Just thinkin ...

I stumbled upon a blog of a fun, young writer who is the daughter of a friend of mine
And she did this cool post " If we were on a coffee date with you " and shared what she would be filling you in on if she was sitting across from you sharing a coffee.
I just liked the concept so much that I decided to try it too

If I were on a coffee date with you ....
I would be drinking a Apricot Ceylon iced tea from Coffee Bean because it is by far MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE !  It has been for years, and I don't get to enjoy them near enough
I have them brew it fresh for me and then ice it because it is extra strong that way
And I  love their crunch ice ...perfection

I would tell you how much I have LOVED reading lately ! I devour one book and move onto the next with such excitement. I am on Goodreads so come find me ! I love this site so much because it keeps you organized and allows you to see what your friends are reading and loving !  I can spend hours browsing for new books and getting excited about what to read next. This morning I found the 2014 Beach Read guide and already added a few to my list.  I am currently reading " The invention of wings " and so enjoying it 


I would also tell you about my day with my best friends. Last week  I spent a belated Mothers Day with the boys and Ashlyn. We had such a nice day. Ashlyn had gotten us all  lunch from my favorite place in San Diego " Con Pane"  {The Turkey club is the bomb}  And they all gave me the sweetest , most tender cards. And Travlyn gave me a beautiful framed pic of Beckham and I and some amazing Meyer lemon olive oil. I have been obsessed with Meyer Lemons this year ! It was a fun day and I always drive away with the happiest heart and a smile that lasts for days.

And lastly I would tell you how much I love Tim McGraws new song " meanwhile back at mommas"  There is something about that song that makes me happy ! If you haven't heard it click here and give it a listen. So sweet, and nostalgic  

Well thanks for meeting me for coffee
I am off to go float in the pool and swim !  I feel terrible for ditching out on church today but am wiped out and needing a little bit of quiet time. My sweet hubby just left without me. I love that he is such a Godly man who will go alone even if I dont. Please forgive me Lord
But I will chat with Him while I float and thank Him for all the blessings in my life.  I am overwhelmed with thankfulness  !
Wishing you all a beautiful week filled with love and giggles!!   

And speaking of giggles, sadly this reminded me of me ....

Bunco Joys !

We had a bunco wedding !!
And wowowow was it incredible !

Sweet Katie and Dan have a daughter Bridget who married a great guy Cameron
And we all were so blessed to attend this fabulous event ! It was a bit emotional as we have all known Bridget since she was 3 or 4 and watched her grow up into this lovely young lady
It was such a meaningful service by their sweet pastor 
And lets face it ...the Atwoods know how to throw a party.
Complete with Dom Perignon at every table and the best food and drinks I have ever had !  
They were the most stunning couple and Katie was a vision as mother of the bride. I only have  a couple snaps from my phone but am anxiously awaiting the professional pics from The Crandalls  {Who I think are the BEST photographers ever}  
I love these ladies so much and feel like I have sisters when we are all together.

There is nothing more tender than a daddy daughter dance, and yes this beautiful bride rode in on her horse

It was all right out of a movie and we felt so blessed to share this day with them ....
Wishing you kids a lifetime of joy and love !! We love you

Then the following Thursday I hosted bunco at my house ! Of course we never played. We just ate and chatted about the wedding! It was all we could talk about
I decided to have breakfast for dinner and it was so yummy  !
We had yogurt parfaits, mini BLT sandwiches, a donut tower, egg casserole and potatoes, fresh berries and banana pudding. It was so fun and I loved designing the menu and cooking for my friends.

 We also celebrated Jodies birthday !! 

Paula Deens banana puddin 

 It was a wonderful night sitting aorund my dining room table sharing life stories and being friends
 I am so blessed by these girls and their friendships !

Here's to the friends who became family !!
Who knew my life would be forever changed and blessed by dice !  

