[garden gifts]

last week after reading .NieNie. i was inspired by her home-grown peony post.
she spoke about how much they cheered her & the appreciation she had for her friend's special gift.

i had peonies in my garden & have always l.o.v.e.d. them, but never cut them.
these gorgeous blooms had been peacefully basking in the june sun;
to their dismay,
i decided to take advantage of their

sweet smell and luscious petals and pick them!

once i carefully arranged them, i enjoyed them until i passed them along.
i try to be a thoughtful person, but i often get absorbed in my own little life, and forget to
"look around" for ways to "pay if forward".

it really is amazing how the small things can make such a huge difference in someone's day.

may i forget myself more, and nurture the "flowers" around me!

.happy gardening.

[puzZle perFect]

.this is a puzzle. .a sunday activity idea. .click on pic to see more.

la di da, la di da, i get up this morning and make myself a bowl of my favorite cereal, raisin bran crunch...

i don't even sit down to partake.

sam's snoozing away after a horrible night of bad breathing. for one reason or another, he's started having these small asthma attacks. he's had them in the past, but it's been quite a while since he's suffered from them.

anywho, i got up with the kids to let him sleep a little longer,
and proceed to take a spoonful here and there while coercing the girls to "get ready".

sabrina begins having flu like symptoms and so it was decided that i should keep her home in case of the swine flu... who knows right?
sam & lulu leave for church, and...

it's FAST SUNDAY!

"oh crap!" i blurted, "i forgot!"
sound all too familiar?
yeah, it happens, and we plan to fast next time, or "make it up another day".

what happened to "saturday is a special day, the day we get ready for sunday"? honestly, i did think about the fact that it was fast sunday last night, but it completely slipped my mind!

and get this, sam oh so hilariously informed me that i even filled out a check for our fast offering and it didn't even click! what kind of a moron (or mormon) am i?
my point is, our family really needs to "spruce up" our spirituality and set some new sunday routines! i feel we've become a bit lax lately with our sunday-ness.

what do you & your family do to prepare for the sabbath and how do you spend your time before & after church?

please comment... it would be great to have some input from you!
i'm sure others would love to read them too!

[princess tea party]

~ her gorgeous little guests ~
had a grand time sipping on their little pink drinks [pinkies up of course]
and playing like princesses!
oh to be four!

[split]

today i am feeling a bit "split". for one reason or another i woke up on the wrong side of the bed & i just can't "snap out of it"! what's my prob? i am hosting a princess tea party for my 4 year old this afternoon & somewhere inside me i know i am so excited, but my brain won't let me go there! i'm afraid i don't have any "brights" to share with you this morning. i am hoping to transpose myself into my normal state of mind--and soon! i've got a party to throw, several little girls excited for entertainment!

my only saving grace today is petra. she offered to come pick sabrina up for the afternoon so i can get ready. i seem to talk a lot about her, but she is one of those friends that just knows me so well! i don't like to confess to myself i need help most of the time, but she knows how particular & eccentric i can be when it comes to entertaining. i can throw myself into a tizzy quite easily if i'm not as prepared as i'd like or when little kiddies are hanging from me. so thank you sweet friend!

i absolutely love the actual "party" itself, so i'm thrilled to do it, i just need to relax and enjoy the prepping!

okay.


oh, i've had several requests to add comments back on here, so i suppose i will!

[Leadership & Self-Deception]

.an international bestseller.
.too many rave reviews to type out.

we did it! sam and i went away for the weekend!

we have never left our baby over night with anyone, so i was a little apprehensive, but she did just fine!
my dear sister Lindsey and her cute husband Todd came to our home and stayed with our girls.
we really appreciate their kindness and sacrifice!
thanks you guys!
it was a much needed breather for us!

what i'd love to acquaint you with today is this incredible book we listened to on the way home! sam recieved this book from his new employer as a required read.
we were so impressed!
both of us agree that everyOne should read this!
maybe you've heard of it, Leadership and Self-Deception

it is not just for the office!
sam and i learned so much and we're so eager to apply it to our own lives and our family's!
we downloaded this book on audible.com

.get out of the box.