If you remember reading about our trip to Monterey and how my girls got a hold of Miss Sarah's camera, we recently received the results of their photo session. Hilarious! Though, I was quite impressed with some of the photos. They were pretty artistic. Here are a few to share with you.

Doorstop Jed the Horse

This became a major subject in their photo shoot. He was such a great model. He hardley ever moved and really stood still for the shot.



Lydia's Flip FlopToes.

Don't you love that the toes are not in the right place on her flip flop? Notice the dirty toes and the faded painted nails amongst the glittery pink flips. Too cute!

Tulle & Ribbons

.....This to become some sweet tu-tu skirts for the girls.....
I am experimenting! So, we shall see what becomes of
this pretty fluffy tulle and ribbons!

Whatever works for you...

So I asked Ric if he would bathe the girls tonight before bed.
He said sure....and this is his version of bath time....

They really loved it.

Even more fun with a lollipop!

Not so fun soapy eyes.
I suppose we all have a way doing things....

Fall Into Reading

It is Fall (hmmm, I LOVE this Season) and time to Fall back into Reading. Katrina from Callapidder Days has kicked off her yearly fun reading plan...and I am on board!

My reading list will consist of four books that I will read on my own and then two books with my daughters. I realized that most of the books I have chosen are timeless classics. So, I am grabbing my cup O' tea, warm blanket, scented candle, and cuddling up to read some fantastic books. Want to join me? Click on the logo above and head on over to Callapidder Days for more info...otherwise just make your list and start reading.

The Hiding Place -- by Corrie Ten Boom
I am half way through with reading this book. This is a riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century. So far a very empowering read.









In His Steps -- by Charles M. Sheldon
Long before the question "What Would Jesus Do?" there was In His Steps. Deeply shaken by the appearance of a mysterious stranger in town and his impassioned pleas for the poor and downtrodden, the minister and five influential parishoners begin a year-long experience in Christianity. Each has resolved to conduct his life according to the precepts of Christ, applying His behavior to their own lives.







The Mysterious Benedict Society -- by Trenton Lee Stewart
This book was recommended by several blogs that I read frequently. "The characters were all interesting and deep (as opposed to superficial cliches), and the plot had some clever twists and neat puzzles. It was fun solving those puzzles along with the characters, too. I am looking forward to reading this fun, clever, and witty book.








Mansfield Park -- by Jane Austen
A literary classic! I have watched two versions of this classic tale on DVD and I am looking forward to now reading the story. I have a goal to read all the Jane Austen novels. So, I am doting into this book for this Season.

Books to read with my girls:

Little House in the Big Woods -- By Laura Ingalls Wilder

I have loved these little American classics. Y'all have probably seen the shows on TV, and I loved watching them all. These books are a very simple look at frontier life through the eyes of a little girl, Laura Ingalls. This book is the first book in the series, of which we plan to read all them together.








A Little Princess (Classic Starts) -- by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This Class Starts series is great. We have read The Secret Garden and my little Sophia followed along wonderfully. They are abridged, but the quality of writing is superb. Perfect for my little girl's comprehension. I think we will watch Shirley Temple version of this story after we read the book. This is a timeless tale of a poor orphan who has won hearts of children for a century--and continues to be a favorite.

Steal me away to Monterey

Ah, that is what we did, indeed! We had a lovely, beautiful weathered, fun-tastic time in Monterey.

Not only did we get spend time with our Auntie Suzy (the best part) and her roommate Miss Sarah, we were able to ponder at sea creatures at the Aquarium, eat sandy PB&J sandwiches at our picnic at Lover's Point beach, and roast marshmellos in the back yard of Auntie Suzy's cute little abode.
And, of course they have cable or dish (whatever they have, it is not your basic two channels like we get) and the girls were able to watch Hannah Montana and Cheetah Girls and some High School Musical type show and boogie down with them. The girls got a hold of Miss Sarah's camera and had a blast taking a ton of pictures. We are looking forward to seeing all the creative pictures they took soon. Lil' Lydia loved to just hang with Miss Sarah in her room. Lydia's new favorite friend.
Rosi was happy to eat everything she could get her tiny little fingers upon...included in her menu was cat food and sand. Delicious.

