Sunday’s Simple Pleasures, Strawberries

Our strawberries have started to come in and they are so sweet and juicy. When you bite into them they burst in your mouth. There is just something so special about growing your own fruits and vegetables, everything just tastes better.

Our strawberry plants are intertwined with my perennials so every time the kids and I go to pick them it’s like going on a mini treasure hunt. Abbey has been known to be a little impatient and picks green berries every now and then.

I have fond memories of picking strawberries with my great-grandmother, mother and sister. We used to fill huge Tupperware bowls full of berries and make delicious strawberry shortcakes with them.

Strawberries are simply delicious.

My Baby is Eight …

I can’t believe my baby turned eight yesterday. He was the biggest surprise of my life. One day I was a carefree college student and the next I was pregnant, engaged, a homeowner and finally a mother. Those nine months were the craziest, most stressful and amazing months of my life.

The day Noah was born was as unpredictable as the nine months leading up to the big day. I woke up at three in the morning on my due date with contractions. I went right to my pregnancy books to see what I should do, I loved those books. The next four hours were spent in the shower trying to cope with the pain and stay relaxed. We left around eight to go to my parent’s house, they lived only a couple of minutes from the hospital and we lived about forty minutes away. When we got to their house Michael left to grab breakfast and before I knew it I felt like I was ready to push. It seemed to be happening so fast, I kept thinking of my mother’s horror stories about how she was in labor with me for thirty-six hours and I had only been in labor for a little more than five hours. I called the doctors office and they told me to get to the hospital immediately. Once we got to the hospital I began begging for pain medication, unfortunately the nurse told me I was to late, I was already nine centimeters, and I was going to have my baby completely natural. My doctor made it there just in time for me to start pushing. I pushed for maybe ten minutes and before I knew it they were placing my beautiful baby boy on my chest. He was 8 pounds 4 ounces and 21” long he had ten fingers and toes and he had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen.



Noah has a big heart; he is loving, caring, and brilliant. I am so proud of the wonderful little man he is becoming. He has a positive and magnetic personality, I believe he can do and become anything he desires.

Saturday Fun ...

The weather was amazing yesterday. It felt like a warm summer’s day instead of the first day of May. The warmth seems to pushing everything open earlier this year. I love walking outside early in the morning, the air smells so sweet and everything is buzzing with life. My first two peonies opened yesterday.

We started our day with a trip to our favorite antique and farmers market. There were a lot of vendors with amazing vintage finds. The first booth we past I spotted this adorable baby cradle. The pictures on the cradle are so cute and it plays music, it was only five dollars and a perfect fit for Abbey’s babies.

Last night Noah had his first baseball game; it was under the lights and so much fun. He got a hit and scored, his team played great and they won. Unfortunately all of the pictures I took came out blurry. Next week is a day game hopefully I can get some better shots. While we sat watching the game you could hear some crickets chirping. It was a beautiful night for a baseball.

It was a great Saturday spent with the people I love.

Pretty Little Vase …

A month ago we had a little flood in our basement. It was nothing major but it was enough to turn the laundry room and my little art studio into disaster areas. Things were thrown, shoved, and scattered it looked like a tornado went through. I dreaded walking down the stairs to do the laundry. I just wanted to lock the door and I kept hoping the basement fairy would pay me a visit.

Unfortunately she did not arrive and I got stuck cleaning. I can’t remember the last time I gave the basement the white glove treatment. While I was on my mission I found a lot goodies that I have not seen in a while. Some of them were flea market finds others were treasures passed down to me over the years. I organized all of my art and craft supplies and gave my art room a new look. It’s nice to have my spot back and I love how everything has its place.

I recycled this little glass jar and turned into a pretty vase for my studio. Everything I used to create this masterpiece I found while I was organizing.

Saying Goodbye …

On Wednesday we said goodbye to my grandmother. She lost her battle with cancer last Friday. She was only 72 years old. My Nan raised four beautiful children, had eleven grandchildren and three sweet great-grandchildren. She was loved by many and will be dearly missed.

I loved my Nan very much and I will miss her.

Baby Steps ...

Today was a big day. Today my mother came to my house and visited me and Abbey. She had not seen Abigail since she was twelve months old. I was a nervous wreck before she arrived. Abbey had talked to her on the phone and she had seen pictures of my mother but had not seen her in person. Abbey can be very shy around people she does not know well and I was nervous about how she would interact with my mother.

My little sweetie did very well and she seemed to take a liking to my mother. They laughed, played on the swing set, and shared jewelry. I am glad they got to spend time together. One of the most painful parts of not having a relationship with my mom was knowing she was missing out on watching my beautiful little girl grow up.

Today was a small baby step in an effort to repair my relationship with my mother. We have a very long hard road ahead of us. Things have been negative and today was a wonderful positive bright spot. It was a nice change.

It’s Been …

I just wanted to pop in and say hi! It’s been awhile since I posted something new and I have been horrible about leaving comments lately. I have been really depressed, blogging and creating has come to an abrupt halt. Whenever I sit down to come up with new ideas or write a blog post, I draw a blank. I concentrate and concentrate and there is nothing, it is very frustrating.

For the past several months my bipolar symptoms have been more noticeable, especially the depression. I have been trying to deal with it on my own, but it is getting harder and harder. I have been pushing myself, hoping I would snap out of this slump. I started exercising, have thrown myself into spring cleaning both my house and yard, and go non-stop from the time I wake in the morning until I go to bed. I have accomplished a lot, lost a little weight, the house is clean and the yard work ahead of schedule, however, inside I am a complete mess.


Certain aspects of my life are magnifying my symptoms and I am not sure how to correct the situation without making myself sicker. Each time something bad happens in that certain part of my life, my bipolar symptoms get worse. It is very important to me to make that area of my life better, but the way I have been handling it is not helping the situation or me. I don’t want my husband and children to have to see me completely break down and feeling miserable all the time is not how I want to live my life. I want to be healthy and happy, enjoy my husband and children, and be able to create. I want to stop feeling bad all the time.


I have decided I can’t do this alone, so I am going to start therapy. I loved going to therapy, I always found it so helpful. It can be a lot of work but the end results are very rewarding. Unfortunately, I have to find a new therapist. The woman I saw in the past was amazing but she does not accept my insurance and I can’t afford to pay for it on my own. I am hoping I can find someone I am compatible with. I want to acquire the tools to help me tackle the challenges I face in a positive way.


I hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday.