Dear Earth,

I made a pretty grocery bag just for you.  Happy day.

Love,

Andrea

show and tell

I bought a flash from someone on craigslist.  I am SO happy!  I couldn't sleep because of the excitement.  But now, I'm sleeping even better knowing I'm all set to shoot Kate and Henry's wedding this Saturday!  I'm starting to feel like a real photographer with this bad boy atop my camera!  Hooray!

so good

Can I give you the play by play of my day because it was really great?!  Ok. excellent.  

It started out with a run, a good one.  
Then I went to the temple.  I volunteered to do laundry there once a month.  And today was my first day.  I got set apart and everything!  (I realize that's a really Mormon thing to say and I kind of don't know how to explain it any other way.  They gave me a sweet blessing to do my job.  That's probably the best explanation of getting 'set apart').  AND I get my very own white name tag!  I was very excited.  It was so relaxing to have a few hours of QUIET.  Ah, heaven.  As I was walking down the temple hall with a basket full of white laundry I had this overwhelming feeling that I really belong there.  Something about doing laundry, such an intimate task, made me feel so at home.  The temple is so peaceful and so beautiful.  It was a really great experience.  
Then I came home to a newly painted kitchen.  Chris does an amazing amount of things when he's home with the kids.  I don't see how he does it sometimes.  And he picked out the color himself and it looks great!    I love the rockstars diary blog.  I had read about her going to gigi's cupcakes as part of her roadtrip.  The girl loves food.  It's too funny.  So since it's in the neighborhood we decided to check it out.  And while we were there well who should walk in but the lovely Gigi herself.  We had a quick little chat and she gave us an extra cupcake for free.  Thank you Gigi!  They were SOOOO so so so good!  We each got a Hunka Chunka Banana Love.  De-licious.  She said it was her best recipe.  I would have to agree. Although, I'm partial to banana.  And the Almond Joy was incredible.  The one you see here is the white midnight magic chocolate chip.  It's the only one that made it home in one piece.  It's gone now.  I brought my camera with me but not my CF card. How lame, it's a horrible habit I've gotten myself into and it must end.

Chris finishing off the Almond Joy. 

You think that's the end.  It's not.  But perhaps this post is long enough.  I shall save it for another day.

I'm thankful for today.  It was awesome.

she really is a rockstar

For show and tell on Friday Chickie wanted to bring her song book (which she keeps under her pillow-anyone seen Camp Rock?)  
The night before she had written a new song called, "Double Roses."  Well, I helped dress her up as a rock star for school.  You know, to give her the courage to sing.  Because she said that she knew her teacher would ask her to sing one.  
And so she sang one of her songs for her class.  She rocked it out Chickie style.  

I can't believe how big my baby is getting.  Chris said he was actually impressed with her vocal abilities.  And then he said, "Maybe we moved to Nashville for a reason."  Ha ha very funny.  Well, she definitely has the attitude down.  

to the rescue

This morning the sight of this made me cry.  Here's why.  Chris gets home from work really late most nights.  Last night he got home around 10 I think. We talked for about an hour.  We told each other about our days.  

The kids spent most of the day playing outside yesterday even though it was kind of chilly.  At one point Chickie called to me that something horrible had happened.  All the tassels had been pulled off of her bike and were lying on the ground.  Everyone of them.  It was a most sad and pathetic sight indeed.  She bawled inconsolably for a while.  I hugged her.  I didn't blame her one bit for how she was feeling.  It was a great loss for her.  I said, "tomorrow first thing I'll go to Hobby Lobby and get some pretty ribbons.  We can hot glue them on."  She broke out of her sobs for long enough to paint me a little picture (figuratively speaking) of how those tassels whip through the wind when she's riding her bike.  She loves the crinkly sound they make and how they let her know that she's going faster and faster.  They are basically the cherry on top of riding a bike.  Better than the basket.  Better than the horn.  Better than pink princesses.  It's all about the tassels.  

So when I saw those tassels back on the bike this morning I thought of my husband outside at 11:00 hot glueing those strands back on one by one.  It made me cry.  I love him.  Only just now did I realize that he probably brought the bike inside.  Still.  THANK YOU, BABE!  You're THE best!  He's our knight in shining armor!

I'm so thankful for my husband.

i love trees

be still my heart.  LOVE this.  www.paulferney.com

Happy Easter

This morning we dyed eggs.
Chris got all Martha on us.  

Then we went to church.  I had a class of eight 3-4 year olds.  It was complete insanity.  I went running for help several times.  I always end up with too many things planned.  I guess that's better than having not enough.  I had this really cute cut out thing to do with the resurrection.  For some reason I thought it would be manageable.  I thought, "The kids can cut out some of it and I'll put in some relaxing hymns in to keep it reverent while I help them individually."  It was so idyllic in my head.  Yeah, right.  It was madness.  I had to enlist two parents for help.  And between the three of it we barely got it done.  Actually I guess we didn't even.  One kid didn't do it at all. And one kid we sent home with the stuff to do it.  Ha ha ha.  I should know these things. I have kids, right? Just not 8 of them.  How do people do it?  

We came home, Bentley fell asleep and I locked myself in my room with Anna Karenina.  I'm actually really liking it.  I liked Levin's thoughts on how physical (farm) labour is honest, real and makes you happy.  Anyone read it?  Is the ending good?  No, don't tell me.
After I recovered from church (oh, that's funny) we did confetti eggs.  We attacked Chris unawares.  It was very fun, as always.
I think my kids looked adorable today.  I meant to do a photo shoot with them for fun after church but we were all too exhausted.
And we grilled out and had strawberry shortcake.  Chickie likes hers sans strawberries.  
She's a nut.
I'm so thankful for my family.  And spring.  And Christ and the beautiful life He led.  I'm so grateful for His atonement as well and the peace that brings to me.