A quick moment to share - Blue Monday

WOW what a year.  I have been busy teaching classes at the local gyms, keeping up with the kids, the house, and life in general.  Some sad news but mostly it's all good. The fact that I am busy with things and people I have in my life is truly a blessing.  If I could vent on my blog once a week next year that would be awesome. We shall see.

So since it's Monday I'll start by sharing some blues in honor of our friend Sally who so loved the blue. Rest in peace Sally. Blue Monday is now hosted at The Backyard Neighbor.

My daughter and I were having a discussion in the car and she mentioned her love of Octopus. She's very artistic so doing this for her was way out of the box for me but I wanted her to know I was listening and wanted her to have something no one else had.  She LOVED that I did this and loved my painting.  Brought tears to my eyes and hers.

My little guy loves Lego's. He was so excited to get this Mega Truck Light-up Laser Peg kit. He assembled it and disassembled it only to do it all over again. Best part, he can use it with his existing Lego toys. Win-win on this toy from his Aunt.

Here we have my dad surrounded by people who care for him everyday.  He lives in the Dominican Republic and these people are my family. They are with him all day everyday and keep him company when I can't be there.  I am blessed to have them in our lives.  He is happy to be able to live in his home.

Lastly, my mom.  She was my heart and gave me so much love.  She was an amazing mom who always thought of others first. Selflessly gave more than she took and raised us to be loving, caring, and grateful for all we had. She left this earth to join the angels in heaven this past August.  She did not suffer, she was happy until the last moment.  But we miss her laughter, her singing in the garden or in the kitchen. We miss her welcoming smiles and of course her cooking.  I love my mom and I miss her with all my heart. I feel her arms around me everyday.

I wish everyone a happy new year. Please be safe out there and trust that you will have another year full of love, laughter, and happiness.  Have faith in your journey.

Terie

Blue Monday: Summer Fun

Rainy days in the summer can be a little challenging if you are not prepared with crafts or games that will take the kiddos away from electronics.  Don't get me wrong, they get their share of TV/Video/Computer time and it's not all games. 

I've managed to establish some learning time before any playtime can be had. YES I KNOW, I'M SO MEAN.  Just a little reading, practice music, online education via Kahn Academy and other learning sites and of course chores.  But all that takes a short amount of time and it is broken up into chunks throughout the day.

 Besides electronics and board games, we work on some crafty things - playdoh, art, build a fort, cooking, cleaning.... oh wait, cleaning doesn't count.  

This week I bought a 3 in 1 game of Ladderball, Bean Bag Toss, and Washer Toss.  The game came in what felt like a million pieces with instructions that only showed pictures in black and white and numbers which did not necessarily match the pieces. Yay me! This hurt my brain, then I got the idea that I needed to "hire" my little scientist to help put it together.  Ninety minutes later and we were done and with no energy to play, Ha!!  However, when the rain came we had a game we could play in the patio or the playroom without breaking any windows or putting holes in the walls.

Having fun in the summer can be exhausting, but it is worth it to go out and explore and see what's behind that tree or down that little narrow path...well sometimes, because on this narrow path we found thousands of baby crabs all running from us and all the while we were afraid to step anywhere for fear of crushing them.  Short stroll through the marshland during low tide to discover a crab habitat.

Greatest invention ever, right here.  I know, it's not reusable BUT they claim to be made from recycled plastic and it is biodegradable so it goes in the recycle bin.  Water balloons are so much fun to play with but after the fun is over, no one wants to pick up the pieces of latex left behind.  These are said to decompose over a short period of time.  I should really put that to the test.  Either way, we need to have these for a teen birthday party and filling them up took all of 2 minutes...400 balloons in 2 minutes!!

Tandem bike rides with this little guy was a lot of fun.  We made a few stops along the way to discover new critters living by the water and interesting plant life.  This is less stressful for me and more fun for both than him riding on his own bike.

A day of summer fun has to end with a cool, refreshing beverage for me.  This pinot was light and perfect to sip while recovering from a day of fun adventures.

Looking forward to more creative summer days filled with discovery and fun.

Celebrate your independence, we are lucky to have it.

Sharing the blues with Backyard Neighbor and all our friends around the world.

In honor of Smiling Sally

Pink Saturday: Pigs of Smithfield

These little piggies are so adorable I just had to share. I know at least one blogger in this community will recognize these.

They are a part of the Porcine Parade-- click here to learn more about it http://www.genuinesmithfieldva.com/porcine-parade.html

Happy Pink Saturday, hosted by How Sweet The Sound @ http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Terie

Blue Monday - Beach Day

A beautiful day at the beach...

The Grandview Nature Preserve has no boardwalks, bathrooms, shops, restaurants, and very little parking. It is a protected environment. Never crowded.

Love taking the kids to a beach where I know I won't lose them in a crowd. They had a blast playing in the waves.

Beautiful day!

Sharing the blues with Backyard Neighbor and all our friends around the world.

Have a wonderfully blue day!!

Terie

Peaceful mornings are priceless

Since our big move last year I have been swamped with life. All good stuff that happens when you have kids, home to maintain, pets, and trying to get or do a job. It's life and it happens and I consider myself blessed to be busy because of it.

Almost an entire year and I am finally taking the time to just sit and write, read, listen to the birds, and just be one with nature. We rented a house in this small town, primarily because the schools are great, secondly because it is a safe and beautiful neighborhood. 

What makes it beautiful is simply the accessibility to nature, watching the sun rise and set unobstructed. More than anything is the large number of birds and other small animals we enjoy watching.

Sharing some peaceful blues was such a treat for me. Smiling Sally made me look for blues and actually helped me to focus in times when I was not all there. Sally passed away recently and I was saddled to learn the news, however, I believe she is resting peacefully in a sea of blue.

Sharing our blues in honor of Sally on http://www.backyardneighbor.typepad.com

Have a beautiful day!

Terie

Pink Flowers and quiet mornings

Sometimes we need a little prompt from another blogger to really notice the beauty around us.

With little time to say much, I realize not much needs to be said.  It's a beautiful day in Virginia. I just spent an hour peacefully enjoying my quiet morning. Can't ask for anything else.

Sharing my pink pretties on http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Thanks for visiting,

Terie