Catching up,,,

I just hate when I fall behind on blogging and so much has happened that I haven't written about. 
Of course first thing is Beckham is 2 ! 
Ashlyn had the most darling brunch/ party for him with a pancake bar, donut tower and lots of beautiful details. That girl amazes me with what she can put together. Even though it poured rain and she had to move the whole thing inside  it was picture perfect and he of course was darling !
And we found out that day when they popped the balloons and pink confetti came out that they are having a GIRL!!
YaYa is in heaven with the idea of that  !!!  God is so good  and I love her so much already 

We also had such a fun family dinner down in La Jolla ! We all met at Chads house and walked to a restaurant nearby and laughed and ate. Beckham kept leaning into me and hugging me so tight. I couldn't help myself and started crying with the sheer joy of his love for me !  He truly loves his YaYa and Papou ......We are putty in his hands I tell ya

This family of mine is my biggest joy and every minute spent with them are my
 very favorites

And in other big news guess who is potty trained?
At two !!!

Gosh I think my kids were almost three? But this sweet boy is rockin his super hero underwear and telling his Momma " pee pee momma"  Good Job Becks !

We also had a fun moms dinner night with the girls and our sweet friend Vickie flew in for a wedding and was able to join us. It was so fun to all be together and  it makes me realize how much I miss seeing her every month.

I still have so much to share !! A trip to Kentucky and Nashville with my sis and niece that was a absolute blast is next up on the blog !
But I will end with this....
As some of you know I had a really sad parting  with my best friend Sandy
It was a hurt in my heart that never ever went away and I missed her in my life more than I ever admitted. I thought being away would be easier, but when you love someone and have shared such a long history and so much of your lives it just felt like I had lost such a big  piece of my heart. We had both text each other "happy birthdays" and then she one day text " can we meet for lunch " Of course I said yes and was a nervous wreck.It had been more than two years. We met at a restaurant half way between our houses and  laughed, cried, prayed, and talked for five hours.
We left there wondering how our friendship would be from that point forward ? Could we pick back up and be good friends again?  But we were happy that at least we had settled things and truly forgave each other.
It has been a month and I cant tell you how happy I am that she is back in my life !

We both were wrong, and stubborn and  thought the best thing was to let it go
But I am so thankful for a God who wants us to work things out and give grace and love to people in our lives and restore fellowship even though we may be hurt.  
I was so sorry and so was she...
And I cant tell you how happy we are that us crazy Greek/ Portuguese  girls are back burning up the phone lines and texting our crazy random thoughts
This precious , long time friendship was worth fighting for 

True friendship isn't being inseparable, it's being separated, and nothing changes

So I end this post with a encouragement to reach out to someone if you are estranged from them. Call or text and make a move to love even though you may be right or justified not to. Life is so short and we may be right but being loving is what God calls us to do !
And who knows that restored relationship might be such a huge blessing to your life !!

Things are changin around here

And not in a  good way !
Its my house ! 
It used to always be CLEAN!
Like who's coming over clean ? 
But lately.....
Not so much
The other night we had some fur balls so big I thought we had a possum in the house !
Brody has been shedding so much and I really need to vacuum every single day , but some days  I simply pretend I don't see it
And today behind my cute white hamper in the laundry room I reached behind for a sock and it was ensnared in dust. I used to clean behind the washer and dryer and now I just kinda dustbuster around it and pretend its not that bad. But after seeing it today I busted out the rags and scrubbed probably a year of grime off the floor

Its a cry for help I tell ya....I used to Windex the counters and mirrors every single morning  before work and today you could grow guppies behind my bathroom  sink

I would always hang all our clean laundry and put it away and now we are back to "stacks" in the hallway. I just tell Steve to check his "stack" when he asks where a shirt is
What the heck?   

