A Tribute to My Grandma and My Mom

"A falling tree makes more noise...

Than a forest that's growing."

I remember as a young, brown eyed girl who was innocent to the ways of the world my grandma used to sing a few songs that I just thought were simple silly songs. 

There were two of them that she sang quite frequently;

 Row Row Row your Boat and Accentuate The Positive.

To look at the lyrics of either of these songs you might think they are but simple childlike songs, but as I've gotten older I have come to realize that the theme in both of them; to live merrily, gently, and stay on the positive side of life, are words to live by.

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream." 

and

"You've got to accentuate the positive 

eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative 

But 

Don't mess with Mister in between."

As every year passes and my kids are growing like weeds, with a graduate of High School and one more headed into High School, their friends getting married, and having babies these lyrics are beginning to become my life's simple song.

Because life truly is ...
But a dream.
But a breath.
But a moment.

I think that is all one can do in this life is row your boat gently and merrily down this stream called life,  call it a good day, and return to dust.

Gently because there are enough storms in this life to rock that boat so on the daily to remain in gentleness and kindness and merrily live this life is truly not an easy task.

The second song is without a doubt in my DNA.

My mom and my grandmother have lived this song out and maybe it was the song in their hearts that forever changed them to be positive people.

Living on the positive side of life and not giving energy to negative things is also not an easy task.

Latching onto the affirmative to me would be the key to life.

The affirmative to me means truth.

Latch onto what is TRUE in this life and for me The Way, The TRUTH, and where life can be found is only in Jesus. 

These songs although they might be simple melodies they are far from simple to live out.

I believe they are the reason you arrive at 46 years of marriage like my parents picture above. 

Either one of my parents at any given moment could have got hung up on negative things that they saw in each other. They could have looked at their 5 kids and torn them apart for all their inadequacies as well, but instead they chose the positive side of life. 

They gave each other space.

They chose grace, and mercy and they still do.

These words are a way of life that I'm determined to emulate.

  I'm beyond grateful for these simple songs now that I'm older and I've seen many ways to live this life.
You can spend your time, your energy, your resources on so many different things in this life, but things don't last, people do.
If your not spending time on what is eternal it all turns back into dust in the end.


Simple but True.

Life  is But A Dream.
Live merry.
Live Gently.
Live Positive.
 And pay attention to that growing forest rather than the one noisy negative tree falling.

Nothing But Love

Noël

My Momma, Momma T, and My After Thoughts on Mother's Day

"Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also and he praises her."

 Proverbs 31:28

This is my momma.

She is the heart and soul of my family. 

Ask anyone who knows her and they will tell you she is a human being unlike any other.

Her heart is above all generous and kind.

She has a love for Christ that is compelling.

And the woman, is funny as all get out!!

She has raised 5 children, myself included.

5 grown children.

3 girls, and 2 boys stand and called her blessed.

Take that in for a moment.

5 grown adults looked to her yesterday with their hearts full of gratitude for all the years of love and devotion she gave us, and we all called her blessed.

But as I was hanging out with my awesome Momma whom I love so much I got to thinking ...

Is that the goal of this thing called motherhood?

That at the end of all the hard work and investment you pour into your children, they will stand (or write,text,sing) and call you blessed, loved, cherished, amazing, wonderful, awesome? 

Maybe, they love you so much they want to get this tattooed on their body just to tell the world how much they really do love you.

Maybe not cause they are only 2 still!

 I dunno?

The point is

That kind of adoration is what we all long for, but I'm not sure that is the goal? 

Sure it's nice to have a day that we get thanked for our hard work, love and devotion, but it shouldn't be the day that defines us as mom's. 

What happens when our children don't stand (or even text) to call us blessed?

Or even worse, our husband doesn't praise us for all the hard work we do?

I feel like mother's day can be quite the set up for unmet expectations.

Would if you didn't get breakfast in bed?

Would if they don't call you at all let alone, to say they love you?

Would if you don't get that perfume you really wanted, just as a fragrant reminder of the sacrifice you make on a daily basis?

Or even worse would if you don't have your momma here to tell these things to anymore?

Would if God forbid,  your children, they aren't even here anymore?

