I will Miss Our Little Home...

As the boxes are piling high for our big move,

I'm reminded today of some pretty special

reasons why I will miss living in a

one-bedroom

with our lil' family of three...

I'll miss...

5. the sweetest, smallest kitchen

where I've spent hours preparing food,

cleaning, cooking,

and serving in.

4. the fact that I can see Simon no matter

where I am at in the house.

I never have to worry about his safety...

I can't get away from him:)

3. the ONE closet and storage space we have in our entire home!

It makes you maintain

a simple life,

makes you be organized,

and every time you get something new...

you give something away to those in need

because you can't fit anything else!

2. The fact that I can hear Simon breathing & snoring next to me every night

and never have to worry about him...

and I get to watch him in his most sweetest state...

sleeping.

1. I could list a 100 more reasons why I will miss

living in this one-bedroom.

I think the most precious reason

is that I will miss the closeness

and simplicity of our lives for the past five years.

There's something about

being together as a family (no matter where you live)...

appreciating EVERYTHING you have...

whether it be a huge home,

or a small home.

Being thankful for

the smallest things...

running water,

a bathroom,

a roof over our heads.

When I get selfish and want more...and bigger..

I have to remind myself that I am blessed abundantly

no matter where I live.

This home will forever be the beginning foundation

of my marriage and motherhood.

Living small has taught me to

have a grateful heart

and praise our Loving God

for ALL that He has done!

Faithful...

Julie, from Joys Hope

inspired me to do my own Word wall art.

She has a tutorial for this fabulous craft on her blog...

go check it out!

I've been down with the flu (yuk)

for a few days...

I TOTALLY have cabin fever...

and am in need of some serious social time...

but I'm not a 100% yet,

so I'm taking it easy at home...

I decided to get my tooshy off the couch and...

CREATE!

I didn't even need my sewing machine for this one...

I didn't have the energy for using it anyway:)

Julie mounted hers on canvas,

but we're saving every penny

so I am using 2 pieces of cardboard from old boxes

and stapling them together.

Then hanging it with twine...

in our NEW livingroom!!

I chose the word FAITHFUL

because our Mighty God is

faithful!

He shows his faithfulness over and over and over again!

Thank you, Jesus,

for our new home!

Books

I LOVE the LIBRARY!!!!

One of my most favorite places to go with Simon is

our local public library.

We could spend hours in there!

The best is when the little one

is crazy tired, has cabin fever,

pushing your buttons, irritating you beyond belief...

when in doubt...

get some books,

sit on the couch or somewhere cozy,

and READ!!!

It settles children down,

encourages reading,

relaxes both mommy and son,

and makes a very irritating day...

not so bad after all!

Go Read!!

Affection

This is Simon

holding his friend, Max's,

hand on our walk today. My Love Language is NOT affection...

I'm working on that.

I was reminded today how tender and precious

children are.

So unashamed, sweet, loving,

and honest with their feelings.

Whether it be holding a baby's hand

to keep her from crying...

it didn't work in this case

(sorry Alissa)!

Or hugging out of excitement...

to snuggling with a great pal
under the Christmas Tree.

It is such a blessing to see children show love through
affection.
It makes me want to go HUG somebody...
There's something too awesome about hugging,
or holding a hand,
or snuggling.
I think God created it for a special reason...
maybe a hug is "just to BLESS someone"...
OR maybe it's "just to BLESS YOU!"



That's your challenge for the day:
GO HUG SOMEONE!

You KNOW you Want this Lion head...

Introducing....

Leo the Lion...

kidding!

This is my new FREE piece of furniture

that we got on Sunday night.

That's the best time to go hunting for free stuff

'cuz all the garage sales are over and done with

and people want to get rid of junk!This is NOT junk!!!!
This is my TREASURE!

Did I tell you I am putting my fabric in here?
It beats the basket
jammed with scraps that get
all dusty out in the open.
Not now!
Leo the Lion is my newest friend...
By the way,
we're taking Leo off and putting something cuter on...
and sanding and painting this 70's piece.
Stay tuned to see the transformation!