Sophia writing a letter to her State Representative to help save the sharks!

We had an otterly good time at the Aquarium

Isn't she just so adorable?

Playing in the sand....my girls love the beach!

Wah! Look how tall we are compared to a baby whale.

My UPS--man is the clear winner today!

This morning my doorbell rings (right after putting Rosi down for a nap). I rush to the door and open to find a nice square brown package and the backside of a FEDX man walking towards his truck. The F-man did not even turn around to acknowledge that I received the package or even to say hello to me. I tried to say Hi and wave...you know good neighborly manners, however, he was pushing the pedal to the metal and driving down the block.
Well, no matter. I got a package. How exciting is that? Until I read the name. It is not my name, nor is it my husband or anyone who lives at this address. I notice that the address is not even my address....what? I run towards the street only noticing the tale end of the F-man's truck around the corner. He is gone.
What now? You mean I have to do his job for him? I have to deliver the package to the correct address? The audacity!
Well, I need to keep with good neighborly manners, so I walk down the street two houses down and deliver the package to the correct owner.
On my way back home, I got to thinking about the F-man. He is nothing like my UPS-man. See, everytime my UPS-man delivers me goods, he is friendly. He shows good neighborly manners. I feel like I know about his familiy, his wife and kids, except that I never really asked him about them, nor has he shared. But, he has always been very nice and you just know there is a connection and at least he always acknowledged that I received the package and I am actually standing there.
Thinking more about the situation....
What if that was an important package that was suppose to be sent to me and it was delivered to somebody else who really would not do the good neighborly thing and deliver the package back to me?
UPS-man you rock... F-man...well, you failed miserably...

Chum Latte

Thank you friend for the wonderful night of fellowship in the bookstore with Pumpkin Spice Latte and Spinach and Feta Pretzel. Yum! I missed you and it was nice to catch up.

Okay, everyone....remember to take time out of our busy days/evenings to spend some quality time with a friend (no kids) and talk. This is important and much needed for a healthy state of mind. It is refreshing to escape for a few hours from responsibilities and bond with other adults.

And a treat to a latte is quite nice too while spending time with your fellow chum. La-la-tey! Now, go grab a friend and drink and have fun chatting away......

Friendship doubles your joys, and divides your sorrows.
"A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17

Peaceful Haven

I started writing in my journal again. One of the first things I wrote in my journal was this:

Lord, I dream of my house as being a peaceful haven --warm, inviting, restful sleep, healthy meals, a secure dwelling place, joyful, inviting, music-filled, etc. But Lord, How in the world can I have all this? I am frustrated with my children, all the dishes, all the laundry, all the dust on the floor and mantle, my sky rocketing mood changes...Lord, I need you.
I pray you will reveal Your Truth to me today and wrap me in your arms. Lord, my desire is to follow you in they way I should go and not depart from Your Word, but rather let Your Word guide me....
Thank You Father, for Your willingness to show me Your ways... teach me Your paths... and lead me in Your truth. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart willing to follow You all the days of my life so that others may see more and more of You in me....
Forgive me for taking so many of the blessings in my life for granted and open my eyes to see You and Your Presence at work in a greater way in the coming days. Thank You Father for loving me and giving me everything I need in Christ to live the abundant life you died for me to have. Lift me up above my circumstances Lord so I can see more clearly how much I have to be thankful for. In Your Name and for Your glory... amen.

Here is the verse that the Lord revealed to me today: Galatians 5:22 "But, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

These are the areas of which I need to work on in my heart, so that I can display them in my home. I pray for a Spirit of of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I must seek first the Lord and put on the fruits of the Spirit in my life, actions, thoughts, words in order to have that peaceful haven in my home.

Snowball

Warning: This may be random. Really random. Bare with me if you choose to continue.

Snowball. The title of the entry:
No, not the white fluffly stuff compacted into a nice ball for tossing at your friend....seriously, we have technically 7 days of Summer left....before Fall.

Actually, the title of the post rather represents this point in my journey of life. The Snowball effect...one thing after another...and then another...tumbling....compacting....rolling on down...snowball was the only adjective (yes, I am using it as an adjective) to describe life here at Lil' Daisies Abode.

