giving thanks

november has come and nearly gone but this month of thanksgiving has not been forgotten. as everyone has been listing daily thanks, i have made mental note for all the blessings i am grateful for. however i don't want the moth to slip away before i get the chance to write down some thanks givings.

i'm grateful for my incredible husband. he does so much for our little family

we were talking the other day how blessed we are. there are so many people in need and many are struggling to meet their basic needs.... we have been blessed with everything we need and more. mitch and i have wonderful jobs and work with wonderful people. we have been truly blessed with steady incomes.

i'm grateful for my two white fluffy fur babies. they bring me so much happiness. they made me a 'mommy'.

i'm grateful for my nanna. i would have never guessed that my sister would become one of the most closest and dearest of my friends. i consider her my soul mate. she understands me in a very special way.

i'm grateful for my sweet girlfriend jaclyn. she has been an angel in my life. god gave her to me as a visiting teacher, however she has become so much more! she is someone i trust and have the privilege of calling my friend! everyone needs some as sweet and incredible as her as she is to me. thank you for blessing my life sweet jaclyn.

i'm so very blessed to have my foundation. i was raised with so many wonderful examples. the older i get the more i realize how it has sculpted who i've become.

i'm grateful for the opportunity i had to learn yoga. it has brought me to a better place in my health and mind.

that is only scratching the surface in all of my incredible blessings. i'm so grateful for everything that i {we} have been blessed with!!

moments to remember

mitch fixing my favorite pair of flats as a sweet gesture

mitch filling my gas tank all the way full for me

sweet back rubs and snuggles all day yesterday

waking up to the heater kicking on

looking through pictures of jake as a puppy. oh the memories.

sleeping in 2 days in a row

taking a few moments to meditate and do some yoga

making my first cup of tea this season

decorating for fall

words of wisdom from my tea bag last night....

'appreciate yourself and honor your soul'

a second wind

it's amazing what a little chill in the air can do for me.
i feel like i finally caught my second wind for the year
summer is slowly fading away
my annuals are starting to look spent and the weeds are taking over....
i'm feeling a strong urge to get out in my garden and tear everything up
plant fall flowers and bulbs.
perhaps i'll be successful in getting things accomplished during september

i juiced the other night
amazing how much better i feel after a good dose of fresh veggie juice
i even made it to pilates the other night
and tonight i'll make it to yoga.
big deep breath....
i'm feeling good in my skin right now

agenda

yoga

trip to the post office

visit from mom

nap

paint nails

hang out with the boys

drink a pepsi

relax

throw out a few flower pots that are ragged

girls night

canning dilly beans

oh. and kill the two flies that are going to drive me insane!
i don't understand why they seem to live forever once trapped indoors

running through my head

girl's night with my sweet lady Jaclyn// constantly craving to be in my comfy bed. I've been more fatigued lately// packing healthy lunches// cooking dinners often. all the fresh produce helps// enjoying more evenings in the back yard// my coneflowers are breath-taking this year!// meet Mavrick our new store kitty. he was a stray that I bribed with food to come near. 4 days later he's such a sweet friendly little guy.he's already earned his keep.// my blueberries keep disappearing.... I finally managed to pick a few for myself.// evening harvest of a heirloom tomato and my first artichoke from the garden. it was delicious. 

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I talked myself into Pilates Monday night. It had been too long. I never regret a workout and I'm so glad I went. This week seems to be on a better path because of it. Plus I was able to make it to Yoga Wednesday morning {before the dentist}it was exactly what I needed {as always}. I'm looking forward to yoga tomorrow morning too. Summer has managed to keep me away from the gym so far. I've enjoyed living life but am glad I'm getting back into the swing of working out. 

Mitch and I had planned on going up to Bear Lake next weekend. Financing don't agree with that idea. We've decided to spend that vacation time at home and are very much looking forward to it. Perhaps I'm turning into an oldie.... I prefer spending time at home. 

We have been living it up the last few weekends. After Abby's wedding we had her darling friend Vanessa stay the night with us and we all went out to a late night movie. Boy did my body revolt against me. I did have a wonderful time with Vanessa, Peter and Mitch though. Mitch and Joe talked me into another late night movie last Saturday. I was smart enough to drink some caffeine before going. We saw the new Batman. Amazing show. Surprised I handled the lateness so well {thank you Caffeine} and perhaps that's the reason I've continued being more exhausted. Mitch and I felt 'young' again {pre-wedding} since we were out so late. 

