You belong to me...

Dear Mom,
It's 10:00pm on May 13th and for the first time in my life I have not talked to you on Mother's day. I googled the distance between us... it's 9,000 miles, a great big country, and a giant pacific ocean to where you are. 


I miss you from the top of my head to the tip of my toes, but my heart is overflowing with pride and thanksgiving for the Mom that God has blessed me with. 


A mom who is willing to fly to the other side of the world alone to fulfill the call God has placed on her life. A mom who gave up 5 weeks worth of wet kisses, wrinkly forheads and chubby baby cheeks to minister to people she has never met. A mom who rediscovered her love for adventure and chose to embrace it in the latter years of her life... and a mom who loves the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength. 


Just so you know, you teach me things even in your absence.


Tonight I found myself humming the tune of a favorite song...one that has significance on many levels...


"See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sunrise from a tropic isle
Just remember darling all the while
You belong to me

See the market place in old Algiers
Send me photographes and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me
I'd be so alone without you
Maybe you'd be lonesome too

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me

I'd be so alone without you
Maybe you'd be lonesome too

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me..."



Thanks for being a wonderful Mom, friend and role-model for me. I love you!

Oh so yummy!

Most mornings it is around 11:30 by the time I get around to eating breakfast...between getting Hunter and I ready for our day, and doing laundry, dishes, etc...breakfast gets banished to the bottom to the to-do list:) 

Earlier this week I decided to try a yummy baked oatmeal recipe that a friend had given me...and oh my it turned out yummy!

Now each morning I just cut myself a sliver and voila, breakfast is served!

Here's the magic combination:
1/2 cup cooking oil (I used veggie oil)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
3 cups oatmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Mix it all together, spoon it into a pie pan, bake at 350 for 30-35 mins, enjoy!!

I really like mine warmed up with some apple slices or fresh fruit...but if you like it moist, it would be delectable with a little warm milk and almonds on top...or raspberries...or blueberries...or really anything;)

Do you have any favorite recipes that helps to keep breakfast on the schedule in your house?

Paper & Yarn...

Do you have a "go-to" way that you like to wrap your gifts? Do you like to use bags and tissue paper? or do you prefer wrapping paper and ribbons?
Lately my "go-to" method has been simple...paper and yarn. I have two big rolls of paper- one is brown postal paper, and the other is white craft paper... and instead of ribbon I have been using up my yarn scraps, which gives a sweet handmade look to my packages and adds a cheery splash of color!
If the gift itself is too pretty to cover up... leave part of it unwrapped and add a coordinating flower or trinket (in this case miniature faux fruit:) on top! And, in lieu of cards I have been trying to use up some postcards that I have collected from various trips over the years...I like the personal touch that they add:)


What's your favorite wrapping style? Have anything your stuck on using right now?

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Savvy Southern Style

Delightful Order

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Yesterday on Tuesday

gift ideas for mom's day!

Hello Friends!

I'm back with a few Handmade Mother's Day gift ideas to share with you all...

these are gifts I have made for other occasions in the past...they are simple and sweet... a perfect way to show your mom how much you care!

photo coasters...
These little lovelies are great for the sentimental mom on your list:) I made them for quite a few family members this past Christmas, as well as a set for our home...and I have to say, I love them! It makes me smile every time I walk past the coffee table and see all the people I love smiling back at me =)

For a full tutorial on how to make these, click here:)

lavender eye pillows & sachels...

When I decided to make some of these little treats, I ordered a big bag of dried lavender in bulk online...a week later a sweet smelling box arrived on my doorstep! I have used these as both christmas and birthday gifts for various friends and family members, and am tempted to make myself a set!

For a full tutorial on how to make similar goodies, click here!

crocheted scarf and matching flower pin...

Although this gift is ideal for the colder months of winter...you can be sure your mom will be counting down the days until she can wear your handmade creation! This particular pin and infinity scarf was a gift for my mother-law-law, whose birthday was in January...but I have made a few more similar ones in the months since to give as gifts... and I made myself one as well;)




For a full tutorial on a similar little flower pin, click here!

Hope everyone is having a great week and that these ideas have gotten your creative juices flowing;)

Sharing with:
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Savvy Southern Style

Baseball and Fatherhood...

Yesterday we took Hunter to his first baseball game...(this week has been full of lots of firsts;) along with Hunter's Mom-mom, Grammy and Pappy, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins...

Growing up in a house with all girls, we never really got into sports that much...so for me, a baseball game is all about the sights, sounds, and smells. I thoroughly enjoyed the smell of french fries and hot dogs cooking, the taste of nachos drenched in cheese whiz, and the sounds of people yelling at bad calls, missed catches, and the little men running around the bases...hehe

For my hubby, who grew up playing baseball...yesterday held more significance. He was thrilled to take his little man to a ball game, just like his dad used to take him. He repeated multiple times throughout the day, "oh man, I miss this game". He cannot wait until Hunter is old enough to play catch in the backyard and join a community league with him...just like he did with his dad.