Would if one of your children tragically went home to be with Jesus way too young?

These were some of my questions and thoughts that I pondered yesterday as I had one of THE best Mother's Days a girl could ever hope for.

I remember though, when my kids were little, Mothers Day was just like any other day. I still had to change poopy diapers, I still had to do laundry and clean up 4 lils messes. I remember the discontentment, bitterness, and bitchy, bratty attitude I would have because I thought... THIS IS MY DAY!! 

I shouldn't have to do this chore or wipe that butt.

Rather than thinking, I get to do this as an honor and privilege, I would spend the whole day bemoaning the things that didn't happen, and the stuff that went wrong.

I realize now that I totally missed out on what a blessing that day really was.

  Now that my kids are grown and pretty much did all the cooking and cleaning yesterday and spoiled me so much so, that I didn't even lift a finger... not EVEN a thumb ... ALL DAY... (don't even get me started on the love notes) I can look back and remember what it was like being in the trenches with the littles.

I remember so well, many a Mother's day that I had the wrong heart attitude. 

I was also reminded by so many momma's yesterday that this day might bring some sorrow instead of joy.

 When I went up to one of the mommas at church to say Happy Mothers Day, she told me she had lost her daughter 2 years ago and sat with only her son and I'm sure a HUGE hole in heart where her daughter used to sit.

Then I was reminded by another momma while walking out the door of church that her oldest son didn't even call.

And even still another friend text to say her child had ran away on mothers day.

It broke my heart and at the same time brought a whole lotta perspective to my sometimes selfish outlook on life.

Not all momma's have joy on this day.

Not all children can call their mom at all, or just wouldn't call her because she is THE one person who they blame all of their sadness in life upon.

The joys and sorrows of this life are so strange to me.

It's just such a mystery to me still why some have SO much joy, while others have SO much sadness.

Why some cups are filled to overflowing, while others have never even been given a drop of joy.

And the only thing I can come back to is perspective.

Our heart's attitude in this life is crucial to our well-being. 

For the momma who sat without her daughter, she was happy to have her son there and talked of the relaxing day they would share.

For the momma whose oldest didn't call, she was thankful for the ones that were still there with her celebrating her day. 

And for my friend whose teen ran away she chose to laugh with her other kids and new friends. 

That's an amazing gift, to see the brighter side of life.

For my friend who didn't have his momma here to say Happy Mother's day to, he called or texted the other Momma's in his life.

And for the one's that didn't have their child with them ... well they looked forward to the day when they would be reunited again.

Jesus, help me to keep a good perspective, a humble perspective in regards to this life. Guard my heart from becoming selfish on all the future Mothers Days I have ahead of me. 

SO often I can let little things rob me of my joy, and yesterday I was reminded that in this life there will be joy and sorrow, good days and bad.

THE only anchor I have in the midst of the highs and lows is the love of Christ, and HIS love flowing through me.

The only glory I can give for my Fab 4 is to their Creator.

And of all the things my momma has given me her love for her Savior was/is the greatest gift because when she is called home someday, and I can't call her up to bless her, Jesus will still be here with me to comfort and help me carry on.

And now to take a cue from Momma T. at the end of the day it isn't all the great things we have done in this life that we will be judged by, it is about the simple sacrifices we make when no one is watching. 

 

About Being a Momma

Here's what I know so far about being a momma;
It truly is a privilege to be a mom. 
It has challenged me to the core of who I am.
I never thought that doing this much laundry was humanly possible.
I now know that my own mother is in FACT a Saint.
I will never find another role, career, life choice, hobby, or job as rewarding or as challenging as the one called motherhood.
I never realized how selfish I was until these 4 people came along to shine a light on that.
I can't begin to put in words what it feels like when I see smiles on these 4 human beings faces.

I could write a book about the things I find while doing the laundry.
Linking arms with other mothers whether they work outside the home or not is a necessity to succeed in this role. Seriously, the league of mom's is so vital and there is nothing like it under the sun.I'm so grateful for all the momma's in my life. They remind me I'm not alone.
I can't take too much credit for their success's or failures, because they are theirs alone.
I'm beginning to see that the letting go part of this gig is going to be by far the hardest part. Harder than dirty diapers, midnight feedings, drawings on the wall, flu infestations... etc.

