Christmas Card Reveal

So now that I'm confident most of my family have received their holiday cards from us (and very few read this blog anyways) I will reveal the final choice:

Fits perfectly with every one of their personalities I think.

Christmas Card

I am dabbling more and more into photography. I love taking pictures. I have since I can remember. I have a nice camera, a very nice camera, thanks to my Mr. I have started taking workshops and doing online tutorials. I am starting to shoot in manual. I am still learning.

Today after the kids got home from school we set out to take our Christmas card photos. We loaded up and went down the road about a mile. These are some out takes from the shoot. My kids don't always want to cooperate with me.....

My Mr C

I love my husband. He makes my heart happy. He gave me 3 beautiful children. He makes me proud. We have had highs and lows as most couples do, but in the end he's still the guy I pick to carry my heart around. He's my Mr Darcy, with that same quiet demeanor. When he smiles at me he means it. I love that too.

Loving 4

Soon he will be 5....like in 22 days. Boy have I enjoyed my little buddy at 4. Sad that they are all growing up! Too fast.....

Heavy Heart

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weakness, so that Christ's power may reside in me. So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressure. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2Corinthians 12:9-10

It has been a tough couple weeks here. We have been affected by some great sadness and loss. My family is still intact, but I know too many that are not. But over and over this bible verse plays in my mind. It gives me great comfort to read it and think about it. Maybe you needed some comfort today too.

Summer

(playing headbandz with visiting cousins during a storm power outage)

So summer is nearly over for us around here. Less than a month and school starts. I am contemplating that idea. We are going for year number 2 at Public School. I mean it is fine. My kids have no problem making friends and fitting in. But it is me that has a problem with the whole idea of it. I still feel overwhelmed by homeschooling, but public school isn't something I love either. So here I am stuck in this weird in between place. So I am just praying over it. God will give me answers, that I know is true. Maybe you could pray for me and us too??!!

There's No Place Like Home.....

I'm home with the kids visiting my parents.....There is no other place I would rather be right now, except if my Mr could be here too. My kids are finally at an age where it is less work and more fun, I am enjoying it!

Before my Mr went on his trip he brought me home a little gift. A new Nikon digital SLR. I have had to buy a book to understand it as I have always owned a Cannon in the past. But I am enjoying taking photos with it and can't wait to improve my skills. I truly love taking photos! I will do a bigger post about it later....

Family Photos

My Uncle recently came for a visit and we worked together on taking my family photos. Usually it is just me a tripod and a self timer taking pics of the fam. This was much easier and they turned out great for a 15min session.

What Have I Been Up To?!

Here's a quick picture over view of the last month and a half.......

As much as I hate it at times, I have found a passion in running. I use to run track in HS but that was a long time ago.....I'm finding the joy in it again and loving the way it makes me feel when I am done :) All three kids are kayaking on their own, my fav 4 yo and I have been strawberry picking, I have been riding on the back of my Mr's bike, and we are anticipating the end of the school year. Hope you all are doing well!!!

This Past Week

My little guy had to have surgery again on his eye. I hope this is the last time for this problem. We still anticipate plastic surgery in the future to fix the tissue damage that has been caused from the scaring.

In his "banana" suit waiting for surgery

On the ride home. It was a tough wake up this time around.

Later that evening.

What did I do this weekend?!

Just went camping with a few of my closest friends....

(group shot)

And for good measure a picture of the inside before I made the beds for the night.

I love the people I have in my life. Everyone of them are blessings to me. We weathered one terrible storm on Sat night that moved up along the East coast. We survived and continued to camp til the next day. But being stuck in my tiny camper with 3 small kids just reaffirmed the need for just a tad more space!

This Weather

So glad I found these boots on clearance at Old Navy for $10. This is what I have been wearing since....well it seems like forever really. This weather makes me want to hitch up the Lil' Lemondrop and head farther south, in search of the sun. I need some vitamin D on my face and flip flops on my feet. I might have been born and raised in PA, but I have turned into a wimp in the 13 years of living in coastal NC. It is not suppose to be 47 degrees this time of year.

(you may now insert a thought of me crossing my arms and stomping my feet)

It's A Sickness Really

So as much as I love my Lil' Lemon Drop and could never think of parting with her, I have my sites on a new project. After camping this past weekend a few things came to light for me:

* I am in need of a self contained unit.
* I really could use one more sleeping area.

I go camping minus the Mr most of the time. It is the thing the kids and I do to help pass the time when he is away. The campground we stayed at was wonderful but the bathhouse was about a 1/4 mile away. Not good for a momma with 3 kids that have to stay in eye shot of me. So I talked to my Daddy and he found some other options for me. Here is one of them. Please excuse the photo quality it is from a cell phone.

This is a 1972 Shasta Starflyte.

I am already dreaming up a new color scheme for her. The fact that she has her original wings is always a plus in my book. I am thinking of a nice airy interior seaside cottage style....I mean we do live at the ocean after all.

I would love to hear your thoughts. The idea of getting to do another project with my Dad makes me happy. And coming up with the inside look and outside color pattern is something I love.

The Lemon Drop Spread Her Wings

We had an awesome weekend camping. The weather was perfect, as if we special ordered it just for this trip. It was so great to get my tiny trailer on the road again. I had missed her. So had the kids!

Pancakes always taste better from a pink stove!

We went with two other families that have become our family, since we live away from "home". It was just me and the kids as my Mr was away on business as he so often is. This gives me and the kids something to do to break up the time.

I love that they love camping. I hope to give them so many happy memories doing this. I hope to give them a love of being outside and enjoying the more simple things in life. God gave us this amazing world and I want them to know it!

I am so blessed in so many ways and all the people there this past weekend are one of the many blessings. God sure must love me to have put them all in my life, my awesome kids included!! Can't wait for our next trip and some more campfire popcorn!!

* Thanks Johnny, my popcorn maker is going to be one of the most used gifts I've ever gotten for Christmas!!

The Things We Have Been Doing

Life is busy as normal around here. The bedroom redo is slowly coming around, well to be honest its kinda stalled out. That's ok with me, I'll get back to it soon. In the mean time I have been doing a little of this and that.

I put Tripp in swim lessons this month. My other two swim like fish, Tripp not so much. So in looking ahead to the hot summer months that are just around the corner I am hoping to make him a little more comfortable in the water.

He spends a good bit of time flirting with the four little girls in his class.

This is him finally allowing his teacher to kinda let go of the noodle. Little steps, we'll take 'em!!!

And while he is learning to be the little fish that I know is in there somewhere, I sit on the side lines crocheting. This is a star blanket that is worked in the round. It is for the one in the swim class, he is picking the colors as I go. I'm loving his bold color choices so far!

Master Suite Progress

Progress is being made in my master suite redo. This will be the first time in nearly 13 years of marriage we will have a put together room. It always seemed like the other rooms were more important to furnish. So this is long overdue. Here is a sneak peak at what I've finished so far!

My lovely romantic chandelier. I super heart this. You can also see a glimpse of my new color in the background. It is by glidden and called Stone White.

These are two pillows I was in the process of making. They were drying in this photo. They turned out so great. They look super cute on my bed. I finished them into small rectangular pillows.

Still plenty more to accomplish before it is ready for a full reveal. I am calling this phase one. I want to finish everything in the next few weeks. I'm so excited to finally get a grown up bedroom!!