Numbered days ...

the days are numbered ...

my mother-in-law is arriving on Wednesday night

for a five night stay

*gulp*

translation ...

lots to do

lots and lots to do ...

like all the housecleaning i have been putting off

and the pile of laundry

i have been spending my free time ...

after the kids are in bed working on things for my fall show

... that i have yet to commit to a date on

*sigh*

okay i will be honest

i have been sitting, usually watching horrible reality t.v,

while occasionally working on some things

horrible i know

are you guys reality t.v junkies?

you see we just got cable a few months ago ... i know ...

and now

it is not good ...

 before cable i would turn some music on and get things done

now i find myself pausing before going to get the second

load of laundry because i want to see

what happens between Bethany and Jason Hoppy

on Bethany is getting married?

it's getting ridiculous.

but you see I'm married to a romantic ...

a man who would much rather sit and spend his time reading

Ted Kooser

or actually doing something productive with his time

than watching Real Housewives of DC...

a man who has had a t-shirt that has read

 ... kill your t.v

*sigh*

double *sigh*

but you know

lately ...

i am beginning to realize that perhaps the whole

...  kill your t.v thing ...

might not be a bad idea

*sigh*

at least then i would be able to finish something

or perhaps it is just like

the saying goes ...

all things in moderation

yep ...

i think that is it

all things in moderation

tonight ... no t.v

i must work

i must have self control !

xo

p.s    i know i promised a giveaway last week

how about you leave me a comment on what t.v show is your guilty

pleasure... ( just to make me feel better )

and from your comments i will draw a winner.

ooo ooo how about a grapevine pumpkin as a prize!

you can check out the grapevine pumpkin here

PSST ...

shh ...

 i am going to share with you a tiny

little secret ...

i know the best and when i say the best...

i mean the BEST

pumpkin muffin recipe.

they are so moist

so yummy

and so so simple

here is what you need ...

one can pumpkin

one box spice cake mix

a handful chocolate chips

a handful of nuts

( chocolate chips and nuts optional )

put the pumpkin in a bowl

then add in the dry cake mix

JUST THE DRY MIX

DO NOT add oil or eggs... nothing but the dry mix!

then if you chose to add the nuts and chocolate chips

and stir it all together ...

fill muffin tins with liners and fill about 3/4 full

bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees

and then my friends ...

you have the most perfect little pumpkin muffins

you all must try this ... it is perfect for company...

for neighbors ... for yourself!

enjoy

xo

A Phone Call ...

yesterday as i was playing barbies

 on the front porch with my 3 year old...

just after i had dropped my new kindergartner off at school

 i got a phone call from my bff
Amy

she is ...

a fellow junker,

a lover of all things shabby,

a mama of two,

the one who would bravely go to the thrift stores with me

when shopping at thrift stores wasn't so cool to do ...

mind you we were 18

and working at a major retail store

a store where during the day we tried to convince people

that yes ... spending 115 bucks on a pair of jeans

was worth it ...

while meanwhile after we got off our shift

we would go find them for 4 bucks at the thrift store

yep ...

she in so many words 'just gets it'

and

i found out yesterday she is coming to visit !!!

i am beyond excited!
xo

p.s  ... i promised a give away this week
tune in tomorrow to see what the prize is ...

p.s.s  ... i have been thinking of having a small fall show late September
still pinning down a date ... details coming soon!

To simply Trust ...

i have been a bit checked out lately

to say the least ...

it just seems sometimes that there are a million other things that seem

to need my attention

and then ...

it starts...

the doubting...

the whole maybe this isn't the best time in my life to be blogging...

to be trying to get myself out there...

 trying to get things rolling...

maybe i just need to be a mama right now

maybe i just need to focus on being a wife

focus on my family

i mean...

i have three kids under the age of 6

one who happens to be starting Kindergarten next week

i have a husband who is set to deploy in late October...

i have a mother-in-law coming in two weeks

a bff arriving two weeks after that...

trying to set a date for a fall show

i have a ever growing pile of laundry...

friendships

we still need school supplies

a one year old who suddenly thinks it is cute to stand in her high chair

did i mention the deployment ...

*sigh*

but then the other night

my husband said to me ... listen to this beautiful,
 simple verse i just read ...

HERE I AM ... Exodus 3:1-3

yep... those three words spoke volumes to me

HERE I AM

you see in spite all this going on ...

HE IS HERE

right here

i am not alone

i am not doing it on my own...

i can do all things through Christ who gives me strengh... Philippians 4:13

i just need to figure out how to make all of these things work together

motherhood... being a wife...a homemaker...

a girlfriend... and yet still have something that is just for me.

and that is what gatherings is to me..

it is my escape

a beautiful little  piece that is only mine

so today i ask that you bare with me...

bare with me as i try to discover how to make this all work ...

and bare with me as i attempt to feed my one year old child who refuses to sit in her high chair from a small child's table ...

 a table that happens to be sitting very close to a white couch

*gulp*

maybe i should re think this whole white love affair...

xo

The calm before the storm ...

next week ...

my baby girl turns one

and so this weekend we are having her birthday party

and are having all the family here ...

yep

that brings the grand total to 17 people

eek...

not including babysitters who are coming also

some will stay the night

some will get hotel rooms

but ...

regardless

i have days... just a couple short days ....

to get this house

together.

*gulp*

so in case you were wondering ... or perhaps that might just be wishful thinking...

where i have been ...

i have been cleaning

and organizing and obsessing

about the food.. the decor...

and basically doing everything BUT writing on here.

next week though ... next week is going to be good

yep... next week i promise another giveaway!

Have a great weekend!

xo

Girly Things ...

i have never really been a ''girly'' girl ...

i was somewhat of a tomboy when i was younger

and i am rarely seen in dresses ...

without some sort of legging or denim underneath ...

but for some reason my thirties ...

seem to have given me a case of the ''girlies''

perhaps it is seeing my girls interact ...

or that Charlie is into the whole Princess thing right now

or

perhaps it is just a thirties kinda thing ...

regardless

I'm gonna embrace it.

xo

p.s   this week I get the gift of seeing my bff  ( who you can follow here )
 is passing through on her way back to Alabama ...
 so to celebrate ...
 i'm thinking another giveaway!

tune in for the details

Sisters ...

these past few days ...

i have been hanging with my sister

laughing ... decorating ... re-arranging

back before i had kids ...

my sister and i lived only about 20 minutes away

there were so many nights of staying up late ...

trying to be quiet so we wouldn't wake her sleeping family

as we attempted to do a ' while you were sleeping ' on her husband

yep... we would make our pot of coffee and stay up into the wee

hours painting ... re-arranging and laughing ...

and you see... her husband ... well ...

he was a smart one

he learned a long time ago

to just smile and agree

because... he also learned a long time ago

that in a month it would be different anyways ...

today i miss my sisters ...

Hope your weekend is great!

xo

* i'm thinking next week perhaps another giveaway!

Sunday Afternoon

a girl named Hannah ...

today i had fun shooting some photos

of the lovely Hannah ...

yep... she is a beauty

we laughed... we sweat.... we got funny glances from

bike riders ... we sweat...

it was the most perfect way to spend an afternoon ...

well minus the sweating ...

and the funny glances.

ps.  what i would give for some legs like that ... *sigh*

xo