Conversations while riding in the car, or around the dinner table, or at night before prayers... these are the only jewels these ears will ever need. 
There is no perfect mother, no perfect child, no perfect family, but realizing this brings about a unique kind of God given perfection.
I never knew how full of fear my heart could be.
On any given day I truly am required to be a doctor, lawyer, taxi-cab driver, psychologist, seamstress, artist, architect, superhero, advocate, chef extraordinaire, interior designer, and of course photographer. 

This journey that began for me 16 years ago is not a race, it's a life long marathon, and one that I hope to finish leaving a legacy of only one thing behind; LOVE.

Thankful Thursday

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” 

                                       Mother Teresa

This Thankful Thursday morning I am so beyond grateful for my recent trip to Nevada to be with my family. On Sunday, I got to surprise my mom and dad who share the same birth DAY. They were both born on November 4th, but 4 years apart. 4 is kind of their number. Their birthday is the reason that they even met. A mutual friend of theirs 42+ years ago set them up on a blind date because of it, and the rest... well it's MY history.

“I sustain myself with the love of family.” ― Maya Angelou  


My parents are without a doubt my heroes. 42 years married, 5 children, 6 grandchildren, a faith in Christ that is inspiring, those are just some of the reasons I look to them for inspiration. This past summer my dad had some major health issues and so this birthday I was especially grateful for his 71 years of life.  Nothing like a little brush with almost death to appreciate the everyday moments.

“you can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”
― Frederick Buechner

Another life I'm really thankful for this morning is my brother Greg's. That's him in between my sister Jen and I on his birthday. He was born the day right after my mom and dad's birthday on November 5th. My mom tells the story that she was at her birthday party 35 years ago, big and pregnant and she started to get contractions so she had a glass of wine to relax her. Well it did relax her, so much so, that Greg was born the very next day. Huh, funny thing is though the "relaxed" effect didn't linger. Nope, that kid is full of more energy than Red Bull on Crack! Seriously though,  My brother is all kinds of amazing. He is a truer, than true friend and I'm thankful I also get to call him my brother.

I got to see this little sweetie, my niece Sophia that I have nicknamed #lastminutebiscuit , because she was born on Dec 31st last year. I can hardly believe that this biscuit is going to be 1 year old soon. She is walking and talking and I was bound and determined to teach her my name while I was there. I kept saying can you say....  Auntie N-o-e-l....  Auntie N-o-e-l? She just smiled at me so sweet and cute like. It melted my heart every time. The good thing about the beginning of my name is that its the start of another word that most lil's learn to say pretty quick(NO!!) so I'm pretty sure my name will beat out her other Auntie's and Uncles.  Well, and even if she just goes around saying NO!! I'll take the credit for that too ;)

Are there any words that an Auntie can say to express the joy within that our nieces and nephews bring to us? All I can think of to say is that my nieces, even my oldest niece Kaylanne who I haven't seen in far too long, brings me such joy. When I see a part of my siblings, or my sister-in-love Hillary who is no longer with us, in my nieces it makes my heart swell with joy. They are JOY incarnate to me. There I tried, to express what a niece or nephew can do.

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” 
― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

The final above quote is truly what I'm thankful for today because, I realize that my family of origin, is a rare gift. The older I get the more I realize how rare this gift, my family, truly is. I deeply love and admire each and every one of my siblings, and my parents. To have had the health and good fortune that we claim, through the Grace of God, is without words the greatest gift a life could ever behold.


Linking Up Here and Here

A Quote

I'd Like to Be as Good as My Dog thinks I am.

I am convinced that in my dogs eyes I can do wrong. They all love me unconditionally because I feed them, walk them, play ball with them and pet them. That's all they need to think

SHE IS GOOD.


As Rich as my kids think I'm.

I remember when my mom would say, "Do you think the money grows on trees?" There was a time that I thought it did. There was a moment when the rising cost of gas, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk meant nothing to me. Gone are the days. Still in my children's eyes...

I AM RICH.



And be as beautiful as my mother thinks I am.

