:: Random. ::

:: I have registered JJ & Coley to their appropriate schools since Monday ::

:: I then re-registered them in different schools, we're indecisive peeps around here ::

:: I detailed and washed my car yesterday, as it's been beautiful here ::

:: It's raining here today, but my car is nice clean! ::

:: Wednesday consisted of bible study for the morning, birthday party for the afternoon and shopping in the states for the evening - phew - Wednesday was a long day! ::

:: Thursday I tried to recover from Wednesday, didn't really work. ::

:: I've made 48 red velvet cupcakes today ::

:: But none of them are for us :( ::

:: Never thought I would be caught dead using this stuff, but "couponed" it - so it was almost free ::
:: I surprised myself by liking it, the washroom smells super fresh and lovely - Like a freshly cleaned washroom. It's just so great! ::

:: Tonight is a quiet night at home, curry is for dinner ::

:: Can you say YUM?!?! ::

:: Tomorrow is work day around the house. ::

:: But a date with Mr. L tomorrow night has me just buzzing! ::

:: I think on the menu is a dinner out and the Kings Speech - should be fabby! :::: On a totally different topic, I asked for new runners for Valentine's day - this is the actual phone photo I messaged to him. Boys need hints people, very clear concise hints. :::: I'm a die-hard romantic ;) ::

:: Happy weekend Lovelies, I hope you have time to enjoy the love that is around you! ::

** Edited to Say**

:: Just heard on the news that the average a person spends $116.00 on Valentines day. We however, do not. We are using a gift card {from two Christmas' ago} for dinner and some coupons from the back of our cereal boxes for our movie. And those shoes of mine, a whopping $34.99 - And the kids off to G&G's for the night {yessiree, the whole night} = priceless!!! ::

:: What I'm loving Wednesday ::

:: I'm loving this cool little gadget called a VIOlight - it's a cleaning container for your cell phone. Just the thought of how dirty my cell phone is gives me the geebies all the way up my back - blech! This sanitizes your phone in 4 minutes. Your can find it at Brookstone ::


:: Would love to get these super cute little shirts for my boys --- might just be a little Easter treat ;) -- they are by Honey Bee and can be found here ::


:: Super love for this case, I have a blackberry and truly abuse it. I asked for this little beauty for Valentines day - find one you can personalize on Clairebella ::


:: I'm LOVING painted furniture, specifically colour painted furniture...ahhh, so fresh, so alive! Sorry, can't remember where I saw this! ::

:: I'm really enjoying my bible study based on Beth Moore's "so long insecurity" book. Last week was the first week and I loved loved loved it, but I love how BM speaks, so it was really no surprise, but I can't wait to head off to bible study this morning! ::

:: Can't believe it's already Wednesday, hope you're enjoying your day, week and February {still can't believe that it's FEBRUARY!!!} ::

:: New Kitchen Blind ::

:: Happy Monday Lovlies! ::

:: Back a while ago I wrote about finally finding a perfect blind for my super-sized kitchen window -- well, a couple weeks ago the blind arrived and my DH got it installed {without me EVEN asking!} ::

:: Here is the result of the great blind hunt, originally I would have gone with one espresso coloured but I didn't think that it should be matchy-match. So I ordered a more natural coloured blind and took a chance. I don't like doing that but the matchy-match was not the look I was going for ::

:: So here it is, 1/4 of the way down the window ::

:: All the way down, there is no privacy liner and is just strictly a bamboo blind and is very, very private ::
:: Here it is almost all the way up ::
:: Square on view ::
:: All in all, I am SO delighted with the blind, it was super easy to install {10 minutes max}, super great quality, and better than I imagined! ::
:: Oh happy day! ::

:: I was away all weekend at a women's retreat with my church, we had an amazing time of praise, teaching and just sister bonding time...so I'm working on getting up a post about that. But I've got a very full plate for the next few days, so I'll see if I have time ::

:: Here's to another great week full of joy, joy that comes from within ::

Stay consistent and persistent as you build your life on God and His promises. He will never fail you: 'When the storm is over, there's nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren't even fazed.' Proverbs 10:25

:: WIWW & I should be in bed! ::

:: I should be in bed, really I should. It is 12:45 am -- I'm leaving tomorrow mid afternoon for the weekend, I have umpteen things to accomplish in a shy 2 hours while I only have one child in tow tomorrow morning, let alone the fact that my EVIL clock is set for 6 am to get my run on downstairs on our treadmill! ::

