Hawaii links

My sister is doing a much better job documenting with pictures (you just have to avert your eyes from the mushy newlywed stuff!)

Here's day two. (day three is them risking their lives going SCUBA diving-I sat on the beach SAFELY reading my book while W went golfing!)

Here's day four.

Enjoy day five, here.

aunts S&B visit on their way

W's sisters Sarah and Becca just graduated from college (yay!) and decided to uproot and try out Florida living for a while! So they found a place to live and stopped by Arkansas for a visit on their way! It was wonderful to see them and the girls had a blast with their aunts!

somewhere during the visit, Miss M took a special liking to Sarah.

and wouldn't let go after that! :)
Saturday, we went to the farmer's market, strolled downtown, went to storytime at the library and had lunch at one of our faves:
It was really fun to see the twins, and it was fun to watch my girls bond with them all over again!
We are hoping they love their new home and we're excited to visit them! :)

Summer Reading Reviews: June

My mother in law asked "where June went" on facebook this morning.

I've decided I read it away! A week on the beach and quiet social life make for a heavy reading month for me!

I have a tendency to request a bunch of books and they all come in at the same time, so I also had a bit of a jam to get them read fast!

First up was Sarah Addison Allen's newest Southern gem!
I love this author. I have decided I will probably read all of her books. I love the quaint southern towns. I love the characters!!! I love how her books have characters that you love and relate to! I love the twist of magic and the little mystery in each tale! The Sugar Queen and Garden Spells are her best but this one was a lovely book as well!!

I got The Forgotten Garden from my mother in law over a year ago, started it a bunch of times but always got distracted by something and then would forget who all the times and characters were! I took it to Maui which was perfect! A week to dive in, get lost in the story and then get sucked in!!
The Forgotten Garden was fascinating, complicated, and I ALMOST guessed the twist but didn't quite get it right but it definitely kept me going, wanting to know what happened! It travels between different time periods from the present character, to her grandmother thirty years ago, to her great grandmother 70 years ago, to even further back a hundred years, weaving these characters' tales together, their histories, and how they all became the people they are until it all resolves. It was definitely A good read!

I traded books with Mom the last day in Hawaii, and brought home the newest Sookie Stackhouse novel.

It is our guilty pleasure. They are fun, you have to cover your eyes and skip a few parts, but they are fun. So sue me! You learn a lot more about the different kinds of "supes" in this one, so it was good to read. But if she doesn't end up with Sam (her boss who is a LIVING shapeshifter) I'm going to be disappointed!

When I got home from Hawaii, my mother in law had picked up my library holds and even read one of the books while I was gone! I knew it had to be page turner!

The Glass Castle is our book club read for July, so I'll keep my thoughts to myself for a few more days! :)

My mil also read another hold she picked up for me while she was here! (I love talking books with her-she always has good suggestions!)
I will probably always read Mary Higgins Clark. She is formulaic, she is predictable (I figured out the twist and the end!) but she is also clean, clever, and I still always get sucked in to each story!

I have moved on to Entwined by Heather Dixon and City of Bones is overdue so I may not get to that one for a while!

What are you reading????

Bottled Rainbows for 12squared!

This month's quilting assignment is a bottled rainbow.

You frame a white square with a solid color. Then you piece on the white square with scraps that match the border. Fun, huh!

This was my first layout. It changed a bit once I started sewing it together!

It was fun to do another new technique and I can't wait to see all the rainbows together!

Hawaii-the beginning

I looked at this picture every time I got homesick for my girls. I love this one with my lulu, taken just before we left!

We arrived late Sunday night and got up EARLY Monday morning to drive up to the top of the crater, Mt. Haleakala. It was very windy and very cold and very worth it! I am not sure I've gotten up to see the sunrise anywhere before so I'm glad we did this!
It's W and me. I promise! (did I mention I couldn't find my camera charger, hence all pics are either iphone quality or stolen from my sibs)
It was gorgeous
we stopped on the way down at a cafe for a very yummy breakfast!
We heard it was a good place to kiss!
This was the view from our lanai (porch). It was so lovely each and every day we were there!

my sister has posted some great pics and recaps. go to her blog for more as I slowly catch up!

mending fences

I avoid the blog when things are on my mind. I've noticed that. I would like to be totally open here, but I've discovered that I blog less when I'm having a problem or struggling with something. I don't want to air my dirty laundry, yet I also don't want to dance around like I'm fine and wonderful.

I'm lonely. One of my best friends just moved and I've been having problems with some others.

I'm utterly distraught about the house.

I'm trying.

but I also feel so ungrateful sharing this. I'm so blessed in so many ways, I just wish I could stop tearing up all day lately! (and no, i'm not pregnant)

I feel like Jo in Little Women who begged, why can't things just stay as they are?

Change is so hard.

return to normal programming...soon!

My mother calls it re-entry.

The awful days, post-vacation, post visit, post excitement-when the house is a wreck from crazy busy living, and the kids are a wreck because they've been playing hard and sleeping light, and the parents are a wreck because they're wondering where their relaxing vacation disappeared to.

Been there?

I'm there.

The internet is on the fritz lately. The house is slowly being put back together. The letdown of all the excitement is quite lonely. And I'm slowly washing EVERY SINGLE towel in my house (how did that happen? there were only seven of us!)

I'll be back soon with lovely pictures (or go visit facebook to see a lot of them!) of paradise!

back at the starting gate

We came home from an amazing week (pictures to come) to the news late last night that the sale has fallen through. The bank wanted more on the offer and the buyers immediately backed out. I'm quite devastated. I dreamed last night that I was back in high school. Those dreams only come when I'm stressed! :)

Well, the week was relaxing while it lasted! Here we go again!

Come back next week!

I'm off to paradise with my sweetie and family!

It's been too crazy to schedule posts, so I'm sorry I haven't been around much!

I promise lovely pictures when I return! :)

Hello June! Stay a while!

I'm probably the only one who noticed I didn't post goals for May.

I accomplished them. I moved. I cleaned the old yucky apartment and I moved into the new one.

I survived. Done. May is over, and I'm ready to move on!

Here are my lofty goals for the month:

**Swim a lot

**Go to Hawaii for six days and have real conversations with my sweet husband, remember him?

**Have quality family time with visiting relatives from Minnesota! We are so excited to see them!

**Find places for all my stuff, and if I can't find a place, get rid of it!!!

**Try not to spend a fortune on air conditioning... or curtains!

**Read my scriptures every day and pray every morning and night

**Smile

**Read a new book

**Make end of year presents for teachers

A few have asked about the Minnesota house. Your continued prayers and concern are so appreciated! We are currently STILL waiting for the bank (this is normal) to approve the short sale. The offer on the house expires at the end of July so we are hoping and praying that it gets approved soon!!