This week when I was at bible study the ladies where talking about mothers day and of course about their own mothers. There were a couple of women who mentioned that the first thing to come out of their moms mouths, after not seeing them in a while was the fact that they had gained weight or what they were wearing. I spoke up and said, my mom is the complete opposite. She is the ultimate encourager. I jokingly said that it's like "Good job breathing, Good job walking, Good Job being YOU!" Every single time I am with her, I walk away feeling like a million bucks, and that I could conquer the world if I wanted to. Don't worry, I don't want to conquer the world. Don't know what I do with the world if I did conquer it, but that's a good question for another day. All that to say that in MY mothers eyes...

I AM BEAUTIFUL.

My next link up party for "Letters To My Pets" will be June 1st and will run a month long. Be sure to grab a button. Start writing your letter to your pets for the month of June :) and join me right back here in precisely 14 days.






<center><a href="http://www.noelsbeautifulife.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5mHkTAXMno1WijxiQWbk3mRSxy4hUxYwZrN4AYc0lbMan9lo6xyIo6n6qZsEjmOK400WVgkHvtG_8qPp61Mfwb-oF2Ce5YSvJdfb0MXQRWpy7dSZn4DBhZ_qhRA3L5_D0rT6/s400/letters+to+pet+4.jpg" /></a></center>

To My Momma

I really love my mom for the person she is, and not just because she's my mom. Do you know what I mean? We can't choose our family in this life. So I feel really blessed to be able to say that I would choose my mom a thousand times over to have in my life, in any way, shape, or form. I feel even more blessed that I get to, I GET TO, call her mom, momma, MA.

The older I've gotten(37) and the longer I've been a mom(14 years) I have realized a thing or two about my Ma.

First- she is one funny lady. Seriously, there are very few people in this life that can make me laugh like my Ma. Sometimes she doesn't even mean to be funny and she just brings joy. SO much joy.

Second- she is generous almost to a fault. If you were to go over to my Ma's house right now and say to her, "Ellen I really like that pretty picture", chances are you would be walking out the door with that picture. She really gives to everyone who asks of her. No, really you would go home with the picture. We have been known to get into a lil tiff in front of many a cashier over who is going to foot the bill. The woman, would and will give you the shirt off her back and then her shoes too.

D.- She is an encourager. There was nothing, and I do mean nothing on earth that we, her children, felt that we could NOT do. She was that good. She IS that good. Well, and she makes you feel like a million bucks. If you are in a room with Ellen you are laughing, loving, and feeling loved. She makes the world so much brighter.

4.-There is no one that I know who loves children more than this woman. Her love for babies and children has been passed down and trickled over to me, as you can clearly see. I am so glad I had a good role model for this because, children is what life is all about.

E. She has the patience of a Saint. Trust me I know. I'm not saying that I tried her patience, Oh NO, I was the golden child or so she says, but I sure did see my siblings give her a try or two! Ahem... Older sister Jenny

Honestly, I could go through the whole entire world from the beginning of time until now and I would never find another woman with as much kindness, joyful songs, love, mercy, and over all motherly goodness. And do you know what my mom would say to that? She'd say it is true of her mom. And do you know what Gramma The Great, would have said to that? That it's true of her mom.

I pray I can continue in the lineage of motherly goodness.

Ma I LOVE YOU!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Momma's. Your work is never done. But it is worthy of your time, energy, and devotion. YOU are producing a heritage of motherly goodness.


* all rights to my bullet points are reserved to this woman who is another great mom; Shontell she taught me how to count.

42 years

He thought she was a hippie.
She thought he was a stick in the mud.

He noticed she had a love of music.
She noticed he had a great radio voice.

She liked that when they were together his eyes never wandered.
He liked that she loved baseball, even if it wasn't his favorite team.

They both shared the same birthday, November 4th... 4 years apart.
4 is kind of their number.

He went to seminary.
She went to the convent.

Thank God they didn't follow through with those vocations, or the world would have missed out on one of the greatest duo's of all time.

They've been through
babies,
toddlers,
teens,
careers,
healthy times,
mortgages,
more teens,
taxes,
adoption,
pets,
moves,
vacations,
unhealthy times,
downs,
countless baseball seasons,
loss of all their parents,
empty nest,
kids moving and moving back,
ups,
cars,
and grandkids.

