apple sandwiches

With a little help from Pinterest, I discovered what has quickly become a new favorite at our house:  Apple Sandwiches

The recipe is simple:

Core an apple or two and slice

at our house, make that three or four - a sneaky little fox likes to swipe my slices before I can get the filling in

speaking of filling....

mix peanut butter and granola to desired consistency

spread on apple slices and...

ENJOY!

what i love about peach

Today I was thinking about what makes her special.

Just some random thoughts about my Peach...

I love that she's totally into being a girl - dress up, baking, painted toes, dresses, talking on the phone, princesses and cute shoes.

This girl loves to read - it is her favorite activity by far.  Being a teacher, I know how important that is and I appreciate that she can keep herself busy doing it when I'm occupied with other things.

I love that she loves to dance...even at the dinner table.  I promise - I am not making that up.  She wiggles those little shoulders to a tune that only she can hear and when we ask her what she's doing, she simply replies: "Dancin"  And then looks at us like "What?  Doesn't everyone have their own beat spinning through their heads?"  And we just smile.  Because it is a gift...to feel the rhythms of life and move to the beat.  I was never much into dance as a kid, but the more I experience it, the more I wish that I knew how.  I think there's something about dancing that is close to God's heart, too.  David danced with all his might as he worshiped the Lord and the Bible says that he was a "man after God's own heart".  I'm praying that all this prancing around on her tip toes means that Peach will be a girl after the heart of God as well.

I also adore that even though she's girly...she's not afraid to get dirty, hold a frog, catch a bug or stand in the window with her dress hiked up so you can see the bear on the butt of her tights!  This one has a sense of humor...for sure!

And although it can be tough for me as the mom, I do appreciate that she's got a little sass.  That fiesty side will probably serve her well in life...

Probably my favorite feature of Miss Peach right now is the genuine kindness that I see developing in her.  She is such a good sister to Tulip.  She often stops what she is doing to give her "some love".  Peach sings to Tulip when she's fussy and snuggles her at every chance she gets.  I really believe that these girls are going to have each others' backs.  

Thank you, Lord, for making them friends.

Those curls...that smile.  What more can I say?

There are so many reasons I love this girl.

I truly hope that she will always be able to hear my voice inside her...the one that says, even on her worst days, 

"You are so stinkin' amazing." :)

And hopefully she can feel what I could never put into words...that she's more than I ever dreamed of...my precious little peach.

starting over

The creativity bug bit me a few weeks ago...and it was bad.  I just had this need to do something artsy.  I started by decorating for Halloween, but that just didn't satisfy me.

Made Peach a headband...but still wanted something more.

So, I decided to paint.  I've done very little painting in my life, so I was going out on a limb, but I wanted to re-decorate in Peach's room and was getting tired of this old wreath we had hanging in our living room.  Canvases were on sale and I decided it was as good a time as any to give painting a whirl.

First, I made these gems for Peach's room.

Then, I tackled the wall in the living room where the wreath used to be.  I wish I had thought to take pictures of the process because I absolutely hated my first attempt.  Too many greens, not enough gold...just not what I wanted.

So, I started over.  With some help from Pinterest, I re-thought my whole project.  Then, I just painted right over the blah an ended up with this...

I like it.

I'm not going to go as far as saying that I love it because I still might change something or just start all over again.  I need a few days to look at it and mull it over.

It is humbling...the starting over process.

Admitting to yourself that you didn't get it right the first time.

But as I was re-painting that canvas, I thought and prayed about a few things.

I wasn't always okay with starting over.  That is something that I've grown into.  

I used to think that I had to get things done and do them right and if not, the world would come to a screeching halt.

Not so....

I've learned that its okay to admit that I messed up the first time and that mistakes can be wonderful opportunities to learn and grow.

I'm hoping that my girls see this in me.

As I painted, I prayed that I would be the type of mom that let's them make mistakes and teaches them the art of starting over.

date night

Tonight is date night.

Peach and Hubby got all dolled up and went out to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

This is their second date.  The first was to see Peach's first movie in the theater this summer.

Pigtails, a fancy dress, tights, killer boots and the treat bag

While I would have absolutely loved to tag along, I know how important it is to Hubby to romance not only me, but my girls as well.

He wants to be the man who loves them first.

And who shows them exactly how valuable they are.

He wants them to know how they should be treated.

Like the treasures they are.

And that they deserve to give and get respect.

He's preparing her for someday...

For that day when a handsome young man shows up on our door step and takes her hand.

We want to be able to trust her when that day comes and this....

...this is preparation.

While we know there are absolutely no guarantees, we want to be able to say that we prepared them the best we could.

And this is part of preparing them to someday leave our nest and try out their own wings.

I'm glad that he's starting while they're young.

And while I stayed home and picked up the house, rocked Tulip to sleep, threw in a load of laundry and cleaned up the dishes, I was overwhelmingly thankful that my girls have such a rock star dad.

sweets with my sweets

Today I enjoyed some sweets with my sweets.

Didn't know this place existed until we called to set up a play date with a friend today.  She mentioned that they already had plans to go here.  So, we looked it up online.  It seemed like a fun adventure, so we hit the road.

It was worth the trip....

Peach was...well...like a kid in a candy shop!

And can you blame her?

She had her eye on these gum balls the whole time.

Absolutely had her heart set on a pink one.  I tried to explain that the odds of her getting a color other than pink were pretty good, but she kept insisting that pink was what she wanted.

And lo and behold...one turn of the crank and her heart's desire was satisfied.  

One HUGE pink ball of gum - she was over the moon!

Our purchases....

Still enjoying that wad of gum.

Saw an old friend working there, who took a family pic for us.

We brushed our teeth when we got home.  Couldn't do this every day, but once in a while, it's nice to be a little spoiled.

 A sweet day with my sweethearts.