I just have to say....

I've been sincerely blessed. Because of these two people.

Blessed because of their example of integrity, generousity and love.
Blessed because they taught me the truths of the Gospel that allow me to live a righteous life and receive blessings on a daily basis.

Thank you, parents. For everything.

And thank you, Daddy...for sparing Mom for the next 10 days. I'm so excited to have her here, to share with us this beautiful occasion.

Back to our regular scheduled blogging...

My mom flew in last week to help me out during my recovery for my wisdom teeth extraction. I am SO glad she was able to come out and spend time with us. My teeth ended up being a breeze, but having her here was a comfort nonetheless. She left today and the house just feels so empty!!

Thursday I made plans for us to do something fun before the dreaded teeth pulling! We drove over to Ft Worth and spent the day at the Botanical Gardens. I knew how much my mom loves the outdoors and flowers and all that jazz...so that was the perfect place to go. We FINALLY got there after being stuck for an hour in traffic (so ridiculous, and we never even knew what had happened!) and had a nice picnic lunch.

We walked around the grounds, the girls LOVE it there...especially the water parts and the turtles. It's such a beautiful place and the weather was absolutely perfect. And being able to walk and talk with my momma while the girls ran amuck, was just bliss.

It's that time of year again! And the leaves are quickly changing and falling...the girls had a blast playing in them.

It was a perfect way to start off our mini-vacation with Gramma. We topped the night off with steak at Texas Roadhouse! Yum.
We miss her SO much already and it's only been a few hours!

More to come...

I'm so glad she's here!!

More to come later...but these are my fave pictures from the other day. I'm so thankful that she is here and taking care of us!! There is nothing like having your momma around!

Puppies!!

My mom breeds Lhasa Apso puppies and has a new litter that will be ready for new homes in October! They are the cutest little dogs...they are AKC and/or APRI registerable. They will grow to be about 15 pounds, and are non-shedding, non-allergenic, very mellow dogs.
Check out their website at SunsetLhasas.com!

Happy Birthday to you!!

Happy Birthday to you!!! Happy Birthday dearest Momma!!!
Happy Birthday to you!
Over on her blog, she posted this cute email she got from her dad...it's amazing to think of the things that have changed in 50 years!
This is one of my favorite pictures of she and her sister.

I just hope she knows what a fantastic person she is...today and every day. She's a bright light in my life...I draw great inspiration from her.
And I am THANKFUL. Thankful for her loving heart, thankful for her love of the Gospel and instilling that love in me. Thankful for her love for her children and thankful for her love of her grandchildren.

We love you and miss you!!! And hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day!!

Happy Mother's Day.

I'm a little biased when it comes to my mom...I think she is absolutely wonderful. She is everything one could ask for...loving, compassionate, comforting, she is always there for her children, she raised us to be the awesome people we are Ü, she sets a good example as a mother, she keeps her word, she loves without conditions, she's funny, smart and creative.
Life has thrown us a wrench, since I am here and she is way over there...but I know one day Sunday dinners will not be a thing of the past, and we'll be able to hang out and watch 'Days' (or 24) again.
I love being able to take time on this Mother's Day to think about my Mothers, because I am lucky enough to have two women in my life to call Mom. I've always had and will continue to have my mom as my best friend...and I have had Mommalove (no in-laws here, she is more than that) in my life for several years now, each of which she has influenced my life for good. Her loving example and kind heart always make me smile.

So, Happy Mother's day to you two ladies...you deserve to be treated like queens today. Thank you for your love...for me, for James and most of all for my children. Some ladies will say "Oh, I'm too young to be a grandma" and that breaks my heart. My mothers say to me "When are you going to get pregnant again, it's about that time." Ü They love my children and see their potential, ever praising and ever encouraging them.

Thank you for all that you do for me. I LOVE YOU!!!

Good news...

Great news! My mom's stress test came back normal! Phew! (Though I still worry, b/c what is it then?)
LOVE YOU MOM!!!

For those wondering...

my mom had a stress test done today. She has been having chest pressure for the last month or so, which has been progressively getting worse. She had a normal EKG done, but they wanted to do some more testing, so they did a stress test. She will get the results back tomorrow, and we are praying fervently for normal results. She knows everything will be all right, as do I....but the worry is always there for the unknown.
Of course, my worry for my mother has been going on for awhile. She is the strongest woman I know....I don't know how she does it all. My heart swells with pride when I think what a wonderful, loving, honest, caring person she is. But the stress she endures is overwhelming, and has become more so since these symptoms have started. I loved hearing her plan this afternoon...exercise, eat better, cut back on sodas, move to Texas....... Ok, so the move to Texas part was MY plan to help her stress levels.
I will update tomorrow with test results.

