On a Mojo Mission

I woke up and got my mojo back. 


Yes, you read that correctly. After being in a slump for the past few weeks, I stumbled onto this this lovely lady's blog and she picked me back up and got me on my feet. 


I dare you to check out her blog and not get inspired. 
          Go ahead. 
                    Do it. 
                          I warn you though - you will walk away Awesomely Awake!


So, without further ado, I have opted to put on blinders to the somewhat challenging moments of the past few weeks and am choosing to focus fully on the little happies that I will one day look back on and know they were really BIG and not so little after all.


1) Little girls playing big dress up. 

She loves anything that has to do with sparkle, leg warmers, hats, bangles, and beads.

She is a fan of the camera and says "Cheeeese" every time she sees one. Girlfriend even has a new sassy camera face....

2) The magical wonder of watching tiny fingers work on fine motor skills using playdoh, dried spaghetti noodles, Cheerios and coins. 

Realizing that my little is quickly growing up since he has nearly mastered the art of cutting with a knife.

(Our homemade piggy bank to fulfill his coin addiction. 

The duct tape makes it more challenging for him 

to push the coins through hence really working those finger muscles.)

(Place a large mound of playdoh on a table, stick a dried spaghetti noodle

in it and bead Cheerios onto the stick.)

3) Meeting the newest little for the first time. 

One of us had very little interest.

While the other stared in awe.

4) And making sure our family's biggest still feels pretty special. 

5) Hosting my 3rd Annual Cookies & Champagne Party (a.k.a. the ultimate in girly decadence). 

6) Having a hubs who lets me take advantage of solo sunset bubble baths.

7) Having a girl who celebrates tutus just about as much as I do.

8) Teaching my kids about afternoon tea (thank you Roxanne for the perfect Almond Raspberry Tea Cookies!)

9) Learning that musical instruments can be made out of just about anything.

10) Discovering a new found love of dress up.

11) Creating our own playdoh and Chicken Pot Pies.

...while big brother plays DJ.

(The CD player is located in the back corner so he hoists himself 

up and picks the perfect songs for us while we cook.)

12) Falling head-over-heels for a new CD we received at church

to which we give Mommy a full-on dance show and them proclaim, 

"Mommy, I love dancing to Jesus!"

13) Making Green Eggs & Ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss's Birthday (thank you Kathleen!)

 (It looks a little like broccoli but the kids loved it!)

14) Putting up St. Patty's Day Decor for the first year ever. (Our nod to ReRe and the Quirks--we love you!)

 

(My sitter extraordinaire helped me create this and came up

with the clever idea of putting Christmas lights in the jar with green tissue. 

The picture doesn't quite capture the beautiful green hue is casts.)

 The kids loved listing all of the people and things they are blessed to have.

And the quote is a reminder to me that without the rain there would be no rainbows.....or cute wellie boots.

(I found this awesome printable here.)

Although you know how I really feel about luck, I feel pretty darn Lucky.

 (Little loves to wash dishes.)

 15) Playing store. 

You bring your grocery items to Hunter, he then takes your order (his store offers pancakes and chocolate) by writing it down on a note pad and "taps" the information into the computer (a.k.a the calculator he calls his computer) to add up what you owe. 

He then slides your credit card (my CVS card) into his computer and has you sign a receipt. 

His new passion for imaginary play makes me smile as does his fascination with counting money. He just informed me last week that he "needs 50's and 100's!"

16) When I catch them playing together.

(Sissy insists on carrying around that photo of Kathleen 

everywhere she goes in the house.)

 17) And nothing, but nothing, can help me shake a bad case of the blues like a date with my son. 

It was difficult for me to hold back joyful tears when he said at least 14 times before we hit the end of the driveway, "yay! Just Hunter and Mommy! Just Hunter and Mommy!" with a huge grin on his face.

Yup. That definitely deserved a bit, fat chocolate iced cupcake. 

 This morning I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee, sitting in one of my favorite spots with bright morning sun pouring over me. 


I just looked up the definition of the word mojo. Although I use it a lot and believe I know it, I've never actually looked up the meaning behind it. 