It was a slippery slope I tell ya, but as I always say I will drop everything to go play or to be with Beckham or to read a great book. And somehow even my imaginary maid  quit showing up ? { her name is Consuela and I call for her all the time to no avail }  
So on this rainy Sunday I am going to tackle this mess !
I am hooked on Fabulouso cleaner in lavender that my sister in law Sandy turned me onto so I fill sinks with hot water and pour some of that in and go to town. It makes it seem even cleaner when it has that fresh smell.  
Pray for me that my joy of having a clean house returns and once again I look like her !

But lets be honest she never had to take her turn on words with friends, or answer email or wipe up dirty paws on a dog who loves to go out in the rain. She is never distracted by Facebook and instagram or the Bachelor just waiting to be watched. Also Survivor started this week and its a GREAT season So its going to be a miracle if I can find the time I had  before!
These dust bunnies just might need to be named and become part of the family !

Post Script....I swear no sooner than I hit Publish and Carter said "come on lets get out of the house for a bit , so we went and got pedicures and had lunch at his favorite spot Temecula Pizza Co "
See what I mean??  Who can say no to that??  At least when my housework does get done my toes will look pretty on the hard wood floors  

I am lovin....

Sometimes I just really love things and want you to know !
{ because maybe you will love them too }
 I get way over excited about things and food and books and music
And I assume everyone wants to know....
So here are a few of my favorite things lately

Boom Chicka Pop ~
I had this at the kids house and went nuts over it ! I text Ashlyn and asked where she gets it and she said Target ! So I stopped on the way home and bought 4 bags ! It is so delish and pretty healthy
{ unless you eat the whole bag in one sitting,but who would do that?? }
Do yourself a "flavor" and get a bag or seven

On Valentines I wanted to make Carter a special dinner. He is a meat and potato guy  so I usually make a heart shape meatloaf with ketchup on the top. But I wanted to make something more fun. I usually never make Sandra Lee recipes but saw her make this Salisbury Steak one day and it was rated 5 stars!

So I  tried it with mashed potatoes and corn and he LOVED it ! It was pretty darn tasty and we will for sure have it again. I even used the cognac it called for and it added great flavor.
So retro ...but yummy
So if you want to  try a new recipe click here and give it a whirl. You will be wanting to eat it on TV trays next to the lava lamps  !

I got this great hair stuff from my sweet daughter in law for Christmas and I LOOOOVVVEEE it!
It smells so good and makes your hair so soft and healthy.  I spray a bit on while my hair is damp and then dry as usual. It is magic ! Another one of the fun reasons I love having a daughter in my life. She gives the best gifts  !

If you like Greek yogurt you will love this one ! I am hooked on the Vanilla with almonds.
It is creamy and flavorful and they give you just the right amount of yummy toasty almonds to add in. It is 200 calories but with all the ones you save by eating the popcorn you can indulge   :)


And of course no post of what I love is complete without this guy !
He knows his YaYa so well now and I love the way he says my name. He is the cutest kid with the sweetest heart. I am headed down to see him tomorrow so Ash can get her hair done and I am counting the minutes until I can squeeze him to bits.  On March 1 he will be 2 ! Crazy how fast it went.  They are having a brunch and the invites were darling. They were tied with a little yellow string so that's why it is showing, but just look at this cutie with his pancakes !  

I love you all and wish you a happy week filled with things that delight you !
And lots and lots of giggles ! 

Bragging rights ...

I know....
I already put it on Facebook and told everyone I know about Chads rescue but I want to make sure I blog it too! 
This sweet boy of mine is worthy of it..
Somewhere there is a momma who still has her son because of mine !
That dawns on me often
This particular day the waves were huge! We were all down at the beach watching the surfers since I was in San Diego watching Beckham for a couple days . I had met up with my sweet friend Brian from Albertsons and we were watching the huge surf. Chad had already made one rescue of a surfer who got caught in the waves. Chad was bandaged up because he had cut his leg on the reef.
And an hour later he got this call. A guy was unconscious in the water and Chad was the first responder.
We were at Travs having dinner and he was telling us the story and mentioned " yeah I might be on the news tonight "

 

 Then his phone started getting texts and people saying "I think we saw you on TV"
 Here is the link....to the  news story! ..
I am so proud of this boy of mine for so many reasons but this day I am extra thankful God placed him where he needed to be  !  Chad never has fear of these circumstances and just jumps right in knowing he is capable of it
He is going to hate this post but this momma cant help herself.
The Cleavers are so proud of  you Beaver :)  

New Beginnings !

