20 years ago today

I didn't know it would be my last day not being a mom...I didn't know you would be born the next day and change my world forever...20 years ago today, I was very pregnant, nervous about becoming a mom for the first time and not sure if I would have a clue what to do with you. One thing I knew for sure, was that you were going to be a girl, and that we would name you Amy Elizabeth :) I was nervous for the experience of childbirth and of the unknown land that lay ahead as you and I and daddy would stumble into familyhood one little step at a time. Fast forward 20 years, and yes, they do seem to have sped by in all reality, and here you and I are in this photo, mom and daughter, a love I had no idea I was capable of, nothing stronger then the overwhelming feeling of keeping you safe, keeping you by my side, just being able to hear and see you each and everyday, knowing that I will not only always have you as my daughter, but also as my friend. So on this last day of your teen years, I just want you to know, that although I may have made mistakes, done or said stupid things, and maybe caused you some grief along the way, there is no one in this world who will love you more, then me, because you are my girl, and you always will be xoxo

Why I dislike grocery shopping

today was a smaller shopping day and I only went to Pricesmart and the farm market, and I still contributed my whole afternoon to the process. You see, not only is it the shopping I dislike, and the amount of money it takes to feed a family of four, but it's the coming home with it and getting it all put away. Today it took me 2 hours once I got home to be able to say I was done. See, I'm a bit OCD when it comes to my home and everything has a place, and it's no different with my cupboards and my fridge. So when I get home with groceries, it's also clean the cupboards and fridge/freezer out of stale or expired food, and then the reorganization starts again. And once all of that is done, it's time to wash all my produce etc before I can then get it into containers or ziplocs to be stored properly. As you can see by my photos, containers are big for me and by the time I'm done, I usually have a large pile of packaging that I need to get into recycle. Today, I just wanted to document my process, lol.


all clean and ready to be cut up or packaged for the fridge.


Cupboards have everything handy and ready to go, crackers and cookies into containers, granola bars etc handy to grab for lunches and even some breads and buns in ziplocs for extra freshness.

and this is how I would love my fridge to be always, but since I am the only one in the house that actually cares about everything in it's place, I usually have to reorganize it many times throughout the week. :(

Yup just a bit OCD :)

Yummy dessert

Doesn't this look delicious??? Believe me, it sure was!

Jordyn wanted to make us dessert the other night, and

since she has just learned how to boil water, lol, not that

basic, but scrambled eggs and pancakes, have been her

staple cooking items this summer, she wanted to try

to make us crepes. Now for those of you who have ever

attempted to make crepes, you know it can be tricky

getting them thin enought to call crepes, and also not

to break when you are flipping them. Well she did a great

job, maybe a tad bit thick, but still yummy, and inside,

she had Nutella, banana's and strawberry, so good.

Thanks Jordyn for an awesome dessert, can't wait to

taste other yummy things in the near future.

Holy Cardio batman

So in honor of summertime finally showing up, Tim

and I went out and bought bikes today. And we

went on a 5 mile ride to get ourselves ready for

many more outings. Now you have to understand

that I haven't ridden a bike in probably 10 years

and I am in now way in shape, that on top of my

asthma and it's a miracle I made it back to the

truck at all. We did all of our riding in Tynehead

Park and it was also our hottest day of the year

so far at 28 degrees, so I think I can get a break

for the few times I had to stop for a break and the

times I had to walk my bike up hills. I only had to

stop once to use my inhaler, so that was a plus.

And then there is Tim, who smokes, who just

went on his merry way, not really too hot, or too

tired and who patiently waited for me to catch up.

Like he said later, he's just happy to have me out on

a bike and on the trails with him, isn't he sweet.

Tomorrow we tackle Mud Bay, but first thing in the

morning, before it gets too hot.

The difference a few hours makes

This picture was taken today around noon, just

before Cathy's short visit came to an end and her

and the kids left. I just love her kids, and Reese has

gotten so big since I saw her last, I needed to get

a photo of me holding her so I could remember

her being this little.

A few hours later, Tim and his brother Jason, and

I are up in the mountains in Mission, about

to have a great afternoon of firing off rounds, via his

selection of firearms. Jason is a good teacher, and

was very thorough in teaching us the ins and outs

of proper firearm use. So I went from holding a

sweet innocent babe in my arms, to holding a

powerful weapon in my arms. Strangely, they

both made me feel equally happy.

One month left

I took this picture of Amy on July 28th,

exactly one month before she turns 20.

I was being sentimental yesterday, and

thankfully Amy gets me so she had no

problem letting me get a picture so I

could reflect a bit today.

We all remember milestones in our children's

lives, first birthday, first day of school,

first boyfriend, first heartbreak, then

there's sweet 16's then graduation,

then becoming of age and turning 19 :)

But maybe we forget to reflect on the passing of a year,

that when reflected back apon, may be one of great

growth, self awareness and life goals. That is what I have

seen the most in Amy this past year, she has grown, not

only in age, but in life experience, personal growth, and

in self awareness. She knows what she now wants out of

her life, and she is doing her best to get to where it is

she wants to be. Not easy, especially when those around

you might not always get it or understand why you need

to persue the goals you have set out for yourself. I am

proud of her for how she has made it thru a year of a job

she dislikes, yet works her ass off at to get not only one

semester of school saved for but two. She has a dream,

a goal, and a future that she is working hard towards,

I am a truly proud of her and all she has accomplished in

the last year. Can't wait to see what her 20's bring for her.

Something new for me

I found these cool little 4 x 6 photo inserts by American Crafts when I was scrapbook shopping recently. They are meant to be added to a LO with small brads and I used them on this LO to showcase the postcards I bought, which in turn, I used the back of both to print my journaling on. This way, I could fill the LO with lots of photos, and stickers yet have lots of journaling too. I added more stickers to the outside of the photo sleeves to give it a bit of dimension. The pictures are a bit grainy sorry, but I couldn't use my flash to take the pics, there was too much glare.



Here is a picture of the LO with one of the postcards flipped up.












And with the last one flipped up.