FaVoRiTe's come in all shapes and sizes......

Over the years I've posted "my favorites"...a little of this and a little of that~

the other day I was noticing a few more things that make me smile and 

happened to be some of my favorite things right now... I think I'll share...

I wished I could remember WHAT this adorable little gadget is called BUT I can't...

BUT I love it anyway. Its use is for cleaning computer screens and IPAD/IPOD/IPHONE/ (any cellphone) screens. It works like a charm, doesn't leave any streaks or smudges...I love it! I found it hanging over in one of the medicine isles in Walmart...paid $1.97 for it and its worth its weight in gold! Wished I had invented it!

This sign...it sits by my computer and reminds me every single day of something I fail to remember...many a day its given me that little "umph" I needed to "do a little more, be a little better"!

I inherited this beautiful quilt when my grandmother passed away. It was in an old trunk that my dad gave me. I really don't know the history behind it, but I love it because it was my grandmothers...I love it because it still smells like her house, I love it because its old and has a story to tell!

One of the halls in my house is adorned with a mass of pictures of my family...mostly of my children as they grew up. I love to walk down the hall and just reminisce about days gone by...about the funny and cute things they used to do and say....its one of my favorite places in my entire house...(the frames all need dusting but we won't tell anyone!)

MMMMMmmmmmm....peanut butter M&M's, need I say more?! They are just little

bites of heaven that act as little "pick-me-ups" once in awhile~ (sigh)

This is my new living room decor that I put up after Christmas came down...

the picture doesn't do it justice because its much cuter in person! 

I think I keep the ALTOIDS company in business...Cinnamon is my favorite and I eat

them by the handful...they are an appetite suppressant for me..ha ha ha!

Just to make myself clear, THIS picture is NOT a picture of the SNOW..SNOW IS NOT one of my favorite things! BUT on the contrary, this is a picture of the MELTING SNOW...now that IS one of my favorite sights to see, ESPECIALLY in JANUARY!

These AWESOME old KEYs...one of my favorite decor accents, aren't they fun!? 

Deron bought me these sketcher slippers for Christmas...they are the BEST slippers I've ever worn in my entire life! I ALMOST feel like I'm wearing a shoe, but not quite. I get a new pair of slippers almost every year for Christmas, usually because I am not satisfied with the ones I have...the insoles smash down, they don't give any support and they are uncomfortable. THESE are just the opposite...they are AMAZING!

I am a little OCD when it comes to organization. I LOVE to be organized...doesn't mean that it always happens, but I like to be none-the-less. Halle and I went through our DVD collection and alphabetized them all as well as numbered them...Its a great feeling to know EXACTLY where a movie is when and if I want to watch it (unless a son, whom we won't name, takes them too his room and sends me hunting for one)

I realize that when I buy a new DVD it will "mess things" up a bit, but NO WORRIES, I have a plan for that too!

One of my favorite things in my bedroom...I like that its a frame, in a frame, in a frame...bet you didn't

know that......PrettY cool DIY, right?!

Mike and Kim gave us a book for Christmas with pictures of their adventures for the year! I love it!! I like to see what my married kids have done all year, the places they've gone, the experiences they've had and the adventures they've been on...its a super fun book and I look at it all the time! Its priceless!

Jack and Dayna made me these darling pillows for our spare bedroom. I used to hate going in there because it seemed so BLAH...but now with those pillows on the bed, they give it the extra punch that it needed to brightened up the entire room! I love them!! It makes the room all "homey" and inviting....maybe I should hang out in there more often~

When I was just a wee young one, my mom gave me these dolls that were hers when she was little. I wrapped them in a towel and stored them in a box and that's where they have been for YEARS. I was going through some boxes at Christmas time and came across the dolls and decided that they needed to be displayed somewhere in my house....so out of the box they came and into a spot in my living room. I love things that have history. One day one of my children will get to have them sitting on a shelf in their home. 

These shells sit in a basket in my living room. I'm not a shell collector but these represent an experience that I had on a beach in Washington with my father in law...I cherish it, and so when I look at these shells in the basket sitting on my floor in the living room I am filled with love for my "other" dad and for how much he means to me! 

