person that was caught up with everything, your house was perfect, etc., etc.... Do you not have any books to read? Could you clean a window? Make something for a friend? Use your imagination? Dream a dream? Hellooooo..... LOL
Do you wear a watch? If so, tell us about it. If not, how do you keep track of time?
I do have watches that I wear, but not every day. I have gotten in the habit of using my cell phone to keep track of time.
If it was possible, would you want to know how many days you had left to live?
No. I have a teeny OCD problem (or so my friends and family tell me) and I think that I'd start getting coo-coo about all that I needed to get done before "that day".
I have a friend that still teases me about the time I fainted at work before the school day started (I think I was really dehydrated/low blood sugar)... Anyway, when I came to, they were taking me off to the emergency room and I was trying to get up and kept mumbling that I had to "take the hot lunch count and collect the jog-a-thon money..." Hey. I didn't want to be in the hospital with THAT looming over my head, right? LOL
To be honest, I'd like to say that I try to live every day as if it were my last. I need to remember that more often.

I have a very dear friend/former student that is in the hospital fighting for his life right now. We are very close to the family. We have been praying and praying for a miracle. We know that we will know his fate soon though. His parents told Marco and I yesterday that they are finally at peace with whatever the Lord has for him. Of course, they are not ready to say bye to their 19 year old only child, but they don't want him suffering either. My heart and prayers go out to them.

Heard this on the way home...

Sung by Chris Sligh
The words...so true.

My friend Lisa has a giveaway...

Head on over to her Christ-centered blog at Sharing Life With Lisa! She is going to celebrate her 100th post by giving away one of my Joy Boxes featured in my Etsy Shop. Go over and leave a comment with her!

Manic Monday...

I'm going to start taking part in a new meme called Manic Monday. I like that the questions are always different and actually make you think a little bit. =] Go here if you'd like to take part!

If I was a car, I'd be:

A red 1958 VW Bug...classic and fun!

If I was a drink, I'd be:

Water...I am very transparent and mix well with others. =]

If I was emotion, I'd be:

Love...Wikipedia says it's Joy + Acceptance