Stressed...

                                   Source: funnyjunk.com via jennifer on Pinterest

I'm feeling a wee bit stressed as of late. I keep trying to pretend that I'm not, but it's catching up to me.   So much to do, so little time.  Feels like everything could come crashing down at any moment. {poor little puppy dog, above!}

Anyhow, I'm living for the long weekend next week.  Oh, it will be wonderful to have a few days to spend at home.

******{PAUSE}******

During that pause I looked over at my phone and realized that today is my mom's other birthday.  Yep, she has two.  Have I ever talked about this on here?  I know I've told Elisa about it, cause her dad has two birthdays too.  {I think it was her dad...Elisa, correct me if I'm wrong.}

See, my mom was actually born on Nov. 17th, but her birth certificate says Aug. 17th.  Her legal birthday is in August, and that's when we always celebrate, but today is really her for real birthday.

Yeah, I forgot about that when I talked to her this morning....#daughterfail.

I just called and confessed and told her Happy Other Birthday.  Apparently I'm the only daughter that did remember at all...score!  ;)

See.  See what the chaos is doing to my brain?  Makin' me forget birthdays and stuff.  Geez.

Time to lock it down and get some schtuff done around here.

Hope you have a fabulous, stress free day!

Are you feeling the crunch?

2nd Annual Birthday Antiquing...

Saturday, my mama and I went to Greenwood, MO to go antiquing.  Last year, we spent a day treasure hunting for her birthday, and this year we decided to do the same.  It was a beautiful day, and although we didn't find a ton of stuff to bring home, we really enjoyed ourselves!  

 A pretty old bicycle outside one of the shops.

We found a darling little tea room at one of the Antique shops to have lunch.  We enjoyed yummy panini sandwiches and salad with homemade raspberry vinaigrette and the most delicious strawberries.  I think we guzzled about 10 glasses of ice tea each.  {We must have been parched from all the shopping.}  

My pretty mama, the birthday girl.

We shared a piece of Coconut Macaroon pie for dessert...omg....so delicious!  It was warm and buttery, and yes, my mouth is watering just looking at it!

It was such a wonderful day, and I think it needs to happen more than once a year!

The two of us with our bounty.  {recognize this?}

 I love my new old Bingo card.  And yes, I specifically picked this one cause it had a 22 on it.

I also found some letterpress letters.  I got:  O, N, &, E, N, A, I, and S...still need two J's, a D and a V!  If you know where I can find these, let me know!  ;)

Have you been treasure hunting lately?  Find anything awesome?

oh, and p.s.  Don't forget to go vote for my College Fund Piggy Bank...pretty please?

Treasures...

Last Saturday, my mom and I went antiquing to celebrate her birthday.  She got to pick anything she wanted to do, and I'm so glad she picked that!  We spent the entire day driving around the small towns outside the metro, and had a blast.
I came away with some new treasures...

An old Coca Cola crate...

 I love how vibrant it still is, and how the branding is on the inside too.

A recipe box...

 I've been wanting a recipe box for all those random recipes that are floating around on pieces of paper.  I picked this up and said, "well, this is kinda cute."  That's when my mom told me that her mother had a recipe box just like this one...I was sold!  I added another project to my list.  This baby needs some matching recipe cards and my recipes need to get transferred on them!  

A glass washboard...

 On one side underneath "Victory Glass" it reads "Use this washboard made of materials not needed for defense and help win the war".  So cool.  I didn't notice this til I got it home, and it only made me love it more!  I've seen some incredible medicine cabinets made out of washboards, but I don't think I can stand to drill into this one, it's too perfect.

And last, but certainly not least, a set of strawberry dishes...

 These are so cute, and I cannot wait for the next time I serve fruit salad, just so i can use this bowl!  The small ones would be darling for strawberry shortcake.  I'm on the lookout for more small bowls, since it only had three with the set.  I'd love to find more!

I hope Mom had as much fun on her birthday outing as I did!  She walked away with the most darling little desk and chair, a Fisher Price wobble dog, and a Boyd's bear.  I think it's safe to say we'll be doing it again before too long!

Do you enjoy antiquing?  If so, what's the best thing you've ever found?

Happy Birthday Mama!

pretend by lovelysweetwilliam on Etsy

Mom, 
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays and many, many more to come.  
I'm so grateful that we're not only mother and daughter, but friends.  You're the best thrifting buddy anyone could ask for, and without you, all my flowers would be dead.  {not just some of them!} Thanks for being there for me always, and for loving me through the hard times.  
Love you, and Happy Birthday!
Jen

{Today is also my "other mama's" birthday!  Happy birthday to Amanda's mama too!}

Loving myself...

                                                                         -William Sloane Coffin

No list this week.

My heart is heavy this morning.  I had a fight with my mother.  The kind of fight where things you've been holding on to for a long time come spilling out and splatter all over your world and you're left to clean up the mess.  