On a morbid note... I'm grateful to know that if Mitch were to ever pass and my Nanna wasn't married that she would totally move in with me. Mitch and I talked a little about it since I saw the updated life insurance on the table today. He said he'd want me to sell the house and move home. In my mind I'm thinking no way jose. I'd stay in our cute little home with my charming yard and with my two fur babies. I would be happy. Moving home {I love you family but....} not my happy thought. Good thing Mitch isn't going anywhere soon!!! PHEW.

My goal tonight was to come home and weed out two large buckets of weeds. Mitch went shooting with Joe and Chase. So it was perfect for me to spend time in the yard. I'm not someone to easily jump back into things when I'm spooked {my unwelcome snake visitor}. Even though the last two weeks I've mowed I haven't had any surprises.... I was nervous weeding out my flower bed. I harnessed Jake and Cezar up and had them hang out with me. What a fabulous solution to my anxiety problem. The boys loved being out front and I was able to dig around in the my flowers. I was quickly reminded how therapeutic gardening is for me {even if it's simply pulling out weeds}. I also trimmed off the runners on my strawberries and gave my ginormous tomatoes a haircut. in hopes of getting better light and air circulation into the center of the plant. Crossing my fingers... I can't wait to eat more heavenly goodness from my own little garden. 

highlights of my week

getting a lot accomplished in my yard. my patio is looking a little bare due to the fact I'm finally getting more of my 'collection' planted. it feels good. plus my garden is looking beautiful.

having wednesday off and spending time indoors cleaning and organizing.

taking a nap {even though Mitch has great timing and always wakes me up sooner than I wanted}

taking Abby and Russell's engagement photos and spending time doing minor edits. I love the end results.

having Cezar spend lots of time snuggling me.

sleeping with the windows open and having the nights get chilly.

having date night with Mitch on Tuesday

getting my office put together a little more and hanging some vases {wedding gift} and will plant them with succulents..... sooo excited!!!

spending almost 4 hours with Jaclyn last night having dinner and catching up. Good golly it's been too long since we've enjoyed a girl's night and spending some quality time together! Looking forward to the 18th lady!!

looking forward to spending tonight {Friday} soaking up some more girls time with Nanna. It will be epic as always.

driving Mitch's Z for the first time ever. It's been 6 months since I've driving clutch. I forgot how exciting and fun they are to drive.

making it to yoga this morning. the one highlight of having to switch schedules with Sanna at work. My body needed it {as always}

moments from today

1: getting up and making it to yoga. incredible, invigorating, refreshing, relaxing.... so so good
2: i'm in love with my garden on a whole new level this year. more fresh beets.
3: health in a jar. I juiced 4 pints of beet, carrot and apple juice. it was good and I loved the color
4: after mowing the front lawn I finally got hungry and ate chips with salsa and guacamole
5: i love my hen and chicks
6: my anemone bloomed :) so gorgeous
7: watering my garden
8: jakey sitting with me
9: harvested my first tomatoes of the year!!! HOOORAY! Then I made greek salad for lunch tomorrow. yum

the fresh juice was like an energy boost this morning.... I felt good and kept going. it was 3 before I knew it and I had to finally head inside for a break. I laid down for a nap not realizing how exhausted I was and crashed. luckily I had already put dinner in the crock so it'd be ready for Mitch on his lunch break {it's his late night at work}. we had delicious pulled pork BBQ sandwiches. with spending so much time getting caught up on yard work today.... I didn't notice how much sun I was getting.... hello sunburn. #2 this week. I've been laying low this evening. still feel over exhausted and perhaps a little dehydrated. little cezar isn't a fan of laying after our first nap. hopefully he'll sleep sound tonight. between Mitch and cezar they toss and turn and keep each other awake more often then not.

a day off

yesterday I crawled into bed about 6 and rested for awhile. I was waiting for Mitch to put the new intake in on his car. Unfortunately it took a lot longer than he expected so dinner was pushed aside for 2 hours. Once he was done we grabbed Cafe Rio and curled up on the couch. It was a perfect way to spend the evening. 