42 years of being on the same team.
They are my heroes.


Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.
You are an inspiration.

Spring Break

We are on Spring Break here in the MoNoSco household. Woot, Woot!!

Here are some things we've got planned for our Spring Break this year.

This cake is a must try because, for one I LOVE sunflowers, and for two I love sunflowers :)
You can find the recipe here;Peeps Sunflower Cake.

Then we plan to finally get over to the zoo. I am already so excited for the pics that will come from this outing. I wonder if there is something wrong when I am more excited about the pictures that will come from an outing that the outing itself? Hmm.... Does anyone else think like this?

Come on picture taking people, help me feel normal again.

In between outings we have many at home projects,and fun activities planned because let's face it there are just as many fun things to do at home as there are when you are out and about. Especially when you have Pinterest as your new bestie.

Here is a must try idea, that we found on Pinterest. Big surprise there, right?Marbled Cracked Eggs

This is something that I wouldn't dare try when my kids were younger. I'm gonna be really honest for a minute here and just say that the whole dying eggs activity, even as a preschool teacher always scares the shit out of me.

Maybe I am alone here, but the constant thought in the back of my mind, no matter how many precautionary measure I have taken to keep those cups full of bright dyes from falling all over the place is something that looms in my psyche each and every time I hand that wand over.

Come on, keep it real. Am I alone in this?

Also on the list of activities is the event we have been waiting for, for quite some time.
The arrival of our beloved family. Grandam Ellen, Grandpa Greg, Uncle Jeremy, Auntie Gina, Uncle Izzy, and cousins Savy and brand new Sophie.

They are coming to see us, but also my sister Bean, aka Gina, her favorite flowers are tulips and so ...

We are planning to take the family to this event this weekend;Tulip Festival

Again another event that I am really just giddy over the potential pictures that are to be.
Crazy, but true.

Of all the events that I am most excited about this Spring Break, none will compare to this...

Meeting my last minute biscuit.
AKA my new niece Sophia Adelle.
Sigh...
Is she not the cutest lil last minute biscuit you have ever seen?
Are you wondering why I keep calling her last minute biscuit?
Well, I am glad you asked.
She was born on New Years Eve.

I haven't met her officially yet, only via skype, and pictures so more than all the potential awesome pictures in the world, my heart is swelling in anticipation with the thought of holding this beautiful baby girl.


What are your plans for Spring Break?

Mondays

As the Professional CEO of this home, or aka The Stay-At-Home-Mom that I have been for many moons now, I have realized a few things that are crucial to my survival and happiness with my current employment.

Some other moms may not agree with my methods, but they are tried, and true to me, and they have failed me NOT. And well, this is my story and I am sticking to it.

On the weekends, when everyone else is officially OFF, I have declared that I am too.
That means I don't do laundry.
I don't do dishes unless I want to.
We eat pizza or leftovers.
I don't sweep.
I don't mop.
I am OFF work.

Well, this method is tried and true, and it works quite well that is, until Monday morning rolls around.

On Monday mornings I wake up knowing what lies ahead.
I know full well what happens when I have left the mess of 2 days work for this One Day.
"Looks like someone's got a case of The Mondays", at least no one says that to me while I quietly go about my business. Most Mondays, I don't mind the mess. I am happy for the time OFF and happy to get back to work, But...

This particular Monday morning, while texting some of my girlfriends, who will be referred to as "My 3 Cups of Awesome", from here on out,(they know who they are) I was be-moaning my Monday morning mess.

I said, "I feel it's abusive the disastrous state in which my family leaves this house for me to clean on Monday mornings. I also feel that with such abuse there should be like a CPS number that MOMS could call when they want to report and abusive family."

Think of the things you could call this number for?

I can think of so many reasons to call a support line like that.

Like, how about when you have just done the laundry, folded it all nicely, and asked that your boys put it away in their drawers. Only to find the very same clean clothes back in the dirty clothes hamper a few days later... unworn... ABUSE.

Or what about when you have swept and mopped the floor, your back is hurting from the bending over to make a floor so spotless you could eat off of it, only to have muddy rain boots walk across the whole house before they realize they didn't concede to the "Shoes Off" policy posted on the door.... ABUSE.