This is s shelf in Halle's room. Its a shelf that reminds her of who she is, what she wants to become and that she is a Daughter of God. I love her and am proud of the sweet young lady she is growing up to be! I love her and her ability to always try to do whats right!

Todd and Dana made me this beautiful wooden chest out of OLD PALLETS. Its just perfect for my dining room and I enjoy sitting on it and looking  out the window (it sits just below my dining room window). I love it!!

This cute little plastic flower sits in my windowsill. I bought it at the Dollar Store last year and its been the BEST dollar I ever spent. It is a solar flower and when the sun shines it "waves" back and forth...and brightens my day. I know, its cheesy and its dumb BUT its symbolizes something in my life so its actually meaningful to me! Sometimes the "little things" can be the BIG things!

LAST...BUT NOT LEAST....STRAWBERRIES!! I bought a container of these ruby red berries the other day in hopes that they would taste like "spring"..YIPPEE, they DID!! I bit into one and it just melted in my mouth. It was so sweet and juicy and tasted like I should be sitting out in the sun on a blanket getting some vitamin D (instead I sat at the table and watched the snow fall..oh well) BUT you know when the strawberries start coming on, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits and so to get to eat them again...and have them taste scrumptious...just made my day!

So there you have it...a few of my favorite things, 

they come in all shapes and sizes and are my favorites for so many reasons!

Happy Thursday!

SNoWmaNia........

SNOW..SNOW and more snow....

seems like its the weather mans favorite word lately. We got 8" of snow several weeks ago

that has just sat and crusted over in the icy cold temps...and now its snowing AGAIN....

I know that in the spring and summer months when the flowers are blooming and the

grass is green and the air smells like fresh cut alfalfa I will be thankful for 

the snow in January...but today, I just want to see the sun...feel the heat radiate from her rays 

and forget about the cold, gloomy grey skies outside!

 

The earth is  hibernating. The bushes look as though they are dead, the brown flower stems 

poke up from the ever frozen grown and the trees are left

to make me wonder if they will ever have green leaves on them again...

Winter is a quiet, cold time...with no color, no chirping sounds from the leafy tree tops

and no bubbling brooks...just quiet snow falling to the ground below. 

I watch the news and I'm grateful for the small, trivial amount of snow (although it doesn't feel that ways sometimes) that we are having right here....other parts of our state and country 

have PILES and piles of it...I really shouldn't complain!

The SUN WILL COME out tomorrow, right?!

Handy Man Cam

There isn't much that this boy can't do....he's my "Handy Man Cam"!!

The nice thing is...he likes to fix things up, he likes to "tinker" and he likes to be busy....

I'm a lucky mom, I'm glad that I have him...not just for "fixing things", but just for being my son!

Daughter Time....

I popped in and surprised Dayna for President's Day weekend...I thought 

she needed a break and a day to be pampered...so thats just what we did....GOT pampered.

We started our day with a pedicure and chair massage!

Dayna has had pedicures before and is a PRO at it...

I had never had a pedicure before so I wasn't sure what to expect. 

I have to say...it was WONDERFUL, so relaxing and fabulous! I will definitely be doing THAT again!

My darling "foot lady" was soooooo GOOD! She made me feel so comfortable and 

did an amazing job scrapping away all the calluses and "yuck" from my ugly feet...and then

gave me the most adorable toenails!  

Dayna and I both loved our pedicures and how our nails turned out...it was a great

start to our fun relaxing "Dayna" day!

We spent the rest of the day looking for big bargains at the thrift stores, going to lunch, 

eating cupcakes at the Sweet Tooth Fairy, going to "The Impossible" 

and basking in a bucket of movie popcorn! IT WAS A FABULOUS DAY!!

I'm glad I got to spend a wonderful, special day with one of my sweet daughters!

I love you Daynalee! 

Shards of Glittery Glass...a typical January day!

Putting the Christmas away this year was HARD...not difficult as in "task laden" but HARD because it meant the end of the Christmas season and a big huge welcome into January....the most dreaded month of the year for me! I DESPISE January, its frigged cold weather (its been down to -23 and hasn't got above 12 degrees or so for days), its seemingly endless days in the month and the fact that it is so ugly! I have no desire to leave my house, to venture into the cold to do anything. I just want to be home...! Winter isn't my thing!!

