hello



i think this print says it all...

sometimes {a lot of the times} i need to remind myself

that sometimes being happy is a choice and not a feeling.

hope you are having a good day!

p.s. i borrowed the print from here.. but have seen it on other blogs as well

shopping...it's a complicated thing

hello..hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

i believe that this Easter was the most meaningful one for me in a very long time.

lots has happened since last Easter 2010.

to put it in perspective..my nephew christopher who had down's syndrome also developed leukemia and past away last year, march 30th. he died right before Easter.

 {i was going to dedicate a blog post solely to him and perhaps in the near future i will...but right now i can't} 

this year my church embarked on a program to regenerate.

 it is kinda like lent where you give something up during the 40 days before Easter. I grew up catholic so this resonated with me. Everyday we had a bible passage from psalms to read, then we would pray and reflect.

I decided to give up shopping..i tried that on for a bit and realized that i needed to set limits and boundaries for myself...because it was so hard..i feel ridiculous admitting it because it makes me feel very materialistic..how hard can it be to stop shopping right? for me it was {i am ashamed to admit}

so i decided that i was not going to buy anything personal like items of clothing or jewelry or shoes or purses all of which i love....i'd love to say that i was able to accomplish it but i succumbed one day while i was out to lunch with a friend and she needed to go to Target...i as a good friend accompanied her...and as we were walking in the store I realized

 "how does a girl who is trying not to shop end up at Target..looking at the clothes!"

easier said than done...and so i walked out with a dress..a cute summer dress...

and i discovered that for me it meant shopping trips to Target were going to be exclusively for essentials!

a few times i strolled through the clothes aisles and made myself walk away, the next couple of visits i didn't even stop. I had decided that it was more important for me to follow through with my promise than to buy an article of clothing.

 i learned a lot about myself and now that my forty days have passed

i thought i would have this need to go shopping and buy myself something.  Yesterday I took a trip to TJ Maxx, one of my favorite stores, and bought a few things that we needed like a mirror for the boys restroom {so they can actually see themselves while they brush their teeth}, a new pizza cutter {my very old one broke}, a new pair of oven mitts, and a small cross for display in my kitchen.

 I would say the cross was the one thing i bought for myself that i did not need.

 I had a blouse in my cart that i eventually put back...i couldn't do it, not yet at least.

the gardener's cottage has been one of the reason's why i decided to take on this challenge.

 she has a segment on stopping shopping which really got me to thinking of my own ways.

am i filling a need with shopping?

does that dress or pair of shoes make me feel better?

as for now, i will look at my closet and start to clean it out, simplify.

 i am even thinking about taking this challenge:

1. No shopping for non-essentials for one season

2. No new clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelery

3. Nothing new for the house (knickknacks, kitchen tools, accessories, etc.)

4. No new beauty items

5. Purchasing gifts for others will be allowed

before i start i will need to clean out my closet and inventory what i already have.

i feel that God is speaking to me and asking me to look at what matters...

backyard dreams

finally on spring break....{long sigh}

for some time i have been wanting to plant and fix up or back yard.

it is really bare thanks to these two fellows...

correction, mainly to dog 1, my boxer

he seems to have an affinity for roses...rose bush roots that is!

don't let that cute face fool you..{i do love him soo though}

but nothing green lasts in the back yard

so we really haven't planted anything back there since that is his domain.

 this year we have decided to try again.

a few years ago we planted an iceberg rose tree to see how it faired.

no luck, it was down for the count in less than a week.

and now we have added doggy #2

a rambunctious brown boston terrier

i think he will do fine with the plantings

it is doggy #1 i am worried about

hubby planted a rose bush in one of the planters as a test yesterday

i am hoping the new rose bush survives

for now i will continue dreaming of a new backyard with beautiful plantings

my very own garden oasis...we'll see how it fares

dear lillie

dear lillie blog has this great image for you to download
i just downloaded mine, i picked this brown one but she has several colors available 



also look at this adorable wreath

she also shares a tutorial on how to make these moss letters

i will try my hand at these cute decoupaged eggs

when i discovered dear lillie i was smitten

being that i am a mom of two boys

 i truly enjoyed looking at all the girly-ness and cuteness going on her blog
check it out, you'll enjoy it!

day trip

today hubby took us on a trip to the rose farm in ontario, ca.

we've been here many times to purchase roses for the garden.

the boys love coming because there are many chickens and roosters roaming through the roses.

i love roses, maybe it is because my mom loves roses and i grew to love them too.

i typically only buy white or light pink roses because they go with my garden color scheme

but today i was drawn to the bright colorful roses.

 

the boys had lots of fun chasing the chickens and looking for the cats that roam the grounds.

 they have a great selection of rose trees.

the prices are very reasonable, definitely worth the drive.

 i came home with this beauty called "classic woman".

  number one was excited to find a feather.

 i also bought this for my garden.

 i like religious statues.

  the deer in the neighboring property

 a rowdy goose wondering what we were doing

we had a great time smelling the flowers and so did the boys.

Guerrero Rose Farm is located at

2110 South Euclid Avenue

Ontario, CA 91762

909-988-0015

ladybugs

last week i purchased ladybugs for some organic pest control.

 the boys and i released them in the garden.

it was fun to see the boys get so excited.

 the following morning i went out to the garden to see if they were still there

 and this is what we found

the ladies were busy at work eating all the aphids

number one was happy to find them in the garden and on his hand.

i have lots of these hanging around the house.

i would love to say they are butterflies but i believe they are moths

not so pretty as the butterflies,

for now i will leave them be.

gardening

went to Armstrongs with my sister Marisa,

we had a lot of fun looking at the plants.

 Lately i have been diggin' {no pun intended}the succulents

i saw one of these and loved it

my sister and I agreed that we should make one

i guess i am a wreath kinda girl

the succulent wreath will have to go on my to do list.

i bought some more foxglove and a white delphinuim to plant in some of the bare areas of the rose beds.

I like the height they give in the garden.

the roses have finally started to sprout foliage,

after the trimming I was worried that they would be bare and not grow back.

i am relieved to see new buds.

and i also bought some ladybugs to release into the garden this evening

for some organic pest control.

love the ladies.

the boys will be excited to set them free.

something exciting about having a three day weekend,

i feel my creative juices flowing.

enjoy!