Mom of the Year Award

I was given this award by my darling friend Nydia from Bringing up Salamanders. She is a sweetheart and someone I have known since over a year now since my first bloggy giveaway.

She lives far away in Brazil though I’ve thought about how wonderful it would be to visit her; she raises her son as I wish I raised my children, with a respect of her chosen path and in such a loving home that you can see his happiness on his face in every photo. She is an amazing mother and I look forward to years of seeing the two of them grow!

Here are the rules of the Award:

First, Admit one thing you feel awful about involving being a mom. Get it off your shoulders. Once you've written it down, you are No Longer allowed to feel bad. It's over with, it's in the past. Remember, you're a good mom!

The one thing I feel bad about? Wow, that is hard, Okay…. My first marriage. I should have left much sooner, I left when my daughter was 11 months old, and I should have left way before then. It was violent and frightening, I never let him close to her, however I should not have stayed as long as I did. I got out when I could and never looked back. I have learned to let this one go it is in the past, I have not spoken to the man in years and never plan to again.

Then, Remind yourself you are a good mom, list seven things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you. These are the things to remind yourself everyday that you Rock!

1.) Kar-Kar: She is so witty, she is beautiful, crazy and takes after me so much it’s almost frightening. I love her strength with people and wish she was stronger with men. That will come in time. She is a wonderful child and will be an amazing big sister as time goes on and the teenage stage fades away.

2.) Nikki-Nu: Creative. She is an amazing artist, the actor, writer and theatrically inclined one of the kids. A girl after my own heart she has really learned to shine! She is a leader and stands up for those in need. I love to watch her grow.

3.) Joe-Bear: My boy, my only boy. He is a beast, strong, tall and so handsome. With baby blue eyes and this boyish grin, he is going to make a fine husband one day. He is gentle and has such a large heart that he hates to hurt anyone/thing. He is a mama’s boy.

4.) Faithie: She is so smart! Beautiful brown eyes and a large smile. She will talk to anyone and is so polite. Fearless and opinionated, I love how she makes me laugh. I don’t get to see her as much as the others due to her living with her father, however she is always on my mind.

5.) Issa: She is coming into her own. Very loving and says the funniest things. I love reading to her, she is always talking to the book and trying to show people she loves them by squeezing their hands until it hurts.

6.) LaLa: She is the baby of the group, and doted on by me. I love this little girl, her birth came at a hard time and bringing her into the world was rough on me, it was scary and she is a blessing everyday! I adore this princess.

7.) I am lucky to be a mom to these little ones. I love being a mom and I have another little person in my life that I love just as much. He is smart and funny, he gives the best hugs. I do not just love him because I love his father; I love him because he has a warm soul and is an amazing little man.

Now, Send this to five other Mom's of the year that deserve credit for being great moms and remind them that they are the best moms they can be!! Remember to send them a note to let them know you've selected them, and add a link to the person who nominated you.

1.) Joanna This Southern Girls Nest, this is one of the most creative and frugal mom’s I know. She always has new ways to make her house a home and to show her girls that it is not about the money, it is about the feeling! I love reading her stuff and I find myself looking at projects that remind me of her!

2.) Nancy The New Life of Nancy, she is a fellow Coloradoan and I think she’s amazing. Tough as nails, emotional and an amazing Mom. I’ve watched video of how much she loves those girls, shared her pregnancy after IVF and fear when she went in to labor and finally had her baby boy.

3.) Michelle Big Blueberry Eyes, she is a single married mom. Her husband just went away for the military and she is holding down her family with such grace. I love seeing how well she is handling her beautiful family and love the strength she has in standing up and fighting for her daughter.

4.) Amber Crazy Bloggin' Canuck. I have met Amber a few times and think she is a bubbly wonderful woman. Her children obviously adore her and that is the same for their dad. They are one of those families that I look up to, their love is tangible and obviously meant to be.

5.) Mandy Pregnant…. Without a clue. This is possibly closest to my heart. I have known Mandy since I was “kneehigh to a grasshopper.” We were next door neighbors and she was my best friend throughout my whole childhood. She is now pregnant and I am having flashes of when we were girls, I remember how gentle she was as a kid. I can only imagine what kind of mom she will be. I am so very happy for her and can not wait to meet the little man. He will be an adored baby!

I could add many other great, great moms to this, but rules are rules, alas! Ok

know, you guys go and spread the word on your page if you feel like it! :o)

Simple Woman's Daybook Entry #2

For Today...

Outside my window... I am looking at sunny day, the parking lot and some beautiful blue skies. Less than two hours of work and I will be out in it, windows rolled down, music turned up going to watch my son at soccer practice.

I am thinking... that I am lucky. Sure money is an issue and finding a daycare has been hard, but have a level-headed boyfriend and a great support group that are always there for me!

I am thankful for... my children. They proved to me that I was born to be a mom, that I can overcome all obstacles and that I always have the capacity to love more.

From the kitchen... there will be a simple dinner with some comfort food and a small dessert to eat with Faithie.

I am wearing... denim skirt, leggings, black shirts and a baby doll black sweater.

I am reading... nothing right now, other than baby books to the kids!

I am hoping... that people would realize that without the earth we walk on, freedom of worship would not be possible. You do not have to worship the earth, but you should respect the air your breath and the food on your table, and that close-minded rants about "earth worshipers" should probably be researched appropriately and not give into propaganda spoon fed to people who will listen and believe all they hear.

