Checking In . . . . .

Hello, my peeps! Had a fabulous weekend!! Saturday was spent touring Route 66. Yes, I said touring. That's exactly what me and 4 of my friends did. It took us 12 hours, yes folks count them, 12 hours to get from Catoosa to Arcadia. The most fun 12 hours I've ever had in a car!! :) Why did we spend 12 hours in a car touring along Route 66 you ask? Because my sweet friend, Nellie, had on her list of things to do before she turns 30 to take a trip along Route 66 and I was lucky enough to be invited along for the ride. I will post pics later of our adventure and our encounter with "Madge."

Looking forward to Thanksgiving and having my family to my house for a change. Totally digging that. Abbey really wanted to have Thanksgiving at our house since we've never had it at our house before. Then, of course, the traditional movie theater trip after the big meal. Not sure what we'll be seeing this year.

Totally gearing up for Christmas right now. Having the best time making gifts. I've already made quite a few and can't wait to start a project for someone special on Saturday. Would love to have all my gifts made by mid-December. We'll see. Being very inspired by the November issue of Country Living and the December issue of Home Companion. So many gift ideas and eye candy to look at!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Isn't all just so lovely???

Also, looking forward to baking with my sweet daughter this year for the holidays. We haven't baked together since she was little. So, this year we will be making swedish ginger cookies, cranberry orange bread and who knows what else.

Well, that's about it for now. Have to go and take my darling daughter and her friends to the midnight showing of Twilight. On a school night no less. Unbelievable. Am I a cool mom or what???

M.I.A.

Yes, I know. I've been {Missing In Action} for a month now. Wow. A month. Where did that month go??? I needed to take a break from the computer. I've been feeling frustrated and unproductive and I just needed to take time and accomplish {SOMETHING}. Anything. So, I did. I had a very long list and I've been slowly marking things off. I still have quite a list of things to do, so I probably won't be updating every day, but I will try to at least once a week share something. In light of how I've been feeling the last month, this quote really spoke to me and I would like to share it with you.

“I beg you to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves...Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now...the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), excerpt from Letters to a Young Poet

I've had so many things undone or not in focus in my life that I really needed to read this quote and remind myself that it's okay to not have all the answers right now and that I need to find my {joy} in the journey again. I've been letting things and others steal my joy. And, because of that it has robbed me of my energy and my focus. No more. I will find peace within any situation and I will not let others steal my joy. E reminded me of a verse that is so true.

"A heart at peace gives life to the body......" ~ Proverbs 14:30

So, here I am getting closer to that heart of peace. Working on it every day. Focusing on what is important to me. Asking God to be with me on this journey and trying to get closer to Him each day because without Him there will be no peace or joy in my {heart}. That, my dear friends, is why I have been M.I.A. for a while.

The Owl

For all of you who have a desire to see the demise of the poor little owl from the previous post go here.

i {heart} owls

It is no secret that I {love} owls. They make me smile. I'm drawn to them. My husband knows that I love owls. Today he yells at me to come and watch a cartoon short about an owl. So, of course, I think that it's going to be a cute little cartoon that he knew I would enjoy because of my aforementioned love for owls. Right? Well, it all started out cute and innocent and I was laughing and enjoying this cute little owl cartoon until the owl gets SHOT and then his eyeball gets sQuiShEd!!! I obviously couldn't bear to take pictures of those frames. All the while, my beloved AND my precious daughter are laughing hysterically while the cute little owl meets its doom. Sick. They are both really sick. To do that to me. Really. I should've taken a picture of them laughing. Unbelievable.

Photo-A-Day {No.26}

I {heart} my Abbey's creative soul. She inspires me in so many ways. Her way of looking at things is so unique. Her creativity pushes me to want to be more creative and to think more outside the box. Even when her creative nature manifests itself in drawing on herself with a sharpie. :) I love you, sweet pea.

Photo-A-Day {No.25}

End of summer blooms. I'm trying to enjoy the beautiful colors that God has given me in the summer flowers, but I'm so {ready} for fall weather to take over. It is, after all, fall NOW! I {need} to wear hoodies and long sleeves again!! Soon. I need cooler weather to clear my brain. I function so much better for some reason when it's cooler. Heat just drains me. I always feel much more productive in the fall and winter. I know my blogs have been kinda non-creative looking for the last several days. Hopefully, I will have another little book to post by early next week. It's my {43} book.

Today I will leave you with this quote. "Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you." ~ Oscar Wilde

Photo-A-Day {No.24}

Again. My barn. {insert sigh here}

Photo-A-Day {No.23}

These are a vital part of reaching one of my goals on my {43} list. Strong and firm. That's what I want people. Strong and firm. I'm tired of waving goodbye with the flab of my arms!! I want firm muscles.

Photo-A-Day {No.22}

What is it about trains on bridges that just looks so cool? Got to see this one on our way to see Granny.

Photo-A-Day {No.21}

Today, a photo of me and my man taken by our amazing daughter. :) Aren't we just darling??? I so {love} my man.

Happy Happy Birthday, Myles!

Today we celebrated {my nephew} Myles' 16th birthday. Can't believe he's 16!!!! Got to take a drive with him in his Grand Cherokee around the neighborhood. He did a great job. Not nervous at all. Very laid back. Loved getting to ride with him. So glad that I got to celebrate his birthday with him. HOotie HoO!! Happy Birthday, Myles! Enjoy being 16!! And, be careful!!!

Photo-A-Day {No.20}

This is my favorite thing that I pass every day. A big open field and a big red barn. It always makes me smile. I can just imagine myself turning that barn into a really cool house! I'll try to get a better picture of the barn for a later post. Today it just looked so beautiful with the fog all over the field. I {heart} it.

Photo-A-Day {No.19}

The road well traveled outside our neighborhood . . . . early in the morning.

Photo-A-Day {No.18}

Today, I caught Daisy {sunning} on the bench on the patio. She loves to lay in the sun when it gets cooler.

Photo-A-Day {No.17}

This is the bridge I cross at least 2 times a day Monday through Friday doing the school taxi for Abbey. On Tuesday, there was fog all over the water, but that is kinda hard to capture as you are driving. . . . .

Photo-A-Day {No.16}

{Hope} note for someone to find. :)

Photo-A-Day {No.15}

This is what my desk looks like after creating {two} projects back to back. Quite a mess!!! Will have to put some things away so that I will have more than just that little square of space to create in!

Photo-A-Day {No.14}

Love this pic of Sissy doing {Vogue} after Trish's bday extravaganza!

Photo-A-Day {No.13}

Hummingbird frenzy!!! On Friday we had {SIX} hummingbirds flying around the feeders. Unfortunately, I could only catch 3 of them in a picture.

A {Birthday} Shout Out to Samantha

I want to send out another HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Samantha. Her birthday was yesterday. Samantha and I have been friends for years and years. :) And, although I didn't get to celebrate her birthday with her yesterday, I was thinking about her and hoping that she was having a wonderful time at the {American Idol} concert!! {Funny, both of us going to concerts ON our birthdays this year, huh, Sam?} Samantha and I have so many memories of trips taken and fun times with our families. I know that you, too, are always there for me if I need you and I love your thoughtful and giving nature. I love how it is so important to you to live a life for Christ and how you are consciously making efforts to lead your children that way. I love how important it is to you to be a wonderful wife to Steve. I love how generous you are not only to me and my family, but to so many people that come through your life. You are always so willing to open your home to anyone who needs a place to stay and you are the hostess with the mostest!! You truly have a warm and loving heart and I am so glad that you are a part of my life, girlie!! Hope you had a wonderful birthday!! Love you!