How about you just cleaned the fridge. Top to bottom you spent a good portion of your day in the muck and mire that is your fridge. It was cold and tedious. It was not fun, but it's beautiful now. Sparkling white. But wait, Red Juice just got spilled, no tipped over, all down the sides, the selves, the bottom..... ABUSE.

So what number could we call?

Well, if your mom is still alive I would suggest this number;

1-800-MOM-I-LOVE-YOU-THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO AND HAVE DONE!!

Or...

1-800-PEDICURE-TIME!

What are some reasons you would call The Mom Abuse hot line?
What number would you call?

Top 5 Favorite Childhood Snacks

One of the things I have noticed since being a parent to 4 young people that all go to school now, and come home ravenously hungry, is that the afternoon school snack is of utmost importance around here. If my cupboards aren't filled with what my children love to eat when they get home then the rest of the evening can go down hill on the drop of a dime, and we may never return to a state of normal.(So dramatic, I swear I am going to work on that)
Anyhew, I work hard to study them, and find out what their favorite snacks are because I remember a time not so long ago, that the afternoon school snack was the highlight of my day as well.

It is now time for a Noel's Top 5

Ya know how David Letterman has a Top 10 list every night, well I am starting right here, right now, with you as one of the first to play along a Top 5 post.

These posts won't be nearly as witty, or brilliant as Big Man Dave's, but I will try to have some fun with them, and I hope you will too.

Feel free to join along in the comment section.

Okay so here goes...

Top Favorite Childhood Snacks:


5. Cheese with Apples- Now this one is a snack that goes way back (to my childhood of course... giggle, giggle just seeing if you are paying attention) and I have my mom to thank for it. I actually know someone who puts cheddar cheese on their apple pie. Don't turn your nose up, it's actually very good. And it is a somewhat healthy snack that I am proud to report is now a favorite with my Fab 4.

4. OLIVES- Have I told you the story of how we(me and my 4 siblings) would get a can of olives in our stocking every year for Christmas. NO Joke. I LOVE them. I love them alone. I love them here, I love them there. I love them everywhere.(Also I love Dr. Suess) One thing that we can not be out of in this house is TP and Olives. They are that important in my life. Now, Cottage Cheese with olives, or tomatoes, or both, that's another favorite but I added those other things later in life. I think it was around the time when I grew out of putting the olives on my fingers.

3. White Bread, Butter, Sugar, Cinnamon Toast- it's called the poor kids cinnamon roll. And this is now one of my kids favorites as well. Again so simple, so easy, and brings me right back to 1311 Siskiyou Street when I was a kid.

2. Peanut Butter Cookies- My mom always seemed to have a batch made, and I love, love, love them. LOVE peanut butter too, btw(sidenote). Mom if you are reading your peanut butter cookies are still my all time favorite cookies. I love them. I love you.

1. My number 1. childhood snack that I have never seen another adult in my life (other than my Ma who taught it to me) is ... Drum Roll Please....

Saltine Crackers with a little butter on top.
I LOVE THIS SNACK. LOVE IT. If I am having a day where I am missing my mom, all I have to do is run to the pantry, pull out those beautiful salty, crispy squares, and get that doll-up of creamy butter on there and I am good to go.

Mom if you are reading this I know I should have listed on there a box of cheeze-its as a go to snack because you always had those as well, but I thought I would leave that for your list.

And now that you have just heard Noel's top 5, what are yours?

What was your momma making for snacks after school everyday?

Or what did you run to the pantry for when you first got home and could eat at your leisure?

I want to know.

My New Niece

My niece Savy who is in the picture above that was taken this past Christmas is now a big sister.

Her little sisters name is Sophia Adelle.
I had asked Sophia to come out and play while I was there. Pleading with my sister Bean's belly, I begged and begged. She didn't come when I was there.

She came a few days after I left.

She was born on New Years Eve.

She came earlier than her due date, and later than my trip down to NV would allow me to stay.

So I guess you could say that in her short life she has already learned the art of compromise.

Although I haven't yet had the joy of holding her I have had a few skype visits which have been a real treat, and I love her already.

