this moment

a friday ritual

one photo, no words.

a moment from the week

that is precious to me.

i want to...

relearn to speak french, fluently. but, spanish will have to do for now. my class starts in 2 weeks. it is going to be muey bueno!

perfect canning tomatoes. my tomato plants died...stupid nematodes. thanks to my pal denise, i get some practice.

learn to sew. how long have i been saying that? what am i afraid of?

be a more mindful mother. working on that.

walk in the light

surround myself with those who love me for me. those who build me up

find the strength to live for myself and my family without the thoughts & worries of what others expect of me. why is that hard for me?

always  always love one another without judgment

a dad and his peeps

to our sweet, fun loving dad. a dad who always has something fun to say or do. who teaches us about service. who can build or fix anything. who has a smile on his face even when he is sick (or in the hospital). who will drop everything and take a guy down to the pond to throw a hook in the water. who remembers what it was like to be a kid and embraces it! who adores music and knows every word of every beastie boys song and will bust out with it at any time. who gives hugs and kisses without end. who teaches his peeps the perfect golf swing and the importance of a good book. who works hard for us. we love you daddy....whats not to love about a guy who can spin on his back and will at any moment!

this moment

a friday ritual

one photo, no words.

a moment from the week

that is precious to me.

am a fan

since marta uses this phrase often i have not so i wouldn't be a copy cat. however, i have said am a fan for like ever so....

am a fan of keen sandals....navy dream please

am a fan of bill bryson and is A Walk in the Woods. i love to learn and laugh all at the same time.

am a fan of my guys learning as many musical instruments as they wish.

am a fan of girl's night out. especially when it is with some new pals and it includes mexican food and a chick flick!

am a fan of traveling. oh how i love the open road. visit new places. meet new friends.

am a fan of  white pizza. can't think of anything better to eat!

am a fan of friends who are my own personal cheerleaders. your words mean so much. love you to bits!

am a fan of being authentic. learning to love the skin you are in. not worrying if someone else will agree with your opinion or like what you are wearing.

what are you a fan of??

today...

i awoke before the boys, stepped out onto my porch and read a while in my rocker. i am so digging bill bryson.

i made bacon & eggs for those pig lovers here. got plenty of smiles and squeezes.

i thought of friends that i haven't seen in a bit and of those new friends that i adore.

i let myself get sucked in an anthony bourdain marathon...hate it when i do that. he is completely awesome though.

i planned a hike in the big thicket. don't forget the mosquito repellent.

i kissed my sweet husband goodbye and wished he didn't have to work tonight.

i took the boys to pick up their new set of drums. now i have a headache, but they are happy.

i  pondered my life and where it is going. i like the direction. everyday i am more & more comfortable in my own skin.

a new project!

oh how i love a project. especially one that includes my camera. my sister in law & i are both mothers in a different season of motherhood. she has 1 month left in her first pregnancy and i am 1 summer left with my oldest son. each day we will post a photo of our experience with motherhood. it should be a blast! check it out here:   http://snailsandpiggytails.blogspot.com/.

weekending

this weekend we.....

:: read books from our summer lists

::harvested and froze corn from our garden

::soaked up some sun and some a/c....man it is hot in texas

::i got a facial :)

::cam & i went to see the A Team movie with my brother and his sweet, very pregnant wife! i love it when a plan comes together.

::watched sawyer go on many adventures...of course wearing the adventure hat!

::learned that bill bryson is my new favorite author

::laughed much

::loved oh so often

::got just a bit more comfortable in my skin

 (it is hot in texas!)

weekended

this moment

this moment

a friday ritual
one photo, no words.
a moment from the week
that precious is to me.

toes in the water....

today i can be found here with these two cuties. possibly with a yummy pic nic, a book in my hand, and a smile on my face. join me here tomorrow for this moment....quite possibly a beachy moment.

summer lovin::trips to the library

in my minds eye i see a 10 year old me with my mom walking into the kountze public library. that sweet little library was in an old house in the middle of town. every step made could be heard all over the library...creak, creak, creak. my mother took me to the children's room and introduced me to Caddie Woodlawn (her own childhood favorite), Ramona, and the Newberry winners. later i met Walden, Treasure Island, and Little Women. memories i will treasure.