Finishing up!

I neglected to finish up the rest of my mom's stay here! It's mainly for myself that I write this stuff down, I don't want to forget it! I cannot wait to be able to put this blog into a book!



Tuesday was the day we decided to look at some of the houses on my mom's list (don't worry, she assured me she wouldn't move here for at least a year! lol). So...we picked 5-6 houses and mapped out a route, ended up being about an hour and forty minutes worth of a drive! But we got to see some really pretty area's and houses! Even got to drive across the lake! I absolutely LOVE the Mansfield area.

So, we strapped the monkey's in....made sure they had snacks and books, some Mamma Mia music. But of course, they fought most of the way, my mom described it nicely in her post as: "Bubba stop, Bella quit teasing, Bubba turn around - no hitting, Bella quit touching John..."

Poor kids...shoved in a car for so long! But we didn't feel too bad b/c they got donuts and McDonalds!

We found this house when searching for another house. It looked empty, so we went and peeked in the windows! I couldn't believe how beautiful it was!! And UNDER $300,000...can you believe that, West-Coasters? LOL. The house was open, too...but we weren't brave enough to break the law. Then I got a bit nervous when a neighbor came outside and was chattin' on a cellphone! It was over 100 degree's outside, so you KNOW thats not normal....

It was a great day....I love driving around looking at new areas, finding cool spots that would be sooooo nice to live in!! It kept our minds off having to part the next day, thats for sure!

Sensational Saturday

Saturday, my Momma celebrated her 37th birthday (she doesn't look a day over 23)...I felt VERY blessed to have her here to celebrate her big day! And grateful to my daddy-O for sharing her Ü.
We spent the day shopping, just us....with a yummy lunch and fun outfits. Then we went to dinner at Chili's! I really wanted to take her to some really cool restaurant...but well, ya know. Too much shopping, cheaper places to eat. Ü
Gramma got a yummy chocolate shake for her Bday...which she was nice enough to share with Bella (like Bella gave her an option...)

Aube ate her regular meal...dipit. Ü

What's a birthday without a Costco Cake?? Umm...yeah, serves 47. Ü

Needs no explanation:

Saturday was sensational...and went by entirely toooo fast!

Fabulous Friday

Well, goodness...I do NOT know where to start. Seriously. How to do these past 6 days justice?? I love, love, love it when my mom visits me. I LOVE her laid-back style, I love the way she loves her grand-daughters, I love the stops for a fountain soda Ü, I love going to Walmart with her, I love talking out my problems with her, I love having her talk out her problems with me. I love the "at ease" feeling I have when I am around her...no pretense, no showing off....I can just BE. Of course, this trip...I felt as if we were going constantly...somewhere here, somewhere there. BUT...I enjoy doing that with her too!!!

Mom and Bubba (John Ü) flew in Thursday night, after a long day...they settled in, we ate Chinese and off to bed they went to recoup.

Friday, we went to the CIRCUS!!!!

I found these $7 tickets at a couple places around town and thought it would be a fun little activity. (Note to self: if buying tickets the same day, go earlier than 15 min before the show starts!) We got some crappy seats b/c of my bad timing...almost had to sit 3 sections apart! But thankfully someone didn't show up in the seats in front of my mom's and then the people beside those seats went and sat somewhere else 20 minutes into the show!
The kiddos loved the show, Bella is asking to go back, Aube actually sat in my lap for the whole thing, and Bubba covered his ears! LOL.
I seriously LOVE the Circus...from ghetto performances in the dirt at the Ft Worth Stockyards to the big and extravagant shows the Ringling Bros put on. The acrobats amaze me, the horses make me gasp in awe and the elephants almost make me cry (yes, i know, crybaby am i).
The "theme" of this one we went to was Bellobration...named for Bello Nock, the main clown dude. And this gave me a WONDERFUL idea for the theme of Bella & Aube's up-coming Bday party! It's gonna be a BellAubration! I'm sooo excited..stay tuned for details.
After the Circus, we headed home to beat the heat (it would be THIS HOT when my momma visits!). Bubba and I swam while the others napped.
Then....we played some Xbox and Wii....

A very good first day!

{A Moment to Myself...}

It's been such a fun week, I cannot believe I only have a day and a half left with my mom!! It's no fun that time has to go by so fast. But we have really had such a great time together...it makes me hate these miles in between us!
Tonite, mom and I went and saw Mamma Mia, this would be my THIRD time...and I think the movie just gets better as time goes on! (I might even see it a 4th, since I found out today the chick who cuts my hair wants to see it! LOL)










There is a part towards the end of the movie, where Sophie asks her mom to help her get ready for her wedding.