Another saying my mom LOVED  was " New beginnings "
I have shared before how much I love a new month, a new calendar, a  flip of the page and a fresh start !
I am thankful for Gods amazing grace because He truly does make all things new
No matter how far we go in the wrong direction it is always just one step back in the right direction

And I am always mindful of His grace and forgiveness to us and a chance again and again for a new beginning 
I am not a resolution person ! 
As I sit here...
I'm in jammies although it is only 5 pm. It was a long day and I was so cold so I climbed into my flannels and am happy as a clam.I am drinking a Bargs diet root beer with lots of ice and a straw
I should resolve to not drink diet soda and not to eat sugar although I must have had at least ten "King Leo" soft mints that were in my purse while I was out running errands today
But its ok....
I am not only going to give grace to others but I am going to give it to myself as well.
I made a note on my iphone titled
" Twenty Fourteen"
And I have been jotting down ideas and goals for this new year
I have areas in my life that I truly want to work on
But I know I will fail....
And I am going to let myself and other people down
But my heart is right and my motive is to be better and have more days that I can look back and see improvement  
Here are some of my ideas that I jotted down~ 
Find more time for reading  { I LOVE to read and often do not carve out enough time}
Give away more...Simplify my life and house { this has been fun! I hate to throw things away so I have been taking things to work and posting a note saying if you can use this please take it! And I swear at the end of my shift its gone! Cookbooks, candles, purses, candy, you name it ! People seem to love my stuff and it is way more fun that trying to sell it for a few dollars}
Send Sara more mail  { she LOVES mail like her auntie and I am going to send more cards and notes. Such a small thing that brings her such joy }
Walk the meadow three times a week with Brody { we both love it so much and it's so good for us }
No cell phone while in public! { no checking it while with people at lunch. I have been guilty of the thing I truly resent, so time to put myself on check and keep it away } 
Pay off all debt! { almost there but determined to wipe it all out this year! }

This is my mantra for the year.....
I saw this graphic on a blog somewhere and forgive me for not giving credit but I truly cant remember where it was. It was a few months ago and it struck a cord!
I am going to simply  BE , spend more of my time content to simply BE
I can often be a spazz, and get wound up with plans and packing more than I should into my days to give them "meaning"  But this year I am going to try to be more still
To Be Simple and Simply Be !
What are your dreams this year? I would love to know! I will be praying they come true for you!
And if they dont ...I will be praying you will be ok with it
Walk in Grace and give yourself a little slack
Swing on the swings, have a donut,  stay up late watching movies, let the dust be
Life goes way too fast  !
 



     

Happy Christmas !!

Today is the 15th which means just ten more days until Christmas !!
And I'm ready...
And so happy about that
Most of our gifts are wrapped,and under the tree with cute little homemade pom poms
My "thing" this year
Its been a busy,  fun season and I have loved it so much
I hosted our second annual "Favorite Things" party and we had a blast!
I made lentil soup, tortilla soup with all the fixins, and a big delicious spinach salad.
There was going to be 7 of us and our dear friend Vickie who moved away was going to face time with us and send her gifts ahead of time
Well I went to answer the door and who was there?  
Yep she flew in for the fun !

