the summery-ness of it all.

is there anything better than a glass of peach flavored sun tea in june?

if there is, i haven't found it yet.
i have enjoyed this ritual of having a glass of iced tea each day as i sit down to begin my homework.
lately i have begun some new rituals; some a little healthier than others : )
here are a few that come to mind:

summer means waking up a little earlier to enjoy my coffee in front of the news.
& a bonus: because it is summer, the sun falls into my living room windows and bathes me in a golden light just
before i head back upstairs to ready myself for another day of classes (bio and speech communication), errands, and shuttles to and from drivers ed (for the girl) (le gasp!).

summer is... longer days that mean i can get just a little bit more done after dinner.
most nights i am heading out the door into the late evening texas sun
once again a happy orange
to pound the pavement in hopes of working off that extra scoop of breyer's rocky road.

summer is fresh fruits and green vegetables that taste like they were picked moments before.
i am enjoying more greens and less meat.
the family, however is not. they are die-hard carnivores.

summer is the scent of fresh mowed lawns and the sound of the neighborhood kids having a water gun fight.
i find myself outside more, watering the grass (by hand- we are in water restrictions) and weeding the garden.

these are the days- and i am enjoying them while i can.
how has summer changed your daily rituals?

a year almost.

so many changes in just one year.
most of you reading have my random facebook updates,
so i will spare you the long version of a catch up.
and spare myself the typing it would take.

right now i am digging summer.
later starts to my day (if 630 is late)
and longer hours to get things accomplished.

girl turned 15.
and is now in driver's ed.

be still my heart.

the boy is coming home to finish out his schooling.
he had enough of ASU, i suppose.
probably he just missed my hovering. :: not ::

i am happy.

the moms moved one street over from us.
its nice having about every second day off
from making dinner.
its like my very own drive thru for homemade meals.

the other shoe doesn't have to drop.

my darling husband recently went all the way to england for work
and did an awesome job of bringing me beautiful pictures
of that country we fell in love with when we lived there
over 14 years ago.

i remember how
we took a day to ourselves not long after our daughter was born
to celebrate our anniversary.
i remember standing with him in front
of this marquee. snapshot taken.
only visible in my memory now
we were so young.
the marquee remains the same.
we do not.
and i am okay with that.

i am looking forward to my days.
i am excited and hopeful for each one to begin.
i cut back my hours at my job...and
i've started classes at the community college
the boy is happy at university in san angelo
and the girl is enjoying her new school.
the husband is standing in a good place at work,
it looks like he may be getting into a different area
of his field, one he is actually looking forward to.
life seems pretty darn good right about now.
no need to wait for more, i am loving what life is at the moment.

boy goes to university.

i forgot for a bit that i was blogging again.
: )
forgive me, for i am exhausted.
this weekend pretty much ran both ends of the
emotional spectrum simultaneously. why?

because we packed up the uhaul and drove the boy one to university.
i am so grateful he doesn't have to stay in the dorms.
he will be living with my father in law, so he has family there.
and his uncle lives in town too...he'll be fine.
we spent the weekend unpacking and setting up his space.

it's a nice space, very light.
i should've waited until i hung the curtains to take this pic
but i had to sneak it in.
the boy didn't want any overly mushy show of emotion.
and apparently taking too many pictures counts as mushy.
(i am suprised that spell check accepts the word mushy. and also, i used mushy twice in one post.)
at least he allowed me this indulgence once we saw this old door.

oh, how i love downtown san angelo.
and that boy.

a lil bit crafty.

last week i got a lil bit crafty.
i woke up early, got on the treadmill
then decided to get ready for work right away
so i could play with ink, paper and glue
then go straight to work.

it is such a lil thing,
and this pic is a bit blurry
but you get the gist.



i found a stack of those lil white envelopes
collecting dust but they are ready for a purpose!
so i am thinking i need to make a book.



i want to make a bunch of these "pages"
and then throw random bits of ephemera
in the bags.
things like movie tickets
roller derby ticket stubs
and all sorts of other fun stuff.
because you know i collect a bunch of junk!!
(i am working on this bad habit, though!!)

i haven't decided how i want to bind them together.
i am a fan of the rings.
but i am thinking stuff may slide out.
so i may make covers out of chipboard covered in paint
or a cute patterned paper.

i'm thinking polks dots!!

new delish.

God loves me.



here's the proof:




don't let the 100 calorie label fool you.
it's not a smaller drink than the regular mocha frap in a bottle
nor is it a smaller taste!
this is the yummy-est treat i have found
next to my keebler right bites fudge grahams and banana combo.
and you know how picky i am about my starbucks lovin.
just thought i'd share. : )

p.s. the iced VIA is yummy too!!

summer is the heat.

after lunch with friends i took the girl to visit her
grandma.
swimming is not my thing.
but sitting poolside with a camera in hand is. : )
speaking of my favorite fourteen year old:



i am so jealous i can't dye mine too!!
damn you corporate america!!!!!