As you may have noticed, it has taken me 7 days to write a post. Some of you have emailed me and wondered where am I? I am still here. Sigh. You can also breathe a sigh of relief too. I have been catching up on trying to maintain my home, ya know bring it back to some sense of order and semblance.

I have actually began writing a few posts then scratched my head, muttered, and then pressed the delete button to erase or I just saved what I thought might be a phenomenal post for a later date. For some reason, I just couldn't get anything out this past week. I think my brain was on overload and really could not compute anything abstract, or rather anything not abstract....

Rosi has been fussy all day. I think my poor little baby might be getting more teeth or just not feeling well. You know as a mother that something is wrong with your baby....the determining part is not so easy. Some people think that just because you are a mother, you should no exactly what is wrong with your baby. Well, no....just like a Doctor doesn't always know what is wrong with the patient....I have to try and figure out with my poking and prodding and try my best to diagnose the problem. Most of all, I just comfort her in my arms and sing sweet lullabys... most of the time.
She is so sweet and cuddly :-)

I have forgotten that I have never really shared with you the end of the potty saga and Lydia. Well, It is not all that interesting except that she is doing SO MUCH BETTER AT USING THE POTTY! We have had one accident of poo poo in the panty (two days ago) within the last two-three months. So, I very happy about that. Chocolate chips (M&Ms) are still a big motivater though. Hey, if it still works...I am still using it. We have toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Sophi wants to be Hanna Montana.
For Halloween that is.
Do you do anything on this day? It is really contraversial in the "Christian" world ....but, I always like to see what others opinions are about it.
I have an opinion. But, I am not going to share it yet.

Loads of dishes, some more laundry to sort, and paperwork to fill out....I am off to get something accomplished in my home.

Just like this post. I accomplished writing something. Even if it is random and not grammatically correct. Thanks for reading thus far and sticking with me!

VP with style -- a truely happening chic Mama

See....even our future VP of the United States of America is sporting a fabulous baby carrier. She is a model too, like me...showing the world how we can still carry on with life while keeping our little ones safely close to us --- I loved these pictures. I found them here at Amber's site, another blog mama who sells baby carriers too! I just couldn't pass these pics up. Since I was just sharing with y'all about baby carriers and then happened to see this...I knew you needed to see it too. Even more reason to check her name on the ballot when voting....a stylish VP wearing a sling!

You never knew

....that I could be a model! :-) Especially before even starting on my diet to lose all this extra baggage I am carrying around my hips, stomach, arms, big toe! (No, the baggage is not Rosi... Ya know the postpartum stuff that lingers on for years after having your first child. Well, I have had three chillin's and my extra weight...well, it needs to skit-daddle soon).

But that is not what I am here to share.....I am sharing about the fact that Rosi and I were models. Yes, you read it. Models. Watch out Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss!
The little Lil'Daisy Rosi and I were honored to help out a friend with her home business of baby carriers. Frogmama!

I purchased a sling through her and I had it custom made. AND...I love it! So, I am completely supportive of her business because I believe in her products and her business etiquette--outstanding!

We had a great time posing in all the new carriers! Fun. So, now you need to go check out her website and see if you can find my cute little Rosi! And, you just might find something too cute to hold your wee baby or not so wee toddler in too!
Oh, and a fun note: the baby carrier that I am holding Rosi in is called "Bella" ---how quaint is that?

Because you just might need to giggle!

What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic?

Answer: A person who lies awake at night trying to decide if there really is a doG.

Live my life with eyes open

With the start of a new school year, it has been time for me to get schedules, routines, meal plans in order. A long time goal of mine is to become more simplified in our lives. Therefore, I have attempted to declutter, organize, and make our home a more simple place to live. I love to entertain and love to plan gatherings. So, with that I need to have our home a little more simplified and organized to obtain a less stressful way of hospitality.
Yet, even more so, I need to clean up my junk within. Just as Esther was placed on earth for a divine time and eternal plan that was bigger than herself, so am I here now, as the Bible says, "for such a time as this." Esther gave her best to win the king's heart...not to exalt herself. I am to complete my royal call: to be a daugther of the King, a wife to my sweetheart, a mother to my children, a friend, and a minister to those in need. A time to clean house in and out.

