31/365: Jan 31

They do not tell you about this in Parent's Magazine. *WARNING: graphic pictures following story*

On a chilly day in January, there was a mom that decided to spend a little bit of time deep-cleaning her bedroom. Now, since the weather wasn't nice enough for her two young children to seek the beauty of the outdoors... it seemed like the perfect time and opportunity. So you see, the young mom put on a lively Disney movie... thinking it would keep the kids enthralled and hold their attention just for a little while. She was wrong.

This is what I found when I came back into the living room, after being in my room for only 10 minutes.
At least my bedroom is clean now... and I can shut the door to keep the kids out and keep it that way... until Ben comes home :)

30/365: Jan 30

Tah Dah!!! We're done!

It's not a professional job... but it's 100x better than it was. And more importantly, Bruce is VERY happy!

29/365: Jan 29

Today was a continuance from yesterday. The day was spent working on and prepping the truck for painting. And now that's all behind us... the truck is painted. Unfortunately, by the time it was all said and done this evening it was too dark to really see how the little S-10 turned out. Tomorrow we'll roll it out of the garage take off the mask and paper and put it all back together. :) I can't wait to see how it looks!!
And even better, we'll take it out to Benson tomorrow and "give" the truck (back) to Bruce.

masking

papering and more masking

almost done with the prep work

ready for primer

shooting the color

more shooting...

I'll post a picture tomorrow of the finished product. We're hoping Bruce will be happy with it!!!

28/365: Jan 28

So... Ben's dad is having a birthday soon. (Feb 1)
The family decided to all put in for his birthday present this year. What would that present be? you might ask... A new paint job on his little truck. And... seeing as going to an actual body shop is way out of our price range, Ben and one brother and one sister are out in the garage working on it themselves.

Now... I took an auto-body shop class in high school and I really enjoyed it. So it's fun to see Ben and siblings tackling this project.

27/365: Jan 27

It's amazing to me the things we, as Americans, celebrate... but while some of them run from silly to outrageous and all the way past ridiculous... there are a few that can be used to an advantage.
Take today for example.
I'm not one to just bake a cake for the sake of having cake for dessert. No, that's silly. Cake is for special occasions. BUT... as it so happens, Ben loves chocolate cake.. and I admit cake sounded good. Now. As luck would have it, today is National Chocolate Cake Day. Who knew?! So I got to bake my double chocolate fudge cake... and celebrate another wacky American "day".
There are worse things in life, I imagine. ;)

26/365: Jan 25

Kids and their toys.... mine follow the stereotypes.
Rebekah and her dress-up, tea parties.

And Thomas plays with trucks.

It is so much fun to spend time playing with them!!

25/365: Jan 25

Some days you just need a good ol' Southern type home-cooked meal. Now, we generally eat at home at least 6 days a week as it is... and it is pretty much always good food (I have had a few bad recipes or off-cooking days) but tonight, I was in the mood for something more. Something that made me remember those big family dinners, where everyone gathered around the table. Smiles and laughter.
Tonight I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, & green beans.

And I've gotta say... the recipe I have found.. it's a HIT!
(In the, nearly, 5 years we've been married I have not been able to master a decent meatloaf)

24/365: Jan 24

EARRINGS!!! I love earrings! :)
These are a pair my mom got me as a "treasure" when she went to Bisbee last week.
I love them! :)

23/365: Jan 23

I find that it is so easy to become adapted (read spoiled) to the temperatures of your native area.
Last week we enjoyed very warm (73+) degree weather. It was beautiful. We played outside and went to parks... it was great!
Today.... Today it was "cold".  <<< Now I realize we live in Arizona. I am thankful I don't live in one of those places that you have to buy a specialized winter wardrobe.... and the thought of spring is long awaited and envied.>>> So, back to the "cold"... our high was around 60 today. And after the great temperatures earlier in the week, we decided... "You know what? It's just TOO cold out there" So instead of taking the kids to the park this afternoon... we brought the "park" inside.
In the form of Rebekah's slide.

The kids had so much fun. :) And at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

22/365: Jan 22

3 for 3. Another Saturday gone and I forgot to blog until Sunday morning. At least I'm getting to it now! :)

There's nothing sweeter than kiddos snuggling with their Daddy. It's even sweeter to my heart when it's my kids snuggling with my husband. Ben is such a good daddy to Rebekah and Thomas! He works hard to provide for them, but he also knows how important it is to spend time with them. ♥

21/365: Jan 21

Ever since I found out I was pregnant for the second time, I dreamed of the day I could get a "mothers" ring.... A pretty little ring with the birthstones of my babies. I was told, "You should wait until you KNOW you are done having kids to get one." And while that is probably good advice, I don't see a problem with getting one now. Even if I have more kids later on down the road... that doesn't take away from me being a mom right now. I mean, come on..... I can always get another ring later "if" we have more kids. Right!?   (right!!)

That being said.... I found the perfect ring for me. And even more exciting to me was that it wasn't just a mothers ring. It was a "family" ring. An Irish claddagh with a band for birthstones beneath it.

The only "downer"... if you can call it that.... is that the design HAD to have 7 stones. There are only 4 of us (right now, anyway)... but it was not a problem for me. I just decided to place a clear, Australian Crystal in between each birthstone. So we have a March stone for Ben, 2 June stones for Me and Rebekah, and a January stone for Tommy.

I really like how it turned out. And who knows... if it holds up as well as "fine jewelry" is supposed to... "if" we decide to try and have more kids, I should be able to take this ring to a jeweler and see if they can make/replace/whatever needs to be done to the stones to incorporate any changes that are needed :)

20/365: Jan 20

It has been a beautiful week, weather wise. Today me and a friend took our kids to a park, and they had a great time playing.