I was putting away the tree bulbs and the only 2 GLASS ornaments that I had, fell to their "death" and broke...all over my floor! They were loaded with gorgeous glitter designs and were larger than the other bulbs that adorned my Christmas tree, adding variety and texture to the decor. They were my favorites!..."WERE", being the operative word, after all "they are NO MORE"...now they are just a pile of sharp broken glass pieces.  I sat there and just stared at the pieces that scattered across my dining room floor, wondering why I had been so careless while taking them from the tree...why hadn't I taken them off one by one, handled them with better care instead of in bundles with the NON glass ornaments??...UHG! IT WAS ONE OF THOSE AWFUL, depressing, sad kind of days...and the breaking of my favorite tree ornaments was just the icing on the cake...it was a typical January day in my life. 

I have to say, I am anxiously awaiting the melting of the crunchy snow on my lawn, the return of the chirping birds and the sound of the buzzing bee's in my ears..............YES, I CAN'T wait. I know, I know... I have been told many times..."ENJOY the moment, find something good about a winter day, it's going to be HOT all summer and you will wish it was cold again...." YES, I've heard it all from many sweet, kind hearted, winter loving, good people....BUT winter (for me) is nothing but COLD, gloomy, dreary, dull and does nothing for me! I'm over it...and SOOOOOOOOO ready for spring! BUT on the bright side, I don't lack for things to do. Life is full and busy right now and I'm burying myself in my MANY "TO DO" lists and trying to forget about how cold it is outside my front door. I'm hoping January will result in a large amount of  "completed" projects and that February will pass by quickly...March will hopefully bring warmer days, melting snow and hints of spring! 

                                     

From Pillows to Toilet Seat Covers....ITS DONE!!

Finally, FINALLY....after 2 years (yes, seriously) our bathroom/master bedroom renovation is DONE!!!

It was a LONG process but its finished and I LOVE IT!!

I made pillows for my bed...to match the new comforter that I bought....2 YEARS AGO!

 ...and this is how they look on my bed! I adore the way it turned out.

The wall color is a little weird in this picture. Its a really light tan...and then 1 brown wall, very

earthy and cozy!

 My new bedroom wall decor...........a little "OLD" refurbished to make it NEW~

 AND the bathroom.....I still sort of feel as though I am getting ready in someone else's house, but

its slowly starting to feel like home!

 AND this is my vanity that I painted and shared with you in a previous post...it looks like

 it is supposed to go in here and I'm loving it!

 Cam is going to build doors on the cupboards that are being covered by the curtains...

and that will happen SOON!

 Here's another look at the bedroom.....

Its so NICE to lay my head on my pillow each night, look around

and see a that ITS FINALLY finished!

Here Comes Santa Claus

 I don't care how old you get, there is something FUN and THRILLING about coming down to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning to find that Santa has dumped his sleigh....it brings out the child in all of us...makes us all giddy with excitement and makes the world seem perfect...even if it is just for one day!

 The kids lined up on the stairs as they anxiously awaited the "OKAY" to come 

down and see what Santa brought them this year.

 Cameron was thrilled with his load of goods~

 and so was Halle~

 and so were Kim and Mike!

 Halle was a bit tired but managed to put on a smile anyway. 

 For years we have had the family tradition of making a GIGANTIC breakfast and having Deron's 

family over for the big feast...this year was no different. It always fun to spend the 

morning making Christmas Breakfast together and enjoying each others company. We really

missed having Erik there this year....he's always been there. He had a flat tire

when he woke up AND of course, being the morning that it was, there was no where to go to get it fixed, let alone another one. SO...he didn't get to come over! 

We always miss Dayna and Jack, they have their own Christmas at their house but they are

always in our thoughts and phone calls are made to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

 Todd and Dana and Kenron came over for Christmas
 breakfast and to open their presents from us.

Our sweet little Kayson is still in the hospital trying to get well enough to come home. We missed him but know that he is where he needs to be right now to get the best care that he can.

Christmas was so much fun, filled with lots of food, great company and lots of thoughts returning to the REASON FOR THE SEASON! What a wonderful year, what a wonderful family I have, and what a wonderful life I've been given.

 Good-bye 2012