Having a day off mid week is unbelievably fabulous. I loved having today off being able to take things as they happened. From our insane 100 degree weather on Monday to a chilly 65 on Tuesday, we slept very well last night. With such a sound rest it was hard for me to crawl out of bed and head to yoga this morning. As always I'm glad I did. My poor body is stiff and achy and yoga is the magic medicine for me. I brought home breakfast  for Mitch and I. He works the late shift on Wednesdays which allowed us to spend the morning together. We even took the boys for a short walk down at the lake before he had to work. {we really need to be better about walking them.... their energy was off the walls before we went}

I decided that I would listen to what ever my body wanted to do today. So after our walk, I sat down to rest for a few before I felt the urge to sort out the growing mess of laundry on my side of the closet. Hooray for washing those ginormous piles... I have clothes to wear hanging up now :). 

I was still tired and was lacking the energy I needed to get the planting done I had planned to do. But since I decided to let my body call the shots today, I crawled back into bed with the boys for a nap. Generally I would feel guilty for napping if I had a long list I wanted to get done {which I did} but no guilt today. Every now and then I think we all need to cut ourselves a little slack. 2 hours later I woke up feeling a tiny bit better but let myself absorb the moment. 

A bowl of cereal, a little blog reading, switching of the laundry and a bit of caffeine later; I was ready to finally start in the yard. I planted the rest of my vegetable garden. 7 artichokes. 4 jalapenos, 2 large basil, and my yard long Asian red beans. Weeding, and harvesting rhubarb and baby beets. It was a good start. Watering and deadheading my hanging basket was the next to get checked off. Jake was eager to head back inside. He isn't in love with the outdoors like Cezar is. Cezar is a much better buddy when I'm out in the yard puttering. I made juice with my harvest of baby beets. It's the first time I've ever given the veggie a chance. Mitch said he likes them juiced and so I decided to grow them and give them a try. I juiced tomatoes, carrots, apples and my beets. It was a gorgeous color and rather tasty {thank you apples}. Mitch came home for his lunch break and was grateful for the juice. Spent a little time with him before heading back out to the yard. I was pleased by how much I was able to plant and take care of in the yard today. I feel accomplished and rested at the same time. If only I was able to manage this everyday.... wouldn't that be nice. 

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the doctors. I haven't been feeling as well lately. About two weeks ago as I was falling asleep I was thinking about how I was doing so well and making big improvements in my health and then all of a sudden I felt like I was falling backwards. I decided that it was time to see my NP again and see if there is anything more we can do. It's frustrating to feel unwell all the time and I was so lucky to have 2-3 really good months there for a bit. Sure glad my fear of needles is subsiding.

taking it one day and one moment at a time lately

Today is one of those days I'm taking one moment at a time.

The boys were antsy to get up and outside.
Potty break around 6:40, crawling back into bed minutes later.
As Mitch gets up and ready for the day I remember I need to wash my work pants.
Hurried downstairs to throw them in the wash
crawled back into bed again.
and spent the next 50 mins staying cozy and flipping through my favorite blog reads, email and other apps
7:58 I hurry to throw on my yoga clothes, feed the boys and make it to the gym on time for yoga.
I'm grateful for the chance to make it to yoga in the mornings {even though I really dislike the closing shift at work}
I'm still so tight and stiff from the past few weeks of work...
it feels good to move, stretch and lengthen my body.
{I highly recommend Yoga to anyone. It has been an incredible addition to my life lately!!}
A quick trip to the grocery store for more of my favorite cereal and cans of caffeine,
unloading and loading the dishes,
putting dinner in the crock pot,
and putting food on my tummy.....
Now I'm sitting in bed enjoying the quiet until I have to head into work.

I'm in need of another spilling....

I'm exhausted

A good night's rest is not enough to get me through my days

I'm excited for Mitch's birthday next Friday because I have two days off!!

My moods are quick to change lately

my to do list is always growing 

but my body isn't quite up the the challenge lately.

Yesterday I accomplished a lot  at work.

Finally got the green house looking more presentable and tidy,

but by the time I made it home and we had come back from picking up dinner....

I was beyond my breaking point.

Dear body, please let me survive another week of work

sometimes it all comes pouring out

I don't recall the last time I sat down and really wrote down what was rolling around inside of me. I've been so busy for the past couple of months that I can't remember the last day off I had besides Sunday. It's probably been at least 2, maybe 2 and a half or even 3 months. Luckily I had been feeling really well. Because of that though I kept pushing myself.