:: But I really wanted to join in on this weeks WIWW with Pleated Poppy --- I don't have photos, well, I have a few, but nothing really worthy of posting ::

:: See, I've been wearing my current favorite boots, these boots ::

:: I have seen multiple outfits worn by PP with these super cute boots, I then stalked down where she got them, and then wrecked my keyboard by drooling all over it. Just kidding ::

:: So, when we were in Arizona and I was shopping my face off, I found these $49.99 leather boots discounted for $34.99 then discounted again for $24.99. I declared to my Marm that I NEEEDDDDEEEDDD them. And found Mr. L to show him them. I wasn't looking for his opinion, I was just showing him what I was going to buy. He disagreed. He told me that he didn't think I should get them. I was {to say the least} disappointed, but respected his opinion ::

:: All through our trip I longed for these boots, I couldn't get them out of my mind, I LOVED them. So every Target we would drive by I would say "oh, we gotta go in and see if they have the boots!". Everyone moaned as Target stores are as frequent as Starbucks in Vancouver! ::

:: Finally, after the car show I ran to the Target store to have a look and see if the boots were there. They were, but they were priced at $34.99 not $24.99 so, sadly they stayed on the shelf! ::

:: It was the night before we left and there was one last Target we had not hit. I was determined to hit it up and see if we could find them. So, again, everyone entertained the crazy-boot-girl and came in with me. We all parted ways and I bee-lined it to the shoe section. I found a size 6. That won't fit my lovely monster of a size 9 flipper! But I was so disappointed as they were only $12.49!!!! Then the heavens opened {kidding, kinda} and there was a whole shwack of other sizes and one solo pair of size 9's with a $12.49 price tag on 'em ::

:: I ran to Paul and he said, well now that's better! And that was it, they were mine! ::

:: So here is the kicker, I was truly disappointed that {at the original $24.99 sale price} Mr. L didn't think they were worth it, however it wasn't worth me kicking up a fit and not respecting his opinion. I chose to leave them even though my heart r e a l l y wanted them and respect my husband instead. I prayed about it and left it with God. I feel that God respected me for my honor and respect for my husband and in turn got the boots for the best price possible. Isn't that great!??!! ::

:: Any way, now it's 1 am and I must hit the sack...Hopefully I'll get some actual shots of me in my new boots for next weeks WIWW! ::

:: Happy Friday Y'all! ::

:: Still ::

:: I have a few friends that are having terrible days, stinking terrible days today. Today my day is okay, but I do understand the feeling of a terrible day...and just so you know I have plenty of my own "terrible" days ::

:: I saw this youtube video posted on one of my friends facebook pages...and it reminded me of so many things, but one person in particular ::

:: This is her song, and every Monday, Wednesday & Friday when I walk into school with JJ and say hi to her son and he puts a huge smile on his face and sometimes I even get a wave or a high five I can't help but think that she has had her "terrible" days too and yet she still rests in His arms. Her life is a testament of God's unfailing love and faithfulness {just read her blog, she exudes grace & His love} ::

:: May this song bless all those I know, close and far that are having one of "those" days ;) ::

:: A few changes... ::

:: I have been having some issues with what I have been eating lately -- I have found that I react poorly to some different foods - have yet to put my finger on what triggers it, but in hopes to banish the excessive bloating and random hives, I have decided to take out wheat, and pretty much all grains except Quinoa & Flax ::

:: Long story short, today I was making a batch of Quinoa up in a pot on the stove and Jacob comes to me and asks me what I am making. I say oh just some food for Mama. He looks at it, pokes it and then replies - that is not for Mama, that is for the birds! ::

:: Oh, so precious, apparently JJ and Grampie feed the birds stuff that looks just like Quinoa - HA! ::

:: February 1st - How can it be! ::

:: Well, January has come and gone...I can not believe it! It is February 1st and we have a gorgeous bright crisp day to start off a usually dreary month ::

:: I have been running like a mad woman, yesterday I outdid myself, by 11 am I had been to the library, bank, post office, enrolled JJ in Kindergarten and used up some of my coupons that were set to expire at the end of the month - to say the least by the afternoon, I was shot as were my nerves ::

:: The boys got every last ounce of patience out of me and I was ready to commit myself to the crazy-house! But I did not make it to the crazy house, instead my boys went to bed ;) ::