I am creating... some very cute treats for Easter at the Smith's this weekend.

I am hearing... mellow tunes spilling out from my radio, work in the background and my fingers tapping away at my computer.

Around the house...I need to finish one last load of laundry, cook dinner and get things ready for Easter.

One of my favorite things... is curling up with one (or more) of my children and reading to them. It is a calming time with me, my own meditation.

A few plans for the rest of the week... figuring out childcare for the next month and a half, NOT having to quit my job and make sure to work out every day.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

(Fountain outside of the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ)

Picture by: Suzanne Bastien

A huge THANK YOU

Thank you… Thank you… Thank you….

I can not tell you how thrilled I am to have this many people donate to the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk that I will be doing on April 26^th.

So far I have had generous donations from four people.

Anonymous donor (I am being nice not saying his name, but you know who you are!!)

Michelle B.

Ellen D.

Margelina D.

$420.00 total!!!

GO Team Lily…

I can not thank these people enough for donating to a wonderful cause.

Now, I will also be having people join me for the walk. Wonderful friends who are getting up early morning on Sunday the 26th and wandering through Denver streets with me to support a cause that we can all hopefully see a quicker detection, and cure to the devastation this disease causes.

Thank you to my friends and family who have donated time, money and an ear listening to me talk about this.

If you would like to donate to Making Strides against Breast Cancer, please consider doing it in the name of my team through money or time. We could use more people walking beside us on April 26^th.

I am hoping to do the Susan G. Komen 3 day walk in 3 years! Team Lily will be walking with as much backing and support as I can muster!

Please follow my journey in this endeavor.

Making Strides Kickoff Breakfast

Walking in Pink

Thank you again to my wonderful supporters, and I hope to see many of you out there!

Cutler to the Bears? Sometimes... you just have to Cowboy up!!

Open Letter Friday 4/3

Polymer Clay Snails has a MeMe called Open Letter Friday.


Write a letter, to anyone. Sister, parent, crazy driver, friend who has decided that a cookout doesn't include meat.

I also included this post under Open Mic Night Friday's!



******************************************************************************

Dear Gain,

Thank you! Thank you for making my clothes smell great. I love how it feels when I am curled up with my blankie and the dryer has heated you into happiness.

You are soft, after I get out of the shower and wrap a clean towel around me; you clean the dirty clothes of my toddler girls whom usually look like small ruffians due to the amount of food/dirt/bugs they get on their bodies.

I would ask, please, that you find a way to create a child-proof lock on the top of your bottle, I would appreciate it.

Why?

Well, allow me to Thank you for making my daughters smell great when they dump you all over themselves in the laundry room. Thank you for making my house smell spring garden fresh, from outside the front door, due to the amount of detergent STILL on my floors.

You make my daughters hair soft after she gets out of her $8.00 bath, which became a luxury spa when I put her in, and the tub filled up with bubbles, just from the detergent they had on their bodies. They were clean, smelling good and incredibly soft skinned, so soft that they kept slipping in the now VERY clean bathtub.

If you could do that, I’d be a loyal customer forever.

Take your time, I’ll wait..... I still have a ton of detergent to clean up UNDER the washing machine… I’ll be here when you get it figured out, however if you could make the scent mandarin orange I’d appreciate it. I’m all spring gardened out…

Sincerely,

Mommy to six kids, two of whom are proving to outmatch the other four.

New additions

I started more blogs.

I know. I do not have the time for this, but I always manage to find it.

I want to do these… for my kids, for my family, for me, heck, even for the people who like to wander into my life. Have at it!

I know that the blog design is basic. I’m not smart when it comes to that aspect of blogging. I am still learning the cool things I can do!

Month of Lily This blog is for a different change every month. This month, working out once a day, 30 minutes a day, next month : Cooking a home cooked meal every night? No cursing? Different movie every night? -Who knows?- (Ya’ll wanna join in? I’d love to see what ya’ll do!)

My Kids and I One picture a day, of the kids and I. Sometimes it’ll be all of them, sometimes just one. It depends, but it is those memories I want to cherish!

Crunchy Green Mom will stay! Heck, for as long as people want to listen to me!

Thanks for reading/looking/commenting!

Blue Ribbon Photos- Colors

Lori over @ A Cowboy’s Wife is hosting a Blue Ribbon Photo Contest. Her theme for this month is colors.


I have never fancied myself a good photographer, I never saw things like some people do. The symmetry of a tree that frames a child on a swing, or the way the hole in the dryer door could act as a circular frame.

However, then Picasa came out, and I fell in love with change.

Cropping, highlights, sharpening... so here it is.
Here is my contribution to this month's Blue Ribbon Photo Contest. Come over and join... I'd love to see what you have taken a picture of!

(Please click on the picture so you can see the full side of this photo.. it is amazing!)
(Boat of Vivid Dreams)
(Image by: Suzanne Bastien)

This picture was taken at the Desert Botanical Gardens this past weekend. It is part of the Chihuly: Nature of Glass exhibit. Amazing colors!

Wordle Wednesday (April Fools Day!)

Week Four of a new MeMe by: Nydia at Polymer Clay Snails. Go over to Wordle, make your own and post it up! I'd love to see what ya'll make.

Today... my Wordle is on April Fools Day, Jokes, funny times... you know... silliness.

Wordless Wednesday (Chihuly Exhibit, Phoenix)