They sing this song, Slipping Through My Fingers. And all three times I have seen it, I get all teary, like a goober. The first two times I heard the song, I related it to how I felt about my daughters...how small moments are so important with them.
But tonite, I was more than teary because I related the lyrics to how I felt about my own mom. Music makes me feel more than anything else, I think...and the lyrics to this song make me want to just hug my mom and hold onto her....not let her go!

The Lyrics:

DONNA:

Schoolbag in hand

She leaves home in the early morning

Waving goodbye

With an absent-minded smile

I watch her go

With a surge of that well-known sadness

And I have to sit down for a while

The feeling that I'm loosing her forever

And without really entering her world

I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter

That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time

I try to capture every minute

The feeling in it

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Do I really see what's in her mind

Each time I think I'm close to knowing

She keeps on growingS

lipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes

Her and me at the breakfast table

Barely awakeI let precious time go by

Then when she's gone

There's that odd melancholy feeling

And a sense of guiltI can't deny

What happened to the wonderful adventures

The places I had planned for us to go

Well some of that we did

But most we didn't

And why I just don't know

Slipping through my fingers all the time

I try to capture every minute

The feeling in it

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Do I really see what's in her mind

Each time I think I'm close to knowing

She keeps on growing

Slipping through my fingers all the time

DONNA & SOPHIE:

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture

And save it from the funny tricks of time

Slipping through my fingers -

DONNA:Schoolbag in hand

She leaves home in the early morning

Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile

{don't judge me}

Now that my house guests have left and I have a free house for a couple days, there are some things I am very excited to do:
~walk around in my underwear
~pee with the door open
~let the farts out
~eat a crapload of junk and veg in front of the TV watching what I want to watch!!
(yes, TMI, I know, I know...but I'm just being truthful)

But I only have TWO MORE DAYS to do this stuff....you know what that means....Momma is coming to visit in TWO DAYS!!!!!!! So excited!

{DO OVER}

Well, we have been in this house for a year now. Last year, before we had even moved in, I had big plans for this big wall in the girls room. I searched and searched on the 'net....trying to find ideas and found this awesome site called WallNutz. I debated and debated what to do, what the THEME should be...and decided on this cute beach mural. I fell IN LOVE with it, actually. I went a little crazy buying up bedding and sheets from Pottery Barn in the Pink Island patchwork theme (which I am selling by the way, if anyone is interested)....along with knicknacks and pictures that were never hung! A year later...this is how far I got:
Not too shabby, but not complete at all....and of course...I am SO over it! Can you believe that? All the work that went into it (though obviously not enough since its NOT DONE) and I give up.
But I do have a good reason. I saw this room:

And fell in love with the TREE! I want to paint a tree on their wall, and have bedding like this or like this! (*Warning...the PBK's website is addictive, and should be used wisely*)
So...now I've started over on THE WALL... how sad!

And now I have been searching and searching again....trying to find the right tree to paint (or TRY to paint) on the wall. Here are some that I have come up with so far, along with other little details that would be nice to put in the room. These are the two tree's I love.

Though the one on the bottom is my favorite so far. Mainly b/c of the idea of the actual SWING hanging from the ceiling! How rad would that be???
On an adjacent wall, I would like to have this castle:



Bella flipped out when she spied these pictures on the computer screen! And no...these won't be painted, I found a rub-on decal at WM for a decent price!
And it wouldn't be complete with out a small field of daisies.

I guess I should have jotted down the blog that I found this fantastic creation on, so I could give props! But I thought it is just the most fabulous thing I've seen!! Too cute!

And...thru out all of this, I really want to paint the ceiling to look like the sky.

If I was really talented, I would try and re-create this masterpiece (though we will be lucky if the tree looks halfway decent.) Could you even imagine???

You ask me? WHY SARAH WHY? Why did you paint over the beach mural, waste all that? Well...what fun is a beach for a little girl obsessed with princesses, tutu's, castle's and fairy godmothers? Yes...what fun?

In my searching, I came across more fabulous ideas than I knew what to do with! There are some extremely creative people out there. Could you imagine having room like this:

No matter that the brightness of that green would give me a headache....too cool.
And I fell in love with this lady and her creative ladder:

Other then my search for tree's for the girl's room, I try here and there to find myself a "family tree"...and this would be perfect, with attached pictures of ancestors and all....

Swoon...

Of course, I put myself on a deadline for painting this wall, too. I would like to have it DONE by the time family visits next weekend. But that seems a bit much....as always, I leave it all to the last minute! So, it looks like when my MOM GETS TO VISIT (in 13 days, 3 hours, 27 minutes and 34 seconds) she may be put to the task of helping me complete my project!