So far this year I've been holding true to many of the goals I had set for the year. Spending less time on the internet, spending more time with the ones I love. Working on myself and my health. focusing on actually living my life to the fullest. I wonder if perhaps I may have lost a few of the things that added meaning and happiness along the way.

Since the middle of January I have been consistently going to the gym at least 3 times a week. Adding exercise into my routine wasn't easy at first but I started loving it and relying on the benefits I was receiving. May is our busiest month of the year and the past 2-3 weeks has been more demanding on my time and body. I hadn't been able to squeeze time into the gym. After 8-10 hour day my body was in need of rest. {Not that I was able to sufficiently give it the rest I needed. This week started with a long Monday, a short day on Tuesday but I spent the middle of my afternoon swimsuit shopping with my sister Abby. {Hell must have frozen over because I came home with a gorgeous new one piece. it was a pretty penny too} Once I finally made it home I quickly started on yard work. The lawn needed to be mowed, and with the forcast predicting rain I couldn't put it off much longer. Watering came next and planting a few things too. As Mitch and I crawled into bed last night he asked what my plans were for the morning since we had a dentist appointment mid morning. I told him I was going to yoga. I needed it and it's been far too long since I had been.

Between the insane wind storm that blew through the night and Cezar's restlessness, I had a lousy night's sleep.7 am my alarm goes off like it does every morning. after letting the boys out for their morning business, Cezar and I crawled back into bed to enjoy the quiet of the morning. I debated if I should fall back asleep or make it to yoga. Yoga won. It was the best decision I made today.

Perhaps with pushing so hard lately I have accidentally put myself in a funk. I need to find a perfect balance. There are days that I rush myself with trying to get everything accomplished and it doesn't leave me in a happy place. It wears me down day after day. On a rare day I find the perfect pace and am able to enjoy the moments and breath a little deeper.

Blogging is a place for me to keep record of our daily lives. It has been a wonderful outlet for me for so long and with the past few months I just haven't been feeling it quite the same. Today as I was sitting at the dentist  everything inside of me started rolling around and bubbling up.and because I haven't exactly felt the urge to spit up my thoughts lately, it caught me by surprise. I'll roll with it though. Maybe letting everything flow out is a start in the right direction.

Next weekend {the 1st} will be my first day off in who knows {march?}. It will be spent with my sweet hubby celebrating his birthday. I don't know what we'll do on Friday and Saturday but it will be wonderful because it'll be spent together {not a work}.

Hopefully I'll continue to let my inner self pour out more often.
maybe even get caught up on some good rest....

This evening when I got home I let the boys out and watered my collection of plants on the patio. I grabbed my camera and spent a bit of time playing. Oh how I loved shooting in manual mode. It felt good.

everyone needs boyfriends

I spent my day with the most darling little men ever. My morning was filled with getting acquainted with Crew, catching up with Kellen, playing at the park, switching laundry and making lunch for the two. Crew is the most polite 2 year old I've ever known. He says thank you for everything. Absolutely adorable! Kellen is so big!! I started with the Harts back when Kellen was 6 months old.... He turns 5 next month. Crazy how time flies. The afternoon was filled with folding laundry, Crew taking a nap, spending time with Kellen, catching up with Kaden and Chaz when they got home from school and cooking dinner. It was a fabulous day. I loved spending the day with them!

Tonight I've got Pilates.

I picked up a new yoga mat and a AM/PM yoga DVD for the days I can't make it to the gym.

Kissed on my boys.

Walked through my yard. It's a daily ritual for me :) I love seeing the growth of all my plants.

Ate some yummy cadbury mini eggs... Craving a little chocolate.

Oh, so Saturday night we got a screw in the jeep tire.... gratefully it held enough air til this morning so we could drive it to Discount Tire. Mitch was a sweetheart and got up and came with me. 7:40 am we arrived and able to get it in line for service. Highlight of the day -- they fixed it for FREE!!! Amazing :) Thank you Discount Tire.

busy living life

Time has flown by the last couple of days. I suppose with spending majority of my hours at work and then attempting to get a few things down around the house... poof the days pass by. 