We were all so shocked!
We had the best time and were so blessed with lots of fun gifts!!
Some of our "favorite" things were
Soft lips mint chapstick  {which is fabulous} Soft cozy socks,Candles and a cute vase,Frozen Yogurt gift certificate,Tea, and Christmas Kleenex, wine chillers, Homemade Christmas wreaths {which were to die for cute and I got one! Thanks Vickie}  A cozy "red" blanket, and I gave my favorite scalloped cake plate.
Hilarious Janice wanted to include a piece of Sees  candy but was over her $7.00 limit so she made her hubby meet her at Sees and they stood in line twice to get samples !
We  all cracked up because only she would go to so much trouble to bless her friends and still follow the rules
We had lots of laughter and fun and decided we are going to have another Summer Favorite Things party because we dont want to wait another year.

Good friends, great conversations, giggles and hot cocoa ....
I cant think of anything  more perfect !
The gift of friendship is the very best of all ! 
ps
If I could have given a perishable gift it would be these!!!  Do yourself a favor and try these.
It is my new favorite thing and I am addicted. They pop in your mouth and are so juicy and fresh
Trust me ......

We love fighting over gifts !

My bunco group is soon having our annual Christmas Party !
We always have so much fun, and include the guys for a night of merriment and cheer!
There is much laughter and always great food
Then us girls have a gift exchange with a $30.00 dollar limit
We draw names, open the gifts and steal like crazy to get the one everyone wants
Its all such good fun, and most of the time no one gets hurt

So I try like crazy to find that one terrific gift that will be the hit of the party and everyone will scratch and claw for!

So I am asking you, My sweet readers to help me find the perfect present !
What has been a gift that was so fun to receive ?
No gift cards...
A real gift...
One worth getting ghetto "get me some of that" crazy over
My tree is up
My mantle is done
The stockings are hung !
I have been a busy elf , and this one gift has me stumped
Send me your thoughts elves 
I Love you ~ Mrs Claus 

One day...

My new, old friend Chris { Who is remarkable,more on her later }
had on her instagram the idea of sharing a day
Just a ordinary "day in your life"
I took the pictures but was so busy that the "day" got away with me
So I thought I would blog my day
It was Wednesday
My least favorite day because it is the day we change prices at work and I am up and off early !!!  I leave my house at 2:45 am    #nevergetseasier

I had been down to see Beckham Tuesday and Ashlyn brought me the yummiest pumpkin treat from my favorite spot in San Diego {Con Pane} so I took it to work and shared it with my girls over Starbucks coffee.  I would have rather eaten the whole thing but I was extra nice since Santa is coming ! 

After work I had a hair appointment with my doll Kristy ! She is the cutest and so darn fun to be with. She was running late so I snapped a pic of her putting on her shoes in the car {and by shoes I mean killer boots that were darling } Left her place with a new do and all the gray gone!

Then I put out these darling flowers that I picked from the kids back yard! Flowers always make me so happy  !

I ran a few errands extra happily because I found a ALL Christmas station ! Makes not having my satellite anymore so much more bearable.I know its only Nov 13th but clearly I am not the only one who loves to start the season off early  

When I got home there was a box from Amazon.Everyone knows this girl LOVES her mail and getting packages. It was full of Christmas gifts for my loves so of course that thrilled me 

That night I was going to be away in the evening so I decided to make my hubby a nice dinner. Even though he said he was fine with making a quick sandwich, I know he appreciates it.Not too pretty but delicious and in my favorite pot from Le Creuset !

Then it was off to Book Club for me !  We met at Macaroni Grill for appetizers, drinks and  always great conversation !  We picked our book for next month. Wally Lambs new book" We are water" We all really like him and are anxious to read this one

Got home at seven, threw in a load of laundry and snuggled on the couch. Then off to bed at 9 because it had been a long busy day !
I don't remember but I bet my sleep was filled of dreams of my little best friend! I had the best day with him and his love for those silly gnomes by their house makes me smile! I saw him kiss two and hurriedly put my phone on video to capture the last kiss. He slays me!

It was a good day, a ordinary day, but looking back it was filled with love and joy !
And those are the best days of all