You know what it means? "Finding the magic in what we do." 


In a funk, got the blues....who needs it? I've got the stuff magic is made of with rainbow sprinkles on top.

"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. 

When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

- Lao Tzu

Oh Baby!

My beautiful friend, Lindsay, came to visit us and snapped some photos that make me smile every time I look at them. She is as talented as she is gorgeous and sweet with a true talent for capturing feeling in her photos. 

Dear baby,

   

We cannot wait to welcome you into our little family. Your presence will surely bring more joy than we can even imagine. We are anxiously awaiting to know if you will be a boy or a girl. Hunter believes you are a boy and Mommy thinks you may be a girl but, we both agree that we are excited either way. 

You have been the easiest pregnancy Mommy has had and she is grateful for that. With just over 6 weeks to go we are eagerly awaiting your arrival and beginning to get things prepared for you. 

Although we feel it is a struggle because we don't have a room you can call your own, we know that won't matter and all you need are hugs, love and kisses with which our home runs abundant.

Your big brother already has lots of practice being the big and, we can assure you, he takes his job very seriously. He is so excited to finally meet you and was in pure awe when he got to see you for the first time on the screen at Mommy's ultrasound. 

Although Sissy doesn't like to talk about you much, she constantly lifts Mommy's shirt and lays her head on you. She then rubs you and gives you multiple kisses. We know you don't hear her talk to you much but we think she will surprise you. She will be the one who will be your guardian and your vehement protector.

All images by Lindsay Maiorana, Images with Heart

Baby, we already love you and cannot wait to show you with our warm hugs, gentle kisses, sweet singing and soft embraces. 

And a Big, Fat Cherry on Top

After what has been a couple of rough weeks, today was one of those glorious days where just about everything seemed to go smoothly. 


For our morning snack, we made what we decided to call Shamrock Bread. I had seen a lot of rainbow bread on Pinterest and wanted to do it but kept reading that the milk and food coloring taste wasn't a favorite of kids. 


I decided to make ours a little sweet by using all natural coffee creamer (milk, cream and sugar are the only ingredients) vs milk and, of course, tied it into St. Patrick's Day. 

(Mix food coloring with creamer and paint on the bread before toasting.)

 We lightly toasted it and then tasted it. 

The kids loved it! 

We finished snack and then got dressed to go to music class. 


After putting Sissy in the car, I went back inside to get Hunter to which he greeted me with arms in the air and a triumphant, "I did it! I put my shoes on myself!" 

 All I could do was smile since this is something we've been working on for some time. He was so proud of himself that there was no way I was even going to mention that they were on the wrong feet. Plus, they looked so darn cute. 

 After music class we headed to our favorite bakery which Hunter long ago coined "Cookie Rick's" since the owner's name is Rick. 

Rick always has a grin from ear to ear when we arrive. I think he appreciates the attention from his small groupie.

Two juices, nine M&M's, one coffee cake, three meltdowns and two cookies later, we hit the road.

We began an adventure of searching for big trucks and "baby trucks" but, the day was simply too gorgeous not to feel the wind and hear the calm waves of our beach. 

While Sissy and I walked by the water, Hunter was busy writing in the sand and soon proudly proclaimed that he had written his name. 

 We took walks along the shoreline and collected beautiful rocks that we plan to paint later this week. 

After arriving home we played with toys and then made our first cherry pie. (Item on the Bucket List--Check.)

 It's not perfect but, it's all ours and that makes me happy. 

Like a good bunch of cherries.....

"Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... 

The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future."

-Audrey Hepburn

Super Easy Cherry Pie:
2 frozen pie crusts (brought to room temp)
2 cans of cherry pie filling
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp milk


Unroll one pie crust and spread into greased pie plate and pinch around the edges
Pour 2 cans of cherry pie filling into the crust and spread evenly
Use the second pie crust to lay on top (you can cut out fun shapes with cookie cutters) or attempt a lattice pattern like we did. (Google good instructions as ours is not the best guide!)
Stir together the milk and sugar and brush on top of the crust
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 20 minutes into the baking, cover the pie crust edges with aluminum foil so they don't over brown. Enjoy!