Last Friday I was able to make it to Yoga. It was exactly what I needed. Headed into work at 11. However, Mitch had the day off since it was Good Friday and I kept wishing I was home hanging out with him. 2:30 rolled around and I called him and told him to come pick me up at 3. {he was trying to get bids on new tires for me and even surprised me by installing a new radio in the Jeep for me. Mitch is amazing!!!} I gave Andrea instructions for the greenhouse. And I took off to spend some time with my man. We rented a movie, grabbed a few snacks and curled up at home. It was the perfect way to spend some time together.

Saturday I aimed for a short day as well. {the joys of pulling crazy hours the first part of the week} We had invited Hope to come have a sleep over with us, since she was such a help with Cezar when we got the furnace replaced. We headed home shortly after 1, took showers and got ready to go out shopping. Mom had asked if we could go shoe shopping for her. I even found a darling pair of flats. Mitch wanted to do a little something extra for Hope, so we hunted for a pair of skinny jeans for her {the ones she was wearing had holes in them} For being a girl, I was surprised that she wasn't into shopping more. Maybe she was being polite. For dinner we grabbed our favorite Chinese - Fongs. We decided to play Monopoly after dinner. It's Mitch's favorite game. I had fun watching Hope try to figure out the best way to get ahead in the game. We had a fun time playing it.... but like always Mitch won. 

Sunday was Stake conference. We stayed home. Mitch was up for over 3 hours sick throwing up during the night. I was even a good wife and got up with him {once he called for me}. Our day was pretty low key. Hope and I made Nanna's birthday cake for her birthday dinner that night. It'd been such a long time since I'd baked a cake, I had to ask Hope for a few pointers since she makes cakes more frequently. I took a short nap before Hope and I headed down to my parents. We made a quick stop at Mitch's parents to drop off a Easter Lily. {it's one of Susan's favorite flowers} Cezar came with me and was on really good behavior when we stopped by. Hope was glad to finally make it home. Nanna was thrilled that Cezar came too. They adore each other. I helped mom hide the girl's Easter candy for their Easter hunt. As we watched Hope and Faith search for their goodies, Jelly {my parents renter} came out to sit with us with her darling baby. Cezar shocked Nanna and I by crawling into Jelly's lap and curling up. Cezar has been so wary of strangers we didn't know how to take his behavior. It was darling though. He even showed interest in her baby. I suppose they is hope for good manners {someday ;) lol}. We enjoyed homemade Cafe Rio for Nanna's birthday dinner. After presents and cake, Cezar and I said our goodbyes and headed home. Cezar fell asleep next to me, I had to stop for gas and was grateful to make it home safely after the holiday traffic. 

Today I had scheduled work off, planning on starting work for Amy again. She forgot that it was spring break though and they would be out of town. I decided to keep the day off though and try to get caught up on some things around the house. I started the day out with Yoga. I never regret crawling out of bed and headed to the gym. It's seriously the best way to start the week off. After Yoga, Mitch and I made a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up new oil for the lawn mower. Stopped at the credit union to look into refinancing the furnace we just had installed. Then I helped Mitch change the oil in the mower so I could get some yard work done. I was exhausted though, so after Mitch headed to work I crawled into bed for a nap. I'm glad I did!! I woke up and spent the rest of the afternoon in the yard. I feel accomplished :) Mowing, edging, dead headed last years perennials, weeding, cleaning out the garden, planting carrots, watering all the flower beds, transplanting a few things to new places in the yard.... The yard looks so much better. A quick shower to wash off the dirt, I headed to Pilates. Needless to say I'm absolutely exhausted tonight. A good exhausted though.

a few things I want to remember

Saturday night Mitch took me to finally buy the beautiful red lawn chairs I've been dreaming about for over a year. Can't wait for the weather to warm up again and enjoy evenings in the back yard.

Opening up our windows and enjoying a cross breeze of the fresh spring air.

Mitch wanting to take a short night walk with the boys. It was perfect. Holding hands, the spring night and spending time together. Love.

Listening to to the frogs on the back road to the lake. Nanna and I were in love when we drove out their a few weeks ago. Now I pull over when I drive past and soak in their songs.

Working in my yard and puttering around is super therapeutic. I love gardening.

My endearing nick name from Mitchel... he calls me snuggles or snuggle bunny. It always makes me smile.

Falling in love with chocolate chip cookies. We are on the search for the perfect recipe....

the way my body feels after a good workout or a calming yoga practice. I feel amazing.