It makes me so proud and thankful when I hear about all the things my hubby wants to teach and pass on to his son, and all the memories he plans to make. It makes me SO grateful for his wonderful Dad and Pop-pop, who took the time to do these things with him...teaching him the value of father-son time and a good 'ol game of ball...but mostly? It makes me fall even more in love with my hubby as I see what an amazing dad he is:) He genuinely cares and is intentional about fatherhood...

On the way to the field yesterday, Mike and I were laughing about a little argument we got in before we left the house and I said, "do you think Pop-pop is in heaven laughing at us when we fight and make up...amused at how young we are?" 


"Absolutely", Mike said, "we probably sound just like him and Mom-mom sixty years ago..." 


We both smiled as we linked hands....


"One thing is for sure", Mike continued, 


"Pop-pop would have loved going to the game with us today...he wouldn't have missed it for the world..."


we both fell silent for a minute...


"Oh, I'm sure he will be there", I replied.


and I am certain that he was...probably grinning from ear to ear watching his grandson hold his baby in his lap and tell him about the game.

After the game everyone headed back to our house for some hot roast beef sandwiches, baked beans, and this awesome baseball cake that my sister-in-law whipped up for the occasion (we were celebrating multiple birthdays).


Then my hubby brought out his 4-wheeler to give all the kids rides, which they loved;)

All in all it was a great weekend:) 


And guess what?? Next weekend is Mother's day already!! Come back later this week, I have some gift and wrapping ideas coming!!!

The Zoo!!

On Monday, Hunter, myself and some of our favorite peeps when to the zoo!! It was his first trip...and I think he liked it :D


I thought I would share some pictures from our little adventure! 

Happy Wednesday, Friends!!

The Highs and Lows...

      High: Yesterday was my Hubby’s birthday. I intended to give him a proper birthday salute on this here blog…but the day was filled with lots of running around (namely driving an hour from home for a “real” prosciutto sandwich to surprise him with at lunch time:)…so one day late… Happy Birthday Babe! I love you so much and am blessed beyond compare to have you in my life…I cannot imagine being a mom without you by my side being a dad…You challenge and inspire me daily and love me in the best ways possible and I. am. Blessed.

       Low: We had dinner with my Grandma on Monday night, which in itself is a high, but she has dementia, which is getting me pretty low. Prior to having Hunter, I prided myself in my optimism surrounding my Grandma’s memory loss. But sitting in the booth two nights ago, repeatedly reminding her who my son was brings tears to my eyes. My grandma has been a best friend to me for years. I remember my sister and I fighting over the phone as little girls, anxious to hear her voice on the other end…telling her the triumphs of our day, and smiling at her familiar cackle when we made her laugh. I lived for that cackle…I remember thinking, “Grandma thinks I’m funny… yes!!” In recent years my goal has remained the same…I tell funny stories, recall sweet memories, and poke gentle fun at her…and when a laugh escapes her lips it makes me smile. The problem is…its becoming harder and harder to draw it out of her lately… she doesn’t follow my words or the people in my story…she doesn’t remember the start of the sentence by the time I end it. It is making my heart ache.

        

      High: My mom is one of the bravest women I know. She flies out of this country in a few short hours to travel half way around the world to spend the next 5 weeks with strangers. She is serving the Lord, she is going alone, and she is making me proud.  I am thrilled at the thought of what this trip will teach her and how God will shape her heart through the experiences she will have. She is a woman of faith and one of my best friends. I’m gonna miss you Momma! GO live it up!

        Low: A dear friend of mine is going through a difficult time with her husband and it is tearing me up. Sometimes I think we forget just how sacred marriage is until it is threatened to be destroyed.  It leaves me with two thoughts: Marriage was made for life … and anything short of that can cause mass and sometimes irreversible destruction.  Stay married. Pray it out. That’s my mantra. (obviously there are some circumstances where this is not possible or healthy, I know)

        

      High: My little guy continues to light up my life. I find myself missing him when he takes a nap. I go in his room to sneak a peek at him while he sleeps, and secretly wish that the creaking floorboards I step on would wake him up so we can smile at each other and he can grab my face with his chubby little fingers. He is heavenly. And he looks just like my hubby… which is a major bonus;)

I hope this post isn’t too much of a downer ;) …all in all life is beautiful and full…but I can’t always just share the good and not the bad…right?

And how about you?  Is anyone else thanking God today for good husbands, babies, and mommas?  Or maybe feeling a mix of jumbled emotions, like me?