Friday Smiles 5-25

I know, I'm late getting this up today, but at least it's up.

And if you knew the kind of week I've had, you'd be impressed.

I finally got back to sewing this week.
I was the only one in my class this week, so I had a lot of time to get my purse done that I have been working on for weeks.
And I am so glad I did, it is so pretty and has lots of pockets for all my crap.

Katrina helped me sew the button on to it, since I hate doing buttons and she likes it. Win-win!

Today was the last day of school for the kids.
As soon as they got home, they were immediately on the Wii.

And, if I let them, this is where they would stay all summer long.



What have you found to smile about this week?

You Capture - Life

I had several pictures that I could have used this week for Life.

But when I went for my nightly walk and I saw this, I knew it was the one.

This to me screams life.
This tree was cut down and left for dead.
But, it wasn't ready to die.
Out of it's dead truck, new life springs forth.


Join me over at You Capture for your interpretation of Life.

SHS

I really love Scavenger Hunt Sunday.
It is helping me look at thing in a whole different way.
I went for a walk this week with this assignment in mind. I took lots of pictures of things with different angles and different exposures.

I really think I am falling in love with photography.


Here are my pictures from this week.

Rainbow

Rainbow was kinda hard for me. I had to search and search. This is what I came up with. Hey, all the colors are here and represented.

Fluffy

 I love the Crepe Myrtle trees' flowers. They are so whimsical and well, fluffy.

Letters

 Some of my favorite letters in the whole world.

Metal

 My tangled jewelry laying out on my dresser caught my eye and I knew it was perfect for "metal."

Tree

 Living in the desert makes for some interesting trees. They are all striving for water and since the water doesn't have a chance to soak into the ground, the trees have adapted their roots to be shallow. Just barely below the ground really. So, they are frequently exposed. When I saw this one, I knew it was the one I wanted for this assignment. Very cool looking.

Friday Smiles

It's that time again. Time to smile!
Woohoo! It's Friday.

I have some plans this weekend, but we will see if they come to fruition.
Cleaning, organizing, swimming with the kids (hooray for summer), and family time.


This week, my morning glories started blooming.

Isn't it just gorgeous? I am in love with morning glories. I will have them climbing all over when I get back into civilization again.

James made me this bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day. I love them, they definitely make me smile.



 What about you? What are you going to smile about this week?

Where Does Time Go?

Yesterday, I took my daughter to do some pre registration for high school next year.

We did a tour of the school, got a list of possible classes, and generally had a good time.

It was a very nostalgic time for me. As I walked through the halls, I was taken back to my high school years.
I adored high school.

Sure there was the usual teenage angst, the unrequited love, the girl dramas.
But there was also football games, pep rallies, off campus lunches, and lifelong friendships made.
It truly was some of the best years of my life.

Seems like it was just yesterday...


So now, I am truly astonished that I am getting ready to send my baby to high school next year.
Where has the time gone?



Wasn't it just yesterday that she was my little baby?

Wasn't it just yesterday that she was toddling around on chubby little legs?

Wasn't it just yesterday when I could dress her up in frilly clothes?

How in the world then, did she turn into this beautiful young woman ready to enter the world of high school?

Next thing you know, she's going to be married and having kids.

Oh, wait...I'm kinda looking forward to that part.

Carry on, then.

Scavenger Hunt

I had a lot of fun with this week's photo challenge.
I had to do some searching and thinking on a couple of the assignments.

But, overall, I am pleased with all of them.



Sidewalk

My boys before church yesterday morning. They are totally posing and being cheesy, but I love it nonetheless.


Inspiring

 The cross is my inspiration at all times, in all circumstances. I strive daily to be my Lord's example in this world.


Time

 I love this clock. It is so antique looking, when I found it, I knew I had to have it. I think it will be the centerpiece in my travel guest room.


Close-up

I think this picture is so cool. Who knew what your eye looked like up close?
I got the idea from here:
http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/index.php/mikes-multi-colored-eyes/
Go check them out. They are amazing.


With Mirror

 I had a hard time shooting this one. I don't like having my picture taken, but all the others I took just weren't right. So, this is the best I could do.








Next Week's assignment:

1. Rainbow
2. Fluffy
3. Letters
4. Metal
5. Tree(s)

Friday Smiles

Yeah! It's Friday.
Only 2 more weeks until my hubby is home from the field.
Only 2 more weeks until the kids are out of school.
Only 2 more weeks until we head east to visit family and friends.

I am excited for the summer. We have a lot of plans.
There will be tons of pictures.


But for now, it's time to "Count Your Smiles" from the week.

Let's remember our blessing this week. And what we have to smile about.

James wanted to do a science experiment with celery and colored water. I didn't have any celery, so we used my ivy instead. It doesn't work as well, but it does look pretty cool when the leaves turn a light blue.

See that? That, my friends, is rain. It's pretty rare here in El Paso, so it definitely made me happy this week.

This is the sunset after the rain. I love how the clouds look and how the sun is hazily peeking out.

And I absolutely adore how the rain is making my heirloom tomatoes grow. I cannot wait to eat them!


What are you grateful for this week? What has made you smile?  Let's be thankful together.

You Capture - Simplicity

I missed last week's You Capture assignment.
It made me sad, so I made sure to be here for this week.

The assignment is Simplicity

I love a simple flower arrangement. I find these simple beautiful.

I had a friend over last week for coffee and goodies. I made these White chocolate lemon truffles.
They were simply delicious!


Head over to

 http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/

for next weeks You Capture. The assignment is Lines.

SHS Time

I had planned to link up with Ashley over at SHS yesterday.





But my husband was finally home from the field for two days. And after not seeing him for two weeks, I decided to spend as much time with him as possible.
I am sure he appreciates it.  :)


Here are my interpretations this week.


Shadow

I was having a hard time finding a good shadow picture, when I saw my shadow taking pictures. I thought it looked pretty cool, so he it is.

Keys

 My keys with the outdated picture of my lovely daughter. She is now 14. My, how time does fly.

Smile

 Here is my oldest cheesing it up with the dog. I adore his smile, he looks so much like his daddy.

SOOC

 My daughter and I took a road trip along Route 66. This was one of the long stretches of the highway. It is so quintessentially Route 66 to me. I couldn't find anything wrong with this picture, so I left it as it is.

Fish

 I just emptied my fish tank yesterday in preparation for the summer long trip we will be taking. I didn't want the fish to die, so I found them good homes. So, now I just have a lonely, empty fishtank. I can't wait to fill it again with colorful fishies.

Come join the hunt next Sunday. We will be looking for:

1. Sidewalk
2. Inspiring 
3. Time
4. Close Up
5. With Mirror  

Friday Smiles

I know I've been pretty absent lately around here.  I am trying to catch up with homework, housework, church work...etc. All with my hubby gone.
It feels silly to be floundering without his help when I have so many friends whose husbands are deployed. I've been there, twice. Deployments are hard. I know what they are going through.
So, feeling frustrated with my husband being gone for a few weeks seems stupid.
Nevertheless, that's where I am.

But, I am totally committed to post at least one thing every Friday that had made me smile during the week.
Some days I really have to search, some days the blessings are abundant.
But they are always there, I just have to look a little harder sometimes.

I found these adorable little measuring spoons when we were on our family retreat in January. I have them hanging right next to my sink, so everyday, when I see them, I remember and smile.

These are called balloon flowers. Aren't they the coolest thing you have ever seen?

And these guys were my dinner date last night. They really do make my life interesting.


What has made you smile this week? What has reminded you of how blessed you are?