:: Today started off better, I fit in my run before I left the house. That in itself makes the day so much better. My devotion for the day was just so fitting - it was about having days where it is tough to show love to your kids. Yesterday was one of those days. My children were acting unlovely and I was not much better! ::

:: Here is the verse from my devotions: Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love. Psalms 90:14 ::

:: Onward and upward! Here is to a new month, L O V E month! While we are on the topic of love month - I wanted to share a neat Valentines gift I made (for those special teachers & grandparents in your lives!) ::

:: The total cost of this glass planter with bulb was $4 (and $0.27 cents for tax) - I got the glass vase and candle stick from the Dollar Tree (a favorite shopping stop for me) - they were $1 each, along with the bulb from RCSS for $2 - it is the perfect little gift for Valentines day - dontcha think! ::


:: Happy Day Lovelies! ::

:: Your Help! ::

:: Happy Saturday Lovelies! ::

:: I'm writing on here for your help -- here is my question, what would you like to know if you went to a brief 1/2 seminar on cake making/decorating? ::

:: Please Please Please help me out and let me know what you'd like to learn, know, have by the end of the brief session! ::

:: Thanks a million Lovelies & Happy Weekend! ::

:: Still back dating! ::

:: Cole's birthday comes and goes in the mix with our birthdays (three out of four of us have birthays within 11 days!) -- So I've back dated his birthday blog for scrapbooking purposes --- enjoy and HAPPY Friday! ::

:: XoXo ~ Shawna ::

:: Arizona 2011 ::

:: Back a couple weeks ago we had the pleasure of heading out of town to Arizona for 5 days - we had a babysitter come and stay with the boys for 2 days and then Mr. L's parents stayed for the rest -- We were thankful for the free accommodations we had thanks to my parents who rented the house from Amanda's In-Laws---hahahha, did you catch all that ;) ::

:: We headed off to Bellingham the night after we had a huge snowfall in the lower mainland, however once we made it to Bellingham...it was smooth sailing, no need to even de-ice the plane! We settled into our seats enjoyed our drinks and played a came of Phase 10 ::

:: These next photos are from the back yard of the house we were staying in, on our first night and first sun set - stunning hey!!?? ::

:: Cactus in all it's glory ::

:: We hit up our favorite burger joint "In-N-Out" - so stinkin' good! ::

:: Here we are with one of the gorgeous sunsets ::

:: The fountain behind the house ::

:: Random beautiful cactus by the clubhouse ::

:: The Barrett Jackson Auto Auction was happening after the week were were in Arizona, so we had to make sure we made it to an event - this was the free car show we went to at the Scottsdale Pavilions - It was an OUTSTANDING car show! ::

:: Here's Mom & Dad at the show, Mom had gotten a cold just before we got to Arizona so this was the first real day she actually felt good ::

:: Here we are just about to walk the show - yeah, I may have been a tad over dressed for the care show, but I was comfy so I didn't care ;) ::

:: Here's Big Bob and P-Dub in front of the Barrett Jackson Motor home ::

:: Here is a shot of the whole show just as the sun had set - Unbelievable! ::

:: Here is the main portion of the house we stayed in, nice eh!??! ::

:: Here is the back deck of the house, that backs right onto the golf course ::

:: Yes, here we are again, standing on the little putting green that's in the backyard. We had some good laughs just trying to putt! Ha, I'm not a very good golfer! ::

:: Mom was finally starting to really feel like herself here, so here is a shot of the four of us in the backyard - a la self-timer ;) ::

:: Our "last supper" was at Claim Jumper -- it is one of our most favorite restaurants, we went to Claim Jumper 4 times when we were in Las Vegas a couple years ago ::

:: We bought a piece of their signature dessert, the chocolate cake. It's $9 and feeds probably 10 people, Mr. L set up the comparison once we got home. It's beside a full size carton of milk - HA! ::

:: We spent two of our days enjoying the pool, the weather had just hit the mid 70's when we arrived, up until then it had been in the mid 60's - so we were blessed to be able to stay out by the pool. Most of the time we were by ourselves as it was too chilly for the regulars ::

:: Fruit trees were everywhere, this one is one of the trees by the pool ::

:: R E L A X I N G by the pool, ahhh, such a nice time! ::

:: That's all lovelies, we had a great, fabulous, wonderfully relaxing time away from the normal routine of life! Thanks to both our parents for helping us get to go on this vacation! We are SO blessed! ::

:: Now I'm off to turn up my furnace because it's freezing here! ::

:: Happy Thursday Lovelies! ::