I remember the day her sister was born.
I remember the day my baby girl was born.
Heck I remember the day her mom was born.
And if my mom was here she would say,"I remember the day you were born"
All this really means is that I am OLD!

Oh but the newborn.
The new life that is only a week and 4 days old.

Well what can I say about that.

The newborn phase in each of our lives is so very precious.

I know if I was living there right now, my house and my children would all be neglected because all I would want to do is to sit there and stare at her, ALL DAY LONG.
It's what my mom calls a baby romance.
That's what she calls the need to just sit and stare at a newborn.
ALL DAY LONG.
And it's a need make no mistake about it.
It's a need because it reminds us that
New life is such a gift.
It speaks of promise for the future.
Hope for better tomorrows.
And a love that is unlike any other.

Congratulations Izzy, Gina, and Savanah.

Give Sophia extra hugs and kisses until her Auntie Noel can do it herself, oh and be sure to get in some sitting and staring, because before you know it Sophia will look like this.

My big girl Emma Lou, working away, being so responsible, so grown up. So not wanting me to take her picture

Dieting, Puppies, and Other MoNoSco Updates

A funny thing happens when you go on a diet.
Food just becomes a tool, rather than something you enjoy.
To some extent life changes entirely and I find myself getting kind of depressed.
This of course makes me realize how much food and drink(can't forget the drink) has become somewhat of an idol in my life.
The diet I am on is extreme, and I would tell you the name but... the only reason I am not sharing it with you is because I don't want that to become the topic of our conversation, but needless to say, it is limited what I can and cannot eat... BUT it's working!


Having a puppy in the house after several years of not having a baby of some sort has made me realize how selfish we all are.
Barley( our new Yellow Lab pup) has pushed us all to the brink of exhaustion.
He is so high energy that even our Jack Russell, Bella (supposedly the most hyper dog around) is wiped out and tired of him by the end of the day!
Still, in the end he brings me so much joy, as does Bella and well Joy is a rare commodity these days!
Those 4 legged friends sure are something, can't quite put my finger on what, but they are SOMETHING all right!

We had a communion moment at church last Sunday.
It started out bad and painful, but I hope ended up good and memorable.
We came home and let all 4 of our kids watch Passion of the Christ.
We of course edited quite a bit and actually only showed them bits and pieces.
This movie still makes me bawl like a baby.
Jesus without a doubt is SO AMAZING!
I know it made a lasting impression because they are still asking me questions.

We, Monosco are still having moments,
sometimes whole days ...
where we are wondering what the H E ..double hockey sticks we are doing in Washington??
But today when the sun is shining and we recently got to visit with a good old friend that feels like family I feel happy to be here.

I miss my mom.
Can you at 36 years old still miss your mom?
Is that legal?

Well, even though the sun is out this cabin has turned into an icebox.
I must go start a fire now to cozy things up in here.
Sure wish I was having this conversation face to face with those of you that might read and comment on this.
If we were, I would have already put the coffee pot on and the smell would be divine because...
Raven's Brew is what I am brewing these days. If you haven't had this brand of coffee go out... RIGHT NOW and get some.
It is Divine!



One more final thought and then I really am going to go , okay maybe two
I am reading;
Fiction-Salamander by Thomas Wharton
and
Non- Fiction-Follow Me to Freedom by Shane Claiborne and John Perkins
both great books so that alone makes me happy to have good books waiting for me late at night.

and really here it is my final thought...
New All Time Favorite Tea
Stash brand Licorice Spice, it's like dessert in a cup

Mom, The Month of MAY, and My new Theme for this Month

I almost lost it in the card isle in the grocery store the other day. I was looking for Mother's day cards and this year I decided to send them to not only the 3 mothers I have; Mom Ellen, Momma Nash, and Mom B., but also to some other mother's in my life.


So, basically I went nutts, and spent way too much money on cards, but .... shhh please don't tell on me for this. I am keeping with my LOVE theme that I set out to do in the month of February. I don't know if you caught that blog but I said that I wanted to write one person a day in the month of February to tell them how much I love them and well, there are just more people than that calendar month provided for me to tell how much I love so I decided in February to make the month of May be a special theme month for me as well.