Bekah and Carson have been friends since before the younger two were born, and with only 4 months between them, Tommy and Caden are great buddies. :) Hanging out at the park is even more fun now that the younger boys are old enough to be out and playing, instead of stuck in strollers.

19/365: Jan 19

Oops, you caught me! 

It's amazing the things kids learn when you aren't looking. I was just getting used to him taking steps, now he's going to be climbing on stuff. We are definitely in for a wild ride!!!

18/365: Jan 18

Today I got a "sans-kids" trip to Tucson. And even better, I got to spend that time with my sister. The kids stayed with Grandpa and Grandma in Benson.

The main point in the trip up was to go to Joann's to get materials to make a couple more memo boards. I love the materials Jene' picked out for her board.... I set to work on it as soon as I got home.... and here we have the results.

completed board

Close up of the materials

The other board I got materials for will be a birthday present for my sister-in-law. :) I'll post pics when I make that one.... I have to get a few more materials first!

17/365: Jan 17

Monday nights = Family dinner night for my side of the family.
It's usually a fun night of hanging out and eating too much. The best part is, every week someone else gets to choose what we have to eat that night. (Usually it goes oldest to youngest..) So there is always a variety of cooking styles and types of food. Tonight Grandma (aka Meemaw) got to choose. We had ribs, baked potatoes, and a few other goodies. GOOD EATIN!

some of our crew...

16/365: Jan 16

So it seems a lot of my posts will be the painted sky. The brilliant thing about sunrises and sunsets is you never see the same thing twice! We are so blessed to live in this little AZ city, where we get gorgeous skies all year round.

Many people tell me that one of the things they miss most about living here is what God does with our skies. And I would have to agree... I know I would miss the rises & sets if we were to ever leave this area!

15/365: Jan 15

Another Saturday when I took my pictures but forgot to post... :)

For Christmas, my sister, Jene' got a puppy. The only catch was the pup wasn't old enough to leave him momma. So she's been visiting him at the owners' house and 6waiting to bring him home. Friday was a happy night for her. After work, she was allowed to pick him up and bring him home for good.

Saturday evening my family went over to meet him and help to introduce him to us, especially the kids.

He is such a cutie, and I think he's going to be a good companion for Jene'. :)

Anyways, I took a few pictures for her... And I love how this one turned out, so I decked it out for her.
Welcome to the family, Jackson Daniel Brown Shinaniganizer Stewart!

14/365: Jan 14

Silly girl... she loves wearing glasses. Whether they are Grampa's, Mommy's, or anyone else's. . . .
And I must say... she's pretty cute when she does.

Rebekah modeling Grampa's glasses.

But coming from experience of having to wear glasses since elementary school, I hope she doesn't need them anytime soon... if ever!

13/365: Jan 13

6 years ago, was the start of a whole new world for me. I was getting ready to start my second semester at Pima CC. Work was going good. And I had this guy who was a really great guy friend that (after 3 years of friendship) I was talking with and becoming closer to every day. We had a slightly complicated relationship being friends, but that didn't matter. In the wee early morning hours of Jan 13, while talking and getting ready to head our respective ways we had a monumental discussion. (well, that might be a little dramatic, but this is my story)
You see, he had fairly recently gone through a rough breakup with his ex and he wasn't looking to get involved with anyone... but he couldn't shake the feeling that God has brought us together to be more than friends. So, on that night he decided to take a chance and go against what he wanted.... and asked my  to be his girl. Within a month we knew we were in love with each other. By Thanksgiving we were engaged. And the following June, I married my Love, and my best friend.

I am so thankful for the man God placed in my life. For the shy teenage guy I met on the Brazil mission team. The friend who cared more than I ever imagined. And the guy who fell in love with me and wanted my love in return. I am so thankful for the past we have together and the future we are going to make. I love my husband!!

12/365: Jan 12

It's another pretty morning in Arizona. I love the color and texture of the clouds this morning!!!

11/365: Jan 11

Seeing as I'm sick today, I didn't get a chance to take any pictures...
Instead you can check out a mall photo booth picture we got taken a couple weeks ago.
:)

I really hope this is a 24 hour bug... I haven't puked this much since I was pregnant with Rebekah.

10/365: Jan 10

Spending the evening dealing with puke was not how I envisioned ending Tommy's birthday. While I can be disappointed in that.... at least he (and his Daddy) had the decency to wait until AFTER Tommy's picture appointment at Sears.

He is SOOOoooo  photogenic!

Here are a few favorites from his session:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOMAS!!!

I love him so much. And we have been VERY blessed to have him as a part of our family this past year. I can't wait to see what his next year will bring!!!

9/365: Jan 9

It's still a day early, but we had Tommy's birthday party anyway.
It was just a simple party with cake and ice cream...

I can't believe my baby is a year old. How in the world did time go that fast? And from what I hear, nothing is going to stop it now. ;) Here are a few pictures of the honored birthday boy...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THOMAS BARRETT! MOMMY LOVES YOU!!! ♥

8/365: Jan 8

I didn't get to post yesterday, but I took my pictures and subject was from yesterday, I promise!!! :)

Last night I made Tommy's birthday cake. It's great! It turned out really good, now we have to wait until this afternoon to see if it tastes as good as it looks.

Anyways, back to my excuses... it was after 10:30pm when I finished the cake and got the kitchen reasonably cleaned up from my efforts and I was EXHAUSTED.... So, without further ado...

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

getting the shape right....

he still needs feet.... Where are the Hershey's Kisses??