It ALL Started...

when Simon received his first Drum over two years ago...Then he got a mini-guitar...
and he hasn't put them down since...
Seriously!!

He takes this guitar everywhere!

In fact, Simon plays his guitar for the ladies at Isaiah's House,

the homeless women's shelter where we serve.

They LOVE him...

and even ask if he has his guitar when we go!

He is now creating his own instruments.

This is his version of a TUBA.

It is a Christmas plastic candy cane...

with a recorder shoved in the end of it.

Simon can be seen with his trusty

"drummer boy" drum,

carrying it to and fro.

He even orchestrated his very own Cousin Band

on Christmas Eve for our family gathering.

Grandma taught him to play Little Drummer Boy on the piano...

he's still learning.

This is another Christmas ornament that Simon took off the tree...

and started playing for the family.

This is an old fashion bugle...

that we didn't know worked until Simon played it.

And finally...

his drum set!

I don't know where he gets his LOVE for Music...

I'm just glad he loves it...

A New Season...

The Christmas cards are coming down.

A New Season is beginning....

Literally...We're MOVING!!!!
For Reals!
After FIVE awesome years in a one-bedroom,
we are moving to a house...
with a room for Simon...
and a room for my sewing...
AND a yard!
Praise Jesus!!
This has been my sewing station for all these years.
It's a little hard to get to projects these days with the boxes
piled high.
But I can still squeeze some in there:)

This has been my fabric, accessory station.

This has been my fabric basket...

and more accessories for bubsies.

THIS is my main source of all my sewing...

my beloved scrap basket...

where all my creations come from.

It's small...

but mighty!

This is Dave...

packing up our life here in our sweet, small home.

This is Simon...

THINKING he is helping...

but not really.

At least he's busy playing:)

Off to new places...

a new journey for our lil' Fam...

a New Year...

Happy 2010,

my friends!

Family Traditions...

This Christmas, I learned how to make a traditional turkey.

I know...I know...I should have learned a long ime ago,

but my mom always had it cooked by the time we arrived over there!

This time, I learned the basics...and it turned out pretty yummy too!

Thanks, Mom!!

Next year, I'm cookin' the 'bird' by myself!

Another family tradition is snuggling next to my parent's pug, Toby.

Finally, our last tradition is our Christmas Crackers...

If you haven't heard of these, then you NEED to try them next year.

The first step is to pull it apart and it's suppose to "pop" open...

Simon had a difficult time opening it...

So did Daddy!

Voila! He got it open...inside is

a paper crown, a joke, and a little toy.

Simon got a yo-yo this year.

A little silly, but a LOT of memories with these little things.

Good 'ol Family Traditions.

Full Apron with front pockets $25

Super cute color scheme for an apron!

This one is already sold,

but a colors to order for YOUR apron!

First Train Ride with the Boys

Simon took his first train ride with his buddies

for his 4th birthday.They had a BALL!!!!

We were headed to Oceanside for a quick lunch
at Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier.
I wasn't sure how the train trip would be for the little ones, but...

THEY were FABULOUS...
mesmerized
by all the fun sights they saw out the window.


They thought the pier was like
"walking on the ocean."
(kinda true)

Sipping water after a long walk to Ruby's with his dad.

What an AMAZING day!

We were blessed to spend that time with Simon

and his precious friends.

Simon talked about it for HOURS

(and I mean hours) afterwards.

Making memories with your kids...

that's what it's ALL about!

Mr. Business Man T-Shirt and Onesie

Onesie (long/short sleeve) $22

T-Shirt 2T & up $24

This was Simon when we started singing, "Happy Birthday."

I was walking out with his cupcake

while all the family was singing.

He was VERY happy

(as you can see)!

He blew out the candles (on accident),

as he was breathing a sigh of embarrassment.
When he noticed the candle was blown out...
that made him very sad!

VERY SAD!!!

I lit the candle again....

we began to sing "Happy Birthday" again...ugh!

He tried to get it together...

but, not really.

He blew them out again.

This time...

for reals...

not an accident!

He pulled it together!

And blew out the candles...

(while spitting on ME and the cupcake)

Happy birthday Simon!

Mommy loves you, buddy!