I guess you could say that mothers and daughters do this.  I agree to an extent, but this runs a little deeper than that.  I've been holding on to things for a long, long time.  I do my best to forgive and forget, but I'm internalizing alot, and I'm coming to a point in my life where I don't want to do that anymore.  I want to change. 

I want to know that everything doesn't have to be perfect.  That the world won't unravel if I don't keep a tight grip on it.  That there is such a thing as freedom from the past.  I want to live.  I want to banish worry from my world and relax in the comfort that God is in control...not me.

I'm hoping that this can be the beginning of something new and better.  For as long as I can remember, I've been trying to fix things, things that aren't mine to fix.  The scars run deep, and it hurts, but I know that I have to let go.  I have to, before it seeps in and destroys me, and my marriage and everything that I hold dear. 

I have to tell the little girl inside me that it's not her fault.  She didn't do anything wrong.  She deserves to be happy.

My first instinct after a fight with anyone I love is to run to them, and try and mend it.  This time, I'm doing the very best I can to mend myself first.  I have to.  If I don't, then all I'm doing is what I've always done.  Nothing will change, and I'll find myself right back here again, and I don't want to come back to this place.  

I guess at this point, I'm not as mad at my mother, as I am determined to change my own perspective.  I know that our relationship will be okay.  We love each other too much for it not to be.

It's high time I become the woman I'm supposed to be.  

I know that within me is a woman, who possesses the best attributes of both her mother and her father, and some that are all hers.  She's kind, and confident.  She's real, and she doesn't pretend to be anything she's not.  She's not quick to anger, and she knows when to say no and how to say it assertively.  She loves herself first, so that she can love others to her full potential.  She adores her family and enjoys every day of her life.  She doesn't take things for granted, but she also doesn't take things too seriously.  She laughs alot.  

I'd like to be her friend and stop beating her up so much.  I'm also going to stop talking about myself in third person...it's starting to creep me out.  

In some ways, I'm already her.  In others, I have some work to do.  

I'm going to start by loving myself more.

**********************************************

I'm sorry for such a serious post the day before a holiday.  I hope you all have plans to spend this weekend kicking off summer with friends and family, and that you find peace in remembering those who have passed before us.  I wish you sunny days and ice cold drinks, and most of all lots and lots of love.  

I'm off to spend a couple days visiting my Dad's old stomping ground.  It will be a mini version of our trip last year with just me and my sister and my dad.

Happy Memorial Day!

{photo credit:  JenniPenni}

Pumpkin Patch!!!

In case you didn't know, I LOVE going to the pumpkin patch!  Every year, my mom and sisters and I venture out to the Powell Pumpkin Patch near Louisburg, Kansas.  On the way we stop at the Louisburg Cider Mill for cider donuts.  Oh, they are sooooo good!  Weekend before last, we took advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon to go pumpkin hunting!  It's always funny, because there are all kinds of families with little kids picking out pumpkins, but I don't think anyone gets as excited as the four of us! 

Each of the girls picked out a pumpkin to carve, so that accounted for two pumpkins.  We brought home 15 plus some goards!  We love seeking out the unusual ones.  As Lydia put it, you just know when you've found the "one".  The light shines on it just right and its like it's just you and the pumpkin in the field....or in mom and my case, you and your many perfect pumpkins! 

The variety of pumpkins that they planted this year had rediculous stems on them.  I guess they must have got tired of people breaking the stems off! 

Things to remember next year:

Bring a knife to cut pumpkins from the vine.

Stay calm and walk to the back of the patch and work your way to the front.  {this would certainly save us from lugging all those pumkins further than neccessary}

Bring water.

 

I'm back!

Sorry I've been MIA for the last week!  For some reason, I could just not get myself organized.  I am determined to be more on the ball this week, in more ways than one. 

I am spending today getting ready for the week and enjoying some quiet time at home.  We just got back from the store, where I loaded up on healthy eats.  I'm determined to get back on track with my eating. Jon's getting ready to watch the Chiefs game, and I'm going to catch up on some blogs and prepare something new and exciting that this lady and I have up our sleeves! 

I leave you with a pic from yesterday.  Jon and I ran the Jared Coones Memorial Pumpkin Run.  My mom, stepdad and sisters all participated too.  It was freezing!  35 degrees at the start.  brrrrrrrrrrrr.  I finished in 34 min, 36 sec.  No world record, but I'm happy with that.  Especially considering I haven't ran for weeks, and I didn't walk at all!  Jon came in at 27 min, 15 sec.  He hurt his knee though.  I'm hoping it heals itself and doesn't give him many problems.  

happy mother's day...

My mom's pretty special: 

She has naturally curly hair.  {and she gave it to me}

She makes the best flower arrangements.  

She decorates a house like nobody's business.

Animals love her, and she loves them.

She has two birthdays.  {someday I'll explain}

She's a great shopping buddy.

She has the greenest thumb I've ever seen.  Seriously, her garden is amazing, and she knows the names of all the flowers and plants.

She can carry on a conversation for hours.

And, well, she's my mom!

Thanks Mom.  For being so special, for being you!

I love you, and happy mother's day!