I know I am a dork who LOVES words probably wayyy too much.

I know to most of you it might just be a silly thing, but for me it has been therapeutic to tell the people I love, that I LOVE them.

I know there should be an award for cheese-ball of the year that could be given to people for things such as this.

BUT

It is the John Mayer song "Say What you NEED to Say" kind of thing for me that is happening here.



So May is the "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight Oh Lord" month! WOW! Sheesh, that was a long one. I thought of this though the other day when I read this in THE BOOK. I thought, I am pretty sure those words, the words that The Lord would accept, would be those of sincere and genuine heart felt LOVE.


You can now award me with the Cheese-Ball of the year award, but go right ahead! Won't even bug me a bit, because you know what? Chances are if you are reading this blog I probably love you too! SO THERE.






The pictures are of just SOME of the amazing mother's in my life. Enjoy.

Life, Laughing, Loving, Crying, and Music

I hate when I don't really have time to really blog. My post have been lame at best in my estimations, (except for my fashion week of course that was just plain fun AND for which I received and awesome prize) and it really does have to do with the fact that my brain is fried. 

When I finally do have the time to sit down and articulate a thought or two they all seem to just run together. This afternoon I still have a few more hours that I need to log into my math course before 11pm but I am taking a break to blog.

I started thinking about the last few weeks and how busy they have been and it has made me realize some things. I like to do a lot of things and have a hard time saying no to myself  until it hits me in the alone time department and then I wonder why I did that to myself again. Does anyone even know what I am saying?

 Basically, I am just saying there are not enough hours in the day and I hate being confined to the 24 that I am given.

This week while driving into to work I thought about my mom and started to get all choked up. I don't think that I could've  possibly appreciated my mom or dad more until I became a mom and realized some things. Anyway, I called her to just say that I loved her and that I am glad she is still on the other end to call and say that to. For those of us who still have our parents, remember there will come a day when they won't be there on the other end so seize the day and call your mom and dad just to tell them you love them.

Today I got really emotional after church thinking about my good friend Natalie and her hubby Chris, and baby V moving so far away. It just really makes me sad. I have been having many conversations to the Lord about this for weeks but alas, I know in my heart they are in good care. I just wish that they could have remained being cared for HERE!! Still, I know that I will keep in touch. There are some friends that just come and go but these are not those kinda friends for me. Natalie is a gem, truly like a little sister and I will miss her greatly. We will see each other when our book gets published though and when we  go on a book tour and so there is that :)

A good friend a while back said that I shouldn't hold back the tears. That a good cry is a good thing. I am feeling that lately when I need to cry the tears are readily available, but when I need to laugh.....I laugh so loud I scare myself and those around me. 

One final thought, they need to make a musical movie like ; Across the Universe, Mama Mia that uses the Cures music- don't ya think??

My mom's socks box

Tonight while cleaning up Christmas and New Year events and also doing lots of laundry all day, I was remembering something that my mom used to do with socks. In our house there was 6 of us and then 7, at one point more than that depending on how many people my mom invited to live with us at the time. Anyway, that's besides the point of my blog here. 

My mom used to keep a socks box for all the mismatched socks. It was generally found in the hall closet with the towels and all the other general population items of the Pellant house , like toilet paper ,towels, and such. I remember when I was younger that this socks box was the source of either great discontent or satisfaction depending on whether or not I found the sock I was looking for. I remember when I was younger being so frustrated with my mom for not knowing where all the socks were in the whole house. How could she put just one sock in my room without the other. How could she not know where everything was at all times. I thought when I was younger that this socks box was more just her laziness in not putting all our socks together and in our room. Why couldn't she have put them all neatly in my drawer folded together and organized like all the other mom's did? Why did she just throw all the socks in the box and call it a day??

Funny how your perspective changes as you age, have children of your own, and have done thousands upon thousands of loads of laundry. A little perspective is always a good thing.

Tonight while sorting and cleaning I thought, my mom was a genius she had a place for the most annoying things on the planet = mismatched socks. 

There is no moral to this story other than I have done some growing up(at least I think I have) and have now a new perspective on my mom's socks box. 

I will now have one of my own. 

I hope my kids will think the same of me someday as I do of my mom right now.