big stuff.

i'm strutting around this place like i'm big stuff.
yesterday i received an email telling me our registration dossier is on it's way to davis' country.
can i just tell you how long this has been coming?
since JULY.

i had the first draft ready to go, notarized and waiting in july.
and then the forms were changed.
little changes here and there.
and things had to be redone.
so i did it.
and then i did it again. and again, and again, and again.
and now, well now, none of that matters.
we are on our way again.

i admit i am not feeling as courageous now as i was in the beginning, but there are little bursts of hope and love and courage, and they continue to propel me forward.
yay! we are moving forward.
i'll keep you posted.

coffee sisters. the etsy shop.

good evening y'all.
hope you had a nice weekend.
we sure did.
remember that laundry pile?
done and done.
remember those magazines?
read and devoured.
remember anything i talked about on friday?
no, well, me neither.
haha.

ok, i guess it's time for the real reason i'm writing today.
ben boy has a big announcement to make.
and no, it's not that he has food stuck all over his face!

our new etsy shop is now officially open for business!
my bff tricia and i put our heads together, usually over our morning coffee, and this was the result.

coffee sisters.
a fun place to be.
i hope you stop by and find something you love.
we will be refilling every chance we get but for now, this is a good start.
and of course, if you want something special, please let us know.
SO HAPPY!

talk to y'all later!
be safe out there my southern friends.
looks like the weather tonight could get nasty.
be safe.

friday randoms.

a stack of magazines came this week.
bh&g.
boden.
paper source.
coastal living.
good stuff.
still haven't had a chance to look through them yet.
don't worry, we have a hot date tonight, my magazines and me.

***

there's a lady that works in my building that dresses kinda crazy.
yesterday she was wearing a debbie gibson hat.
you know, like this:

and she was wearing four or five inch white high heels.
and mc hammer pants too.
i just don't get it.
and she parks in the handicapped parking spots so i'm always thinking (and probably very wrongly) thinking that she is doing so illegally.
she bugs me, that lady.

***

every day after work i make this snack.

it's so yummy.
plain or vanilla yogurt with a spoonful of peanut butter and honey and bananas stirred in.
try it soon and prepare to be hooked.

***

i spent a few hours one night this week looking at all the things i've pinned on my pinterest.
some really good stuff on there, if i do say so myself.

are you on pinterest yet? tell me!
i want to follow you!

***

remember when i did my house tour at heather's blog?
do you remember how nice and clean my laundry room was?

well, those days are over.
i can't see the floor and the clothes pile is making its way out the door.
it's gotten so bad that my mother has offered to help.
she obviously hasn't seen how bad it really is or she would be running down the street screaming.
i have no shame.

***

what else...
hmmm...
oh yes! tax time is coming.
if you donated to our reece's rainbow account and received a receipt, please don't forget to add that on your tax forms.
so many of you have donated to a reece's rainbow family this past year, or charity water, or free wheelchair mission etc, don't forget to claim it as a deduction!

***

well guys, friday's here.
we made it to the weekend.
makes me feel AWESOME.
you are awesome too.
just for being here.
thank you!
have a wonderful weekend my friends.

weird.

it's kinda been a weird week.
poor benny boy has been sick.
i think it's a virus, but man alive, it sure is hanging around for a long time.
last night john and i were both worried about him, then this morning he wakes up hungry and ornery right from the start!
this is where having a nonverbal kid really throws a wrench in the system.
if only he could tell us what hurts...
anyways, little prayers would be extremely helpful!

work is weird too.
i feel so easily distracted and it's been really difficult to concentrate.
i have such a short attention span...shorter than usual anyways.
finding myself thinking of davis all the time, praying for his wellness and health, praying for the Lord to calm my anxious heart.

soooo, anyways....
i bought myself a new case for my iphone and it's fab.
love, love, love!
it's the little things in life, i tell ya!
i do need to know though, since when are phone cases so pricey?
i also loved these cases too. (it was so hard to choose!)

let's see, what else is new?
i got nothing.
just the same old same old for this thursday morning.
have a great day.

pottery barn, the torture.

oh man, the pottery barn spring and summer catalogs are out.
they are filled with such temptations.
over-priced, gloriously styled, beautiful images...
oh the torture.

sometimes i feel like i am their one and only target audience.

i daydream through the catalog pages, dog-earring all my favorite pages.

these people are geniuses.
yep.

i really dream about making my home a pretty, light-filled, stylish and homey place.
this pictures are an inspiration.

soooooo, what stores and catalogs inspire YOU?
tell me! i would love to know!

just to remember...

tonight anna finally lost her front tooth.
it has been hanging on by a thread for a few weeks and frankly, it was annoying me.
well, tonight, as we were eating dinner at my mom and dad's house, she bit into a piece of bread and it was a dangling, bloody mess.
she saw the blood and lost her mind.
i walked her to the bathroom and while pretending to try and stop the blood, i gave the tooth a teeny tiny tug and out it fell.
tears turned into smiles and the boohooing, like a switch being flipped, stopped instantly.
thanks be to God.

*****

i was in the bathroom this afternoon while josh and ben were playing.
all of a sudden, loud screaming squeals were heard echoing through the house.
it was soooo LOUD.
i ran out to find ben laughing and running.
i asked josh, "what was that squealing??"
josh smiled and said, "those were squeals of JOY, mom!"

*****

it is freezing here and snowed all evening.
we were still at my folks for dinner, and the kids were acting loud and wild (are you seeing a theme here?!).
josh and anna were picking on each other and anna started acting sassy, sassier than her normal sassy.
my dad wasn't having any of it.
he told her, "if you don't stop that, i'll go outside and throw your tooth in the snow and you'll never be able to find it!"
i was shocked and surprised he would say something like that.
and then i got hysterical laughing.
i guess he told her.

*****

that's all for tonight.
i need sleepy.

the boys.

listen, these boys are an interesting breed.
they are a mix of rough & tumble and super sensitive.
they like jumping.
they like to push boundaries.
they like to be messy and wild.

but they also like to be together.
they like to snuggle.
they like to tickle.
they like to growl at each other and laugh.
they like to wrestle and giggle and pretend to fall on each other.
they like to hide under pillows and blankets and pretend they are in a fort in the middle of a great battle.
they have a style all their own, a language all their own, a love all their own.

i can only imagine how crazy things are going to be when we add another boy to this famiy.
crazy indeed.
crazy good.
my boys.