I desire to live my life with eyes open, focused on the goal set before me.
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:13

Here are some areas of my life and that of my family that I am working through:

• Cleaning Inside Out : Making the Lord a first priority in my life and allowing Him to cleanse me. Laying my desires on the alter of worship where I trust God for my life. Allowing God's grace to power each step. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ~ John 15:4
  
• Cleaning Schedule: A schedule to help me keep on track and remember what I should be doing that day. I am easy side-tracked and tend to wander if I don't have some sense of a schedule before me. Also, I am wanting to get the girls helping more with cleaning.
• Chore System: The girls are now at the age where they can help out more around the house and learn to become good stewards of money and working hard for the Lord.
• Family Night: I have been wanting to do this for a long time. Ric and I and the girls took a walk the other day and I loved just spending time together as a family. Now, we are on a tight budget, so I will need to be creative when it comes to planning our special times together. Keep an eye out for these nights to be posted soon.
  
• Lydia Activities: I will be writing another post about this. But, I am planning some special time for Lydia and I to do together on the days that she is not in her preschool.
• Meal Plan, To experience good health: I want to give my body to God. I want to eat the right way for the right reasons. I will be planning a menu that will help with gaining better health for myself and my family. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^[a] act of worship. ~Romans 12:1
  

Mauna Loa --The Big Laundry Mountain

picture from a virtuous woman

Yea. So, the largest mountain in the world is Mauna Loa. However, the largest pile (mountain) of laundry in the world is the Lil Daisies Mount.

But....

I am proud to say that the laundry mountain is slowly decreasing in size! Hooray!

Here are some tips that my Aunt of profound wisdom (that got the tips from her extremely wise daughter, my cousin) shared with me about some laundry life saver methods.

1.Sorting: I don't sort. Unless, there is something that really needs to be separated from the rest of the group of clothes. So far, I have yet to have pink boxers. The only amount of sorting I do is put all towels together.

2. Do at least one load every day. Wash. Dry. Fold. Put Away.

3. Limit the amount of clothes and towels we have in our home. This has probably been the largest effect for us. Truly, if you don't have a lot, there is not a whole lot ya have to clean! Wow, smart concept! With having girls, this can be a problem. There are TONS of cute clothes for girls...but, I have to resist over doing it. So, I limit the amount of clothes for each child. I have included myself into this category too. I go through the clothes twice a year. Springtime and Fall time. I save some clothes in a bin for the other girls to wear in the future (Reuse)! :-)
For Winter Season: I try to limit the girls to have 3 pairs of pants. 5 shirts. 1 sweatshirt. 2 sweaters. 1 jacket. 3 Dresses.
For Spring/Summer: I try to limit the girls to have 3 pairs of shorts. 5 shirts. 1 light jacket. 2 swimsuits. 5 Dresses.

These are just a few ideas that I am establishing. Do you have any ideas to share with me?
How do you manage your laundry mountain?

Mosaic

My life has been filled with ups and downs. A mosaic of sadness, joy, doubt, grace, fear, freedom...In the midst of life’s most difficult changes, I can be comforted by knowing that one thing never changes: God’s love for me. He’s with me in every circumstance, every life change, every situation. He’s not just with me – He’s in me. I pray that you also will be reminded that God is Emmanuel. He is always with you....through every circumstance.

A Mosaic Meme:

1. Bella 2. Garden Tomatoes 3. 1994 4. purple and teal 5. Drew Barrymore 6. Arnold Palmer 7. Yucatan, Mexico 8. Mom's Cherry Cheesecake 9. Homemaker 10. Family 11. Creative 12. Lil Daisies


This was a fun meme I found at The Homespun Heart, here are the details if you want to make your own!

Here’s how it works:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Choose 3 columns with 4 rows.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to? (or, What year did you graduate high school?)
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)

Write me a comment and let me know if you made your own Mosaic Meme. I would love to come over and take a glance!

Her First Day

I had taken pictures of her in her new outfit for her first special day. Her first day of pre-school. Let's just say there was no grabbing at my legs and begging me to not leave her there. No, she stepped in and ran to discover new toys, books, and friends. I had to grab her legs and beg her to give me a kiss goodbye.

Lydia