now i get to introduce my guys to the adventure and friend books can be. there is something comforting about being with those books. a place where the world book encyclopedia is in print form and there is still a globe to find the exotic place you are reading about. the dewey decimal system is still in place and you must use a card to check your books out. today kevin & i took sawyer to the library. he loves the library. what a joy it is to watch him choose books and movies to bring home. the summer reading program has begun and he is over the moon excited. those astros tickets for 20+ books read in a month is his. such fun!

summer lovin...beach days

oh galveston beach how i love thee. let me count the ways.

love riding to the ferry

love playing in the water

love watching the gulls fish

love building castles in the sand

love reading with my toes in the sand

love flying kites

on the last day of school, we started summer at the beach. i woke everyone up, threw them suits, and we drove to the beach! since jordan & cameron were exempt from exams, i couldn't think of a better way to celebrate their hard work. we have gone once a week since. so fun! i vowed that we would spend this summer out of doors, moving and learning, laughing and playing. making memories. so far it has been a beachy kind of out of doors for us but i have more in store...canoeing, hiking the big thicket, camping, crabbing, making a solar oven. i do believe this will be the best summer ever.

book love::The Help

have you ever had a book come across your radar and feel it will remain with you for life? i have a few times. The Help, definitely will be with me. Kathryn Stockett brought me to a familiar place. a childhood place for me...my Mississippi. she weaves a story of 3 women who found each other working together to make this world a better place, at tremendous risk. set in the 1960's, we look at the world through the eyes of black maids working in Jackson. how they felt. how they were treated....good & bad. we look through the eyes of white employers. their behavior, their tradition, their feelings....good & bad. the most touching for me is to think of the maids and the pure love for the children they raise for white families. care for them from birth, to walking & talking, to school. nurse them through heart breaks, illness. join in their happiness and triumphs. all to be forced to move on to the next family. to lose those children who had become like their very own.

the main 3 characters of this story ring true for me. i know these ladies. i have met and/or been related to many of the characters. Skeeter is a 22 year old recent graduate of Ole Miss who yearns for more than is in Jackson. through a series of events she chooses, at the greatest possible risk, to tell the story of the black maid of Mississippi by authoring a book. Aibileen, her best friend's maid, becomes her co author. as does Minny, a most outspoken woman...especially in a time of violence towards her race. three different women having a common thread...courage.

this story, these women will forever be weaved into my soul. they were real to me....written perfectly. my own grandmother's maid was named Minny. they lived minutes from where this story takes place. i could see it, hear it, taste it, feel it. i took a deep look in myself. asked questions i had not thought to ask before. being thankful all the while for the kind of employer my grandparents were and the respect we were taught to have.

this is a must read. high schools should include this on required reading lists. book clubs should discuss it. families should include this conversation around the dinner table. pick it up and enjoy. i would love to hear what you think.

happy reading!

today's harvest

(my helper)

wow it is hot in Texas! we weren't out in the garden very long and i am dying! so worth it though. growing the food you feed your family is satisfying. to know that is was grown with love and care...completely organic...is a gift i am proud to offer my guys. we did pretty well today....41 banana peppers, 18 ears of corn, 9 japanese eggplants, 8 yellow squash, 8 brandywine tomatoes (love love LOVE my heirloom tomatoes), and handful of yellow pear tomatoes. the girls gave us a 13 eggs today and 2 guinea eggs as well.
not a bad day at the "bonin farm". now i am ready for a tall glass of lemonade!

this moment

this moment

a friday ritual

one photo, no words.

a moment from the week

that precious is to me.

is....

• happy to be back in this space but had a fab time while away
• ready to head back to the sand and sun.......maybe ben and jerry's too
• blown away by The Help...review to follow
• going to miss her guys while away @ high adventure camp....maybe a little jealous of the canoe fun
• excited to have some one on one time with my littlest peep while his brothers are in arkansas.
• even more excited to be going to visit my dad in a few weeks....i do oh so love eureka springs
• in love with french lemonade.....can't get enough
• feeling more and more comfortable in